Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Fordham
Strong Defensive Effort Comes Up Short for Bucknell Football at Fordham, 21-7
11/7/2009 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 7, 2009
BRONX, N.Y. - John Skelton completed 28 of 33 passes for 305 yards for Fordham and a strong Bucknell defensive effort came up short as the Bison football team fell to the Rams by a 21-7 margin Saturday afternoon at Jack Coffey Field. It was the fourth consecutive loss for Bucknell, which saw its three-game winning streak against Fordham snapped.
The Rams' offense was ranked second nationally entering the game and Bucknell's defense limited Fordham to 415 total yards and 21 points, well below its averages of 483 yards and 28 points. The Bison also forced a pair of first-half fumbles and stopped a fake punt attempt. Casey Williams (15), Greg Jones (12) and Travis Nissley (11) each recorded double-figure tackles for Bucknell, while Samuel Oyekoya posted 1.5 sacks.
Bucknell (3-6, 1-3 Patriot League) held potent Fordham scoreless for the first 28:21 of the game as the Rams fumbled twice, punted once and failed to convert a fake punt on its first four possessions of the game. Skelton finally got the high-scoring Rams on the scoreboard late in the first half when he led a 12-play, 77-yard drive, completing 5 of 6 passes for 49 yards. A 12-yard rush by Xavier Martin ended the drive and tied the score at 7-7 with 1:39 remaining in the first half. The key play on the drive was Skelton finding a wide open Jason Caldwell for 24 yards on a third-and-eight with about 3:30 left near midfield.
A six-yard Justin Pulgrano run with 9:01 remaining in the second quarter gave Bucknell its first first-half lead since week two vs. Robert Morris. Pulgrano's plunge through the middle capped an eight-play, 56-yard drive that featured eight rushes by the Bison. It was the first career touchdown for Pulgrano, who ended up rushing three times for 16 yards.
Bucknell, which threw 36 passes a week ago at Lafayette, concentrated on the rush Saturday in an attempt to slow down Fordham's offense. It worked as the Bison held the ball for 31:12, its most time of possession since the season opener at Duquesne. Forty-four of Bucknell's 61 offensive plays were rushes, including 26 of 31 in the first half.
The game was still tied 7-7 at the conclusion of the third quarter, but Bucknell was unable to overcome three turnovers over the final 19 minutes of play. Quarterback Marcello Trigg fumbled at the Fordham (4-5, 1-3 PL) 27-yard line with 3:33 left in the third quarter and Fordham proceeded to drive to the Bucknell 15-yard line. However, a personal foul penalty and a sack by Oyekoya and Robert De La Rosa pushed the Rams back to nearly the 40. The Rams worked back into field goal range, but a 32-yard field goal attempt by Kevin Heinowitz was wide left, giving Bucknell another chance to take the lead.
The Bison were unable to convert on the chance and punted the ball away. Fordham capitalized with Darryl Whiting scoring on a one-yard touchdown run, capping a 10-play, 67-yard drive. That score proved to be the winning points.
Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, A.J. Kizekai fumbled on a hard hit by David Mendez. Eight plays and less than three minutes later Fordham scored when Skelton found his brother, Stephen, for a nine-yard touchdown strike with 5:20 remaining.
Bucknell's last chance at drawing closer ended when Kelvin Colbert intercepted a Trigg pass at the Fordham 16 with less than three minutes left.
Trigg, who went the distance at quarterback for the second consecutive week, completed 9 of 17 passes for 68 yards. Ryan Smith led the ground attack with a career-high 70 yards on 15 carries. As a team, the Bison totaled 186 yards on the ground, their highest total since putting up 208 yards at Duquesne in week one.
Skelton's 305 yards made him the second quarterback in two weeks to register 300 yards against Bucknell. He completed 12 of his 28 passes to Jason Caldwell, who registered 135 yards.
Bucknell, which has now lost seven road games in a row, will conclude its road schedule next week at Colgate. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Hamilton, N.Y.
