Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Commences Preseason Practice Sunday
8/7/2009 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 7, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The first of 20 practices for the Bucknell football team before the start of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 26, will take place this Sunday evening (Aug. 9) starting at 8:30 p.m. inside Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The evening workout will signal the start of preseason camp for the Bison, who will open their 124th season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Duquesne.
The team, which will open camp with 94 players on the roster, will report to campus Sunday morning and participate in a day of equipment fitting, meetings and physicals. Sunday evening's practice session will feature physical tests and conditioning.
Seventh-year head coach Tim Landis will use preseason camp to prepare the Bison for the 2009 campaign. Landis has guided Bucknell to at least five wins in four of his six years on the sideline and this year he has 19 seniors at his disposal and no fewer than 17 starters returning from last year's squad that opened the season 4-2 and totaled five wins in all.
Below is a practice schedule for preseason camp. Please note that this schedule is subject to change.
2009 Preseason Camp Schedule
Sunday, Aug. 9: 8:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 10: 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 11: 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 12: 3 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13: 3 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 14: 8 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 15: 3 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16: 8 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 17: 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 18: 8 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 19: 3 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 20: 8 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 21: 4 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22: 3 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 23: 9 a.m.
Monday, Aug. 24: OFF
Tuesday, Aug. 25: 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 26: 4 p.m.
Bucknell Home Football Promotions Schedule
Sept. 12 – vs. Robert Morris (6 p.m.)
Promotions: Damon's T-Shirt Giveaway, Junior Bison Club Bank Giveaway, Honoring of Spring Patriot League Championship Teams
Sept. 26 – vs. Marist (1 p.m.)
Promotions: Family Weekend, Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps
Oct. 3 – vs. Georgetown (1 p.m.)
Promotions: Community Day (free admission), Junior Bison Club Party Day, Take a Kid to the Game Day
Oct. 24 – vs. Lehigh (1 p.m.)
Promotions: Homecoming, Hall of Fame Day, Bison Land Inflatables
Nov. 21 – vs. Holy Cross (1 p.m.)
Promotions: POWERade Day, Senior Recognition Day
For tickets to Bucknell Football home games, please contact the Campus Box Office at 570-577-1000.
2009 Season Preview:
After years of having relatively young and inexperienced rosters, the Bucknell football team should finally have a strong veteran presence in 2009. The Bison return eight starters on defense and nine more on the offensive side of the ball, including All-Patriot League performers A.J. Kizekai and Shaun Pasternak as seventh-year head coach Tim Landis' squad looks to improve on last year's 5-6 mark and finish above .500 for the first time since 2006.
The return of Marcello Trigg, who missed the final three games of last season as well as spring practice with a knee injury, and Sam Nana-Sinkam, who suffered a leg injury midway through the year against Georgetown, will bolster the lineup as well.
Bucknell has plenty of experience at nearly every position heading into 2009. The only positions where the Bison won't have seasoned players is at kicker and punter, where sophomores Drew Orth and Andrew Bell will take over for four-year starters Will Carney and Phil Azarik.
For the second straight year, Bucknell ended the season on a high note in 2008 as it defeated defending Patriot League champion Fordham 24-21 on a field goal in overtime. Last year, the Bison parlayed the positive experience of upsetting the 18th-ranked Rams in the final game of the 2007 campaign into a 4-2 start.
Expectations heading into 2009 are high after last season's two-win improvement and the continued summer commitment of the Bison players. Last summer, more than 50 players spent June and July in Lewisburg, taking advantage of the team's workout facilities and strengthening team camaraderie under the guidance of second-year strength coach John Field, who has also held positions at Colgate and Holy Cross, the top two teams in the Patriot League in 2008. This summer, another 50 players continued the growing tradition of training in Lewisburg.
“Having guys here in the summer is an indication of commitment to the program,” mentioned Landis. “The more guys you can have here in the summer working out with your strength coach, the better you are going to be when preseason camp comes around. Our strength coach has done a tremendous job because he knows at what level these guys need to be at the start of camp and he can make sure they are at that level. Some guys do a great job on their own at home, but the ones that are here we know are getting great instruction and the valuable time with their teammates.”
Bucknell this season returns 37 lettermen and 17 starters. Below is a position-by-position look at the Bison heading into preseason practice.
Offense
Brent Thompson, who will be in his seventh year on staff in 2009, will take over as offensive coordinator, replacing Harold Nichols, who departed for the head coaching position at Presbyterian College after one year on the Bison sidelines.
Under Nichols, Bucknell used a spread option attack that resulted in the team throwing for more than 2,000 yards for the first time since 2001. The Bison continued to feature their vaunted running game as well with six different players registering at least 100 yards on the ground as the team piled up more than 1,600 rushing yards. Expect that same balance to continue under Thompson's watch.
Bucknell's offense averaged 24.5 points per game last season, its highest figure since 2004. The Bison have seen their scoring average go up each year since 2005 and their 269 total points last season were just three shy of eighth place on the program's all-time list.
Quarterback
Landis is comfortable with his quarterback situation for 2009. Senior Marcello Trigg was in the midst of an outstanding campaign where he was on pace to become just the second Bison quarterback in more than a decade to throw for more than 2,000 yards before injuring his knee at Holy Cross last November. The two-year starter completed 104 of 155 passes for 1,438 yards and 13 touchdowns and was among the most accurate quarterbacks in the country. He missed spring practice, but spent countless hours on campus this summer and is expected to be healthy this fall when he should reclaim his starting position.
C.J. Hopson shared time with the since-graduated Andrew Lair following Trigg's injury and impressed in his two starts, leading the Bison to a fourth-quarter comeback and a victory over Fordham in the season finale. Hopson completed 38 of 65 passes for 390 yards and three touchdowns in his limited action.
“I think we are in a good situation at quarterback,” said Landis. “We have two good quarterbacks and certainly Marcello is the starter coming off of last season.”
Among the quarterbacks who will provide depth and challenge both Trigg and Hopson are sophomores Matt Harbin, Burke Batten and David Noshay, who were part of a talented group of rookie quarterbacks last fall.
With Trigg missing spring practice, each of the youngsters earned plenty of reps and each improved immensley.
“I think all four (sophomore) quarterbacks are capable,” commented Landis. “Batten, Harbin and Noshay all made great strides during the spring, but Hopson is ahead of them at this point.”
Running Back
Like most positions, Bucknell returns a large stable of running backs, led by All-Patriot Leaguer A.J. Kizekai. Kizekai and Josh Lee, both seniors, were the starting slotbacks last season, while junior fullback Ryan Smith saw significant time, but missed the final four games with an injury.
Bucknell will return every running back that carried the ball in 2008 except hard-running fullback Kevin Mullen, who graduated in May after rushing for 190 yards last year and more than 700 in his career.
Kizekai, who led the team in rushing for the second consecutive year, was also an efficient receiver out of the backfield, catching 27 balls for 383 yards and one touchdown to rank second on the Bison. A two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection as a kick returner, Kizekai was honored with a second-team honor as a running back last year.
Jamil Crews will shift from slotback to fullback to help make up for the loss of Mullen, while speedy Rashod Bumpers, who missed all of last season after starting 10 games as a sophomore in 2007, will make a return to the lineup. Marlon Woods also joins the running backs corps after playing on the defensive side of the ball as a freshman in 2007 and at wide receiver last year.
“It's nice to see we have everyone who rushed for any yards for us back,” commented Landis. “It's been that way for a couple of years. A.J. has started for two-and-one-half years, Pulgrano and Lee have played a lot and Rashod Bumpers is back. That's a real deep group and there will be great competition. We just have to get everybody reps.”
Wide Receiver
After years where the casual fan would barely notice the Bison wide receivers, Shaun Pasternak took to the new wrinkles in the offense and had a breakout year last fall, causing everyone around the Patriot League to take notice. He was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection after breaking the Bucknell single-season record with 1,083 yards. The 6-3 Clarks Summit, Pa., native also broke the program record for touchdown catches in a season with 12 and enters his junior campaign with 14 career touchdown receptions, just four shy of tying the Bucknell standard. He came one catch shy of the program record and was among the nation's leaders in receiving yards and receptions per game.
“I expect Shaun to be a big-play guy for us, like he has been,” said Landis about his receiver who registered a Bucknell record-tying five 100-yard games last year. “He is so effective for us in running after the catch and that's something we haven't had in the past. Shaun breaks tackles and makes things happen. He will continue his growth and I think he can get even better.”
Like at running back, Bucknell returns all of its receivers from last year except one, as Alex Odenbach graduated in May. Cale Cadman, who started opposite Pasternak last fall, will look to improve on his 13 catches for 96 yards. Additionally, Brandon Simmons, who is moving to wide receiver after starting in the defensive backfield last year, will provide depth.
“Brandon (Simmons) moved to a position where we have some really good players,” explained Landis. “As spring practice and his transition progressed he did some really good things and caught some passes, including at least one in the spring game. He is going to add depth at receiver for us and really push the other guys. Even if we think we are set at a position, it is never bad to have a guy come in and push them to get better.”
Sophomores Nathan Zurisko and Gabe Skwara didn't see much time in 2008, but both were highly touted before landing at Bucknell.
Offensive Line
The offensive line was one of Bucknell's biggest question marks heading into 2008 as the Bison had to replace all five starters, but a young group of Nick McLeod, Ian Dal Bello, James Phelan, Anthony Carter and Stephen Edwards started the final 10 games of the season. Edwards, the lone senior among the unit, is the only one gone.
“To start two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior on the offensive line and win five games and be productive offensively gives us a great springboard into this year,” beamed Landis. “I think this is the best group of offensive linemen since I have been here.”
While a strong group returns, reinforcements are on their way in the form of Hesham Abdelaal and Jason Vollmar. Abdelaal missed last season, while Vollmar had an injured foot that caused him to sit out the year. Paul Brazinski, who started last year's season opener, will also compete for playing time.
“Not only are we excited about the starters that return, but there are four more guys right there that can be very good players,” mentioned Landis.
Defense
Andrew Cohen will return for his third season as the defensive coordinator for the Bison. Last year Bucknell saw a slight improvement on its defensive numbers from Cohen's first season in 2007. Despite a young defense that featured no more than three senior starters and no upperclassmen in the backfield, the team cut down on its points allowed, rushing yards allowed and passing yards allowed from 2007. The defense limited opponents to less than 22 points per game in the five wins in 2008.
With the return of eight starters and a healthy Sam Nana-Sinkam for the whole year, the Bison defense, which is now a veteran unit with seven juniors and seniors listed as starters on the preseason depth chart, should continue its improvement in 2009.
Defensive Line
Will Braaf, Robert De La Rosa and Todd Rinaldo were the primary starters on the defensive line last year and Braaf and De La Rosa return in 2009. Kyle Boline and John von Paris earned more playing time as the season wore on, with Boline earning three starts at defensive end in the season's final four games.
De La Rosa had a strong freshman season with 34 tackles, a team-high five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Braaf, who is the only senior among the defensive line two-deep entering the season, recorded 16 tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles last fall.
Landis expects Michael Tonge, who played a significant amount in a reserve role late in the season, to challenge for a starting spot at nose guard, allowing classmate De La Rosa to move back to defensive end.
Rookies James Carson, Matthew Diles, Devin Gordon-Hamm and Samuel Oyekoya will have an opportunity to show what they can do as Landis would like to build up the team's depth at defensive line despite having five returning veterans that have taken plenty of reps.
Linebacker
Bucknell's most experienced group could be its linebackers with four seniors - Brigham Farrand, Greg Jones, Sam Nana-Sinkam and Casey Williams - battling for starting positions. Jones and Nana-Sinkam are returning starters, while Williams and Farrand, along with Travis Nissley, will be looking to become full-time starters after making cameo appearances with the first unit over the years.
In addition to experience, there is a significant amount of leadership at linebacker as Jones and Williams shared the team's Captains Award with Kevin Mullen and A.J. Kizekai in 2008.
Nana-Sinkam, who missed 2007 after undergoing shoulder surgery, was having an outstanding year and leading the Patriot League in tackles when he went down with a leg injury during the first half of a game at Georgetown last October. He missed the final five games and still ranked third on the Bison with 62 tackles.
“Sam is a great leader,” praised Landis. “He is a great football player and I would love to see him stay healthy and produce a great senior season. There is no question he is an all-league player.”
Jones will enter his third year starting this fall coming off a season in which he registered a team-high 89 tackles. Williams is currently slated to start, but Farrand, a two-year starter who is moving to linebacker from safety, will push for the starting position. Williams, who is also a valuable special teams player on kickoff coverage, finished with 41 tackles last year, while Farrand totaled 39, including a career-high 18 against Colgate.
Also in the mix at linebacker is Nissley, who started the second half of last year in place of Nana-Sinkam. Nissley was fourth on the team with 55 tackles last year and has exactly 100 in his two-year career.
At the “stud” position, a hybrid defensive line/linebacker, Landis must replace two-year starter Marques Morgan. Spring practice standout Tyler Anderson is the frontrunner for the position, while Tim Bolte could challenge.
“We finally found the right position for Tyler (Anderson),” said Landis. “He would win the most improved award if we gave one out after the spring. He plays so hard and stood out when we looked back at spring practice on the defensive side of the ball.”
Defensive Back
Bucknell had plenty of youth in the defensive backfield last year, but that should pay off in 2009. Of the 44 possible starts, 32 were by freshmen and sophomores, and no seniors earned a start. Gone is Brandon Simmons, who moved over to the offensive side of the ball as a wide receiver, but senior Jason Davis returns after leaving the team four games into the 2008 campaign.
Bryce Robertson, who took over for Davis in the starting lineup, and Ahkiel White, who mainly started at free safety last year, are expected to start at the corners, but Landis has mentioned he might keep White at safety as well.
“By the end of the year Bryce was playing like a sophomore and not a freshman. He has tremendous potential,” raved Landis. “Ahkiel has the ability to play safety or corner and has started at both positions. He did a nice job at corner during the spring and we have to prioritize that position and make sure we are set there. We will see what our best combination is as preseason practice moves along."
At safety, Rob Gerlach, who was the only defensive player to start all 11 games last year, should continue to hold down his starting position, while Sean Rafferty could break into the lineup. Veteran Josh Gornto and youngster Mike Cardinute will provide depth.
While there are a number of faces in the defensive backfield, Landis still expects to give freshmen Donald Quarles and Terrance FitzSimmons a chance to show what they can do on the field.
Special Teams
After four years with Phil Azarik and Will Carney holding down the kicking positions, Bucknell will turn to sophomores Andrew Bell and Drew Orth in 2009. Bell did not see game action in 2008 while he learned from All-Patriot Leaguer Azarik, but Orth filled in admirably for an injured Carney in parts of four games, showing a strong leg by averaging nearly 58 yards per kickoff and connecting on a 38-yard field goal against Hofstra.
“Drew is exactly what we thought he would be,” commented Landis. “We hope he can be a three-year starter for us.
“Andrew brings some athleticism where we can do a few more things from the punter position. He was a running back in high school and is very athletic. Andrew didn't have the opportunity to gain game experience like Drew, so we will have to get him in that mode during the preseason.
“The ideal situation for a specialist position is to bring them in behind a senior to learn for a year and then as a sophomore they get their opportunity.”
While the Bison lost both their kickers, they do have a guy that will torment opponents' kickers in A.J. Kizekai. A two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection as a return specialist, Kizekai already owns the top two spots on Bucknell's single-season return yardage list and six of the top 10 single-game marks. He also had a record 100-yard return for a touchdown against Lafayette last year and is the Bucknell career record-holder in return yards with 2,107, mainly accumulated in just the last two years.
Kizekai may also see some time returning punts this year, although Landis will also use Shaun Pasternak and Marlon Woods there. Pasternak filled in for an injured Nolan Applegate late in 2008 and returned four punts for 18 yards, while Woods worked throughout the spring on fielding punts. He did record a team-high 20-yard return on his only chance last year.
Alex Iwaskiw replaced four-year long-snapper Chad Glasser last year and will return for his second season in that role. The Bison will also have experience at holder with senior Cale Cadman and sophomore C.J. Hopson expected to own those duties.
Once again, Special Teams MVP Casey Williams will lead the Bison coverage unit.
