Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Football Returns Home Saturday vs. Holy Cross
10/8/2013 1:58:00 PM | Football
What: Holy Cross Crusaders (2-4, 0-0 PL) at Bucknell Bison (1-3, 0-1 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, 1 p.m.
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
Internet Video: Bison Vision on Patriot League Network (FREE!)
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 14 Brandon Wesley (Sr., 6-2, 195) - Holds Bucknell record for career completions, att. & total off.
or 5 RJ Nitti (Fr., 6-4, 220) - Made 1st career start last week vs. Lafayette
RB 31 Matt DelMauro (So., 5-7, 185) - 105 yards rushing in 1st two games of season before injury
FB 33 Travis Friend (Sr., 6-2, 242) - 3-time All-Patriot League selection
WR 80 Josh Brake (Jr., 6-3, 205) - At least one catch in nine straight games
WR 10 Kyle Sullivan (Sr., 5-11, 205) - At least one catch in every game this season
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (Fr., 6-7, 305) - Only freshman to start season opener vs. Marist
LG 72 Lonnie Rawles (Jr., 6-4, 285) - Moved to LG from LT this year, 22 career starts
C 77 Brandon Noblett (Jr., 6-2, 285) - Started 15 straight games at center
or 62 Ned Bent (Fr., 6-2, 290) - Played in reserve role vs. Cornell, Sacred Heart
RG 79 Nevin Hagman (Jr., 6-3, 285) - Missed Sacred Heart game with injury
RT 71 Ramy Kased (So., 6-6, 325) - 13 career games, 5 starts
TE 88 Patrick Kelly (Jr., 6-3, 230) - 26 GP, 8 receptions in career
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 97 Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood (Jr., 6-1, 285) - Expected to make 2nd straight start at DE after playing inside
DT 51 Brent Forbes (Jr., 6-1, 285) - Started vs. Marist, Lafayette this season
NG 90 Tracey Smith (Sr., 6-1, 265) - Second Team All-PL in 2012, Preseason All-PL in 2013
DE 99 Connor Hayes (Jr., 6-1, 235) - Started in place of Sean Sellers vs. Marist, Sacred Heart
Mike LB 27 Evan Byers (Jr., 6-0, 225) - Second Team All-PL in 2012, Preseason All-PL in 2013
Sam LB 37 Lee Marvel (Jr., 6-0, 205) - Recently crossed 100 career tackle plateau
SS 25 Clayton Ewell (So., 6-1, 195) - 12th nationally in TFL per game (1.8)
FS 43 Louis Taglianetti (So., 5-11, 200) - Career-high 8 tackles last week vs. Lafayette
Whip DB 26 Matthew Steinbeck (Jr., 6-0, 210) - First Team All-PL in 2012, Preseason All-PL in 2013
CB 2 Derrick Palmer (Sr., 5-10, 175) - Team captain along with Friend, Goyette
CB 23 Tajh Turner (Sr., 5-9, 170) - First career start & INT vs. Marist
With a Victory over Holy Cross, Bucknell Would ...
• ... snap a three-game losing streak.
• ... win for the fourth time in its last five home games.
• ... snap a three-game losing streak vs. the Crusaders.
• ... move into second place in the Patriot League standings, one-half game behind Lafayette.
• ... become the second Patriot League team to win a conference game this season.
About the Game
After opening its Patriot League schedule last week at Lafayette, Bucknell returns home to host Holy Cross on Saturday. It is Fall Break on the Bucknell campus and the Bison will be looking to get back on the winning side for the first time since their season-opening victory over Marist. Bucknell has been hampered by numerous injuries during its current three-game slide as starters QB Brandon Wesley, RB Matt DelMauro, RB CJ Williams, DE Sean Sellers and OL Nevin Hagman have all missed significant chunks of time. The Bison defense has remained strong, ranking ninth nationally in rushing defense and 18th in total defense. Opponents are completing just 53.7 percent of their passes and are averaging just 3.2 yards per rush. Holy Cross has alternated wins and losses its last five games and brings a 2-4 record into Saturday's contest. The Crusaders are coming off a 41-35 triple overtime loss to Harvard. Freshman QB Peter Pujals has seen the bulk of the action under center the last three games and the three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week has already thrown for 764 yards. Holy Cross will be playing its only road game in October this Saturday.
About Holy Cross
• Holy Cross is 2-4, 0-0 PL this season and is coached by Tom Gilmore. Gilmore is in his 10th year at the helm of the Crusaders and owns a 55-51 mark.
• Three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Peter Pujals has moved into the starting quarterback position. He is 71-for-108 for 764 yards and eight touchdowns in four games, including two starts.
• Six Holy Cross players have at least 100 receiving yards this season, including Mike Fess, who has a team-high 40 catches for 494 yards. He ranks second in the league in receptions and third in receiving yards.
• The Holy Cross defense has forced eight turnovers this year. Roman SanDoval leds the squad with 46 tackles, which is tied for the third-highest total in the Patriot League.
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Series Notes
• Holy Cross leads 19-10.
• Holy Cross has won seven of the last eight meetings.
• Three of the last four meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.
• Neither team has scored 20 points since 2010.
• Bucknell owns a 7-6 advantage in Lewisburg.
• First meeting was in 1925.
Last Time vs. Holy Cross
Holy Cross 13, Bucknell 6 (Oct. 6, 2012 - Worcester, Mass.)
• The contest featured 18 punts, four interceptions, one blocked punt and 433 yards of combined total offense.
• Bucknell had a chance to win a game on its final possession for the third straight week, but Holy Cross clinched the game with an interception with just under two minutes to play.
• Kickers Sean Cobelli and John Macomber combined to score 13 of the 19 points in the game.
• Bucknell K Sean Cobelli booted a career-long 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. It was the longest field goal by a Bison since Will Carney connected on a 47-yard attempt at Holy Cross in 2008.
• Only one of the teams' combined 29 drives lasted longer than four minutes. The average drive was just 4.8 plays long and advanced the ball 15.6 yards.
• Bucknell and Holy Cross were a combined 12-for-39 on third downs.
Inside the Lafayette Box Score
• Lafayette scored three touchdowns in a first-half span of 13:53 to jump out to a 21-0 lead.
• Bucknell lost its Patriot League opener for just the second time in the last six years.
• Bucknell freshman QB RJ Nitti made his first career start.
• Lafayette started backup QB Andrew Dzurik.
• The temperature neared 80 degrees at kickoff, in sharp contrast to Bucknell's last visit to Fisher Stadium in 2011 when an October snowstorm blanketed the field throughout the contest.
• Bucknell forced four Lafayette turnovers (3 INT, 1 FUM).
• Bucknell P Kyle Sullivan broke the Bucknell and Patriot League single-game records for punts (13). His 474 punting yards broke that Patriot League mark as well.
• Bucknell fell to 16-12 all-time in Patriot League openers.
Career Highs Set vs. Lafayette
• Terry Bennett: tackles (1)
• Clayton Ewell: tackles (7), tackles for loss (3), interceptions (1)
• Travis Friend: fumble recoveries (1)
• Matt Johnson: tackles for loss (2), sacks (2)
• Jimmy King: tackles (1)
• Robert Naylor: tackles (1)
• RJ Nitti: rushing attempts (6), passing attempts (32), pass completions (14), passing yards (64), long pass (14), passing TDs (1)
• Vinnie Pini: receptions (4), rushing attempts (1)
• Brian Regan: rushing attempts (13)
• Kyle Sullivan: punt attempts (13), kickoff returns (5), kickoff return yards (90), long kickoff return (23), all-purpose yards (104)
• Louis Taglianetti: tackles (8)
• Charles Thompson: receiving TDs (1)
• Tajh Turner: tackles (9)
Busy Day for Sullivan
• Kyle Sullivan has been Bucknell's punter, punt returner, holder and a wide receiver this year. Last Saturday vs. Lafayette he added kickoff returner to his list of duties.
• Sullivan returned five kicks for 90 yards against the Leopards. He also had one punt return for eight yards and one reception for six yards. His 104 all-purpose yards were a career high.
• Sullivan also punted 13 times for 474 yards (36.5 average). He broke the Bucknell and Patriot League records for punts in a game and the league mark for yards in a game.
• The previous Bucknell record for punts in a game was 12 by Billy Windle in 2000 vs. Towson. Four players, including Windle, had shared the Patriot League record for punts in a game.
• Bucknell's 13 punts vs. Lafayette equaled the Patriot League single-game mark (Fordham vs. Penn - 1992).
• Sullivan was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks after last Saturday's all-around performance.
Rushing Defense
• Bucknell has been one of the best teams in the nation against the run the last two years. The Bison are one of just four teams to rank in the top 10 nationally against the run in both 2011 and 2012, joining Sam Houston State, Harvard and North Carolina A&T.
• Bucknell has held 11 opponents to under 50 yards rushing since the beginning of 2011 (26 games).
• The Bison defense has held opponents to under 100 yards rushing 16 times over the same span.
• Marist rushed for just 39 yards against Bucknell on Sept. 7 and Cornell registered just 17 yards on the ground Sept. 21.
Recent Bucknell Rushing Defense
2011: 78.3 (3rd nationally)
2012: 101.3 (7th nationally)
2013: 100.8 (9th nationally)
Patriot League Home Openers
• Bucknell is 9-18 in Patriot League home openers.
• The Bison are 2-2 in their last four Patriot League home openers.
• 2011 vs. Georgetown marks the last time Bucknell won a Patriot League home opener.
First Career Start for Nitti
• Freshman QB RJ Nitti made his first career start last week at Lafayette. He was 14-for-32 passing for 64 yards and one touchdown.
• Nitti made is collegiate debut the previous week vs. Sacred Heart and played one series.
• Bucknell has now had three starting quarterbacks in the last three weeks (Brandon Wesley vs. Cornell, Trey Lauletta vs. Sacred Heart, RJ Nitti vs. Lafayette). This is the first time the Bison have had three different QBs in three consecutive games since 2008 (Marcello Trigg vs. Holy Cross, Andrew Lair vs. Lafayette, C.J. Hopson vs. Lehigh).
• This is the first time Bucknell has used three different starting quarterbacks in a season since 2008.
Susan to Tie By Dickson & Carroll Huntress
• Fourth-year head coach Joe Susan will coach his 38th game at Bucknell Saturday afternoon. He will tie By Dickson (1910-13) and Carroll Huntress (1965-68) for 11th place on the program's games coached list.
• Next up for Susan to catch is Pete Reynolds, who coached 48 games from 1919-1923.
Forced Turnovers Return
• After forcing just three turnovers over the season's first three games, Bucknell collected four turnovers (3 INT, 1 FUM) last week vs. Lafayette. It marked the first time the Bison had both three interceptions and at least four forced turnovers in a game since a Nov. 12, 2011 shutout at Fordham (3 INT, 2 FUM).
• Matthew Steinbeck registered his second career two-interception game. His other one (Oct. 20, 2012 at Lehigh) also came in the Lehigh Valley.
• Clayton Ewell picked off his first career pass.
• Travis Friend recovered a fumbled punt that set up Bucknell's only score vs. Lafayette.
• Bucknell has had at least one interception in 22 of its last 26 games and at least one forced turnover in 26 of its last 28 outings.
Steinbeck INTs
• Junior S Matthew Steinbeck had two interceptions and 47 interception return yards last week vs. Lafayette. He now has eight career interceptions and 205 career interception return yards.
• Steinbeck is tied for 14th in program history in career interceptions. His 205 interception return yards are just 27 behind Gene Luccarelli's program standard (232).
• Steinbeck led the Patriot League in interceptions last year (6). His average of .55 interceptions per game tied for second nationally.
• Steinbeck has had at least one interception in six of Bucknell's last 11 games.
Quick Hitters
• Bucknell has won three of its last four home games.
• LB Evan Byers has had at least 0.5 tackles for loss in 14 straight games. The last time he did not record a tackle for loss was the 2012 season opener at Marist.
• Bison seniors Travis Friend and Jeff Goyette have played in all 37 games over the last four years.
• Bucknell punted 10 times in a game last week for the first time since 2011 vs. Holy Cross.
• After turning the ball over 12 times in its previous two losses, Bucknell had just two miscues last week at Lafayette.
Brandon Wesley Record Watch
• Bucknell senior QB Brandon Wesley broke Scott Auchenbach's school record for career total offense vs. Marist. He now has 5,756 career yards of total offense.
• Wesley enters Saturday's contest just 36 yards behind Auchenbach's career passing yards mark (5,256-5,220). Wesley is one of just two players in program history to throw for 5,000 yards and one of four to register 4,000 yards.
• Wesley entered the 2013 season in first place on Bucknell's career pass completions and pass attempts lists. He is now 480-for-838 (.573) in his career.
• The versatile Wesley has rushed for 536 yards in his career. He also caught his third career pass against Marist when he hauled in one of his own throws that was batted back to him.
• Wesley missed the Sacred Heart and Lafayette games with a leg injury. The Sacred Heart contest was the first game he had not started since the first game of his freshman year at Duquesne. He had played in all 35 games since he first arrived at Bucknell in 2010.
Tracey Smith Named a Semifinalist for Campbell Trophy
• Senior DL Tracey Smith was recently named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's (NFF) William V. Campbell Trophy. Smith is one of 170 semifinalists across all divisions of college football. He is the eighth Bison in as many years to be a semifinalist, following David Frisbey (2006), Nick Mozal (2007), Kevin Mullen (2008), Sam Nana-Sinkam (2009), Travis Nissley (2010), Tim Bolte (2011) and Samuel Oyekoya (2012). Nissley advanced on to become an NFF National Scholar-Athlete and was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy.
• Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
• The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, and the results will be announced via a national press release on Thursday, Oct. 31. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2013 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City to be honored Dec. 10 during the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria.
Milestone Watch
• Brandon Wesley is 36 passing yards shy of tying Scott Auchenbach for first place on Bucknell's career list.
• Brandon Wesley needs three touchdown passes to move into tie for sixth place on program's career list with Rob Glus.
• Tracey Smith is nine tackles shy of becoming the fifth current Bison to reach 100 career tackles.
• Travis Friend is 27 yards shy of reaching 500 all-purpose yards in his career.
• Kyle Sullivan is 79 yards shy of reaching 500 all-purpose yards in his career.
Up Next
Bucknell will travel to Hanover, N.H., to take on Dartmouth next Saturday, Oct. 19. The Bison last played the Big Green in 2010 and lost by a 43-20 score. Bucknell will be making its first trip to Hanover since 1992. Dartmouth leads the all-time series 5-1.
