Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Cornell
Bucknell Football Drops 33-9 Decision at Cornell
9/19/2009 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 19, 2009
ITHACA, N.Y. - Ben Ganter completed 17 of 25 passes for 172 yards and Cornell registered three touchdowns of at least 30 yards as the Bucknell football team lost to the Big Red 33-9 Saturday afternoon at sunny Schoellkopf Field. The Bison fell to 1-2 on the season, while Cornell improved to 1-0 by winning its season opener over Bucknell for the third straight year.
For the second straight game Bucknell's offense, which registered 16 of the team's 26 points last week vs. Robert Morris, could not get in sync as the Bison registered just 238 yards of total offense, putting their total over the last two weeks at just over 400. Bucknell was also forced to punt eight times, one week after punting nine times in a home victory over the Colonials.
The Bison were led on the offensive end by A.J. Kizekai, who rushed for 77 yards on 20 carries. Freshman Tyler Smith carried the ball nine times for 44 yards, including a career-best 12-yard run in the second half. Marcello Trigg completed 8 of 16 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, the 29th of his career, which moved him into sole possession of third place on the Bison all-time list.
Cornell, which has won five consecutive home games over the Bison, went on the board first, registering a safety on its second defensive possession of the game when a pitch from Trigg to Josh Lee, who earned his first start of the season, was bobbled and fell into the end zone. Lee recovered, but was two yards deep in the end zone at the time.
The Big Red then capitalized on the short field following the safety as they drove 53 yards on eight plays, ending with a 1-yard touchdown run by Randy Barbour.
The Bison were able to cut their deficit back to 9-7 when Trigg engineered a nine-play, 60-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to Justin Pulgrano. Trigg completed three passes for 29 yards on the drive, while Kizekai rushed for 22 yards. Bucknell was able to capitalize on a pair of personal foul penalties by Cornell inside the 15-yard line, including one on a fourth-down rush by Kizekai that came up short.
Following Trigg's touchdown to Pulgrano, Cornell held Bucknell scoreless as the Bison fumbled four times, turned the ball over twice, and managed just 187 yards the rest of the way. The Big Red piled up 24 consecutive points before the Bucknell defense recorded a safety on a bad snap with just under seven minutes to play in the final quarter.
While the Bison defense yielded 33 points, the most for an opponent against Bucknell since Lafayette's 38 last November, it did have some solid sequences. In fact, it limited the Big Red to just 24 yards on five drives spanning the second and third quarters. Brigham Farrand paced the defense with nine tackles, while Travis Nissley and Greg Jones tallied seven apiece. Farrand also posted a sack, while John von Paris recorded a team-best two tackles for loss, giving him six on the season.
Cornell went on its 24-point spurt in the second and third quarters thanks to three big plays. Bryan Walters caught a 30-yard pass from Ganter early in the second. Stephen Liuzza followed with a 65-yard touchdown run where he outran the Bison defense down the sideline and then slanted toward the middle of the field for the final 20 yards. Later, Ganter connected with Shane Savage for a 31-yard touchdown, marking the final score for the Big Red. That touchdown came with 2:52 left in the third.
Mixed in between the long touchdown plays for Cornell was a 43-yard field goal by Brad Greenway. The Big Red got into field goal position thanks to a 63-yard return of the second-half opening kickoff by Walters.
Cornell, which registered 324 total yards, was led on the ground by Liuzza, who totaled 71 yards.
Bucknell's Cale Cadman had a solid day, catching a career-high six passes for a career-high 73 yards.
Bucknell's 24-point loss was its worse since the 2007 season (28-point loss vs. Lehigh), and it was the first time it failed to score double-digits in points since a 2007 contest at Lafayette.
The Bison will return home next Saturday, Sept. 26, for a Family Weekend date with Marist. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. and will mark the first of two consecutive home games for Bucknell. The Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Drum & Bugle Corps will be playing at halftime.
