Bucknell University Athletics
Football Closes 2013 Campaign Saturday at VMI
11/19/2013 12:46:00 PM | Football
What: Bucknell Bison (5-5, 3-2 PL) at VMI Keydets (2-9, 1-4 Big South)
Where: Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, Lexington, Va.
When: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, 1:30 p.m.
Internet Video: Big South Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: VMIKeydets.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 14 Brandon Wesley (Sr., 6-2, 195) - First Bison with four 1,000-yard passing seasons
RB 4 CJ Williams (Fr., 6-1, 205) - Most rushing yards by Bison freshman since 1993
FB 33 Travis Friend (Sr., 6-2, 242) - 3-time All-Patriot League selection, first rush TD since 2010 last wk
WR 80 Josh Brake (Jr., 6-3, 205) - 115 yards shy of 1,000 for career
WR 10 Kyle Sullivan (Sr., 5-11, 205) - At least one catch in 8 of 10 games this year
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, 28 straight starts
C 62 Ned Bent (Fr., 6-2, 290) - Moved into starting lineup vs. Holy Cross
RG 79 Nevin Hagman (Jr., 6-3, 285) - Missed Sacred Heart game with injury, 18 career starts
RT 71 Ramy Kased (So., 6-6, 325) - 19 career games, 11 starts
TE 88 Patrick Kelly (Jr., 6-3, 230) - 31 GP, 10 receptions in career
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 52 Dylan McDonnell (Jr., 6-1, 245) - Expected to make 7th start of season
DT 51 Brent Forbes (Sr., 6-2, 285) - Expected to make 5th consecutive start
NG 90 Tracey Smith (Sr., 6-1, 265) - At least 5 TFL in three straight years
DE 97 D. Baldwin-Youngblood (Jr., 6-1, 285) - PL Def. Player of the Week after 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 TFL
Mike LB 27 Evan Byers (Jr., 6-0, 225) - First Bison since 1996-97 with 100 tackles in back-to-back years
Sam LB 37 Lee Marvel (Jr., 6-0, 205) - Six games with at least seven tackles in 2013
SS 25 Clayton Ewell (So., 6-1, 195) - 48th nationally in TFL per game (1.2)
FS 43 Louis Taglianetti (So., 5-11, 200) - Six games with at least five tackles this season
Whip DB 26 Matthew Steinbeck (Jr., 6-0, 210) - 7th on Bucknell's career INT list (11)
CB 2 Derrick Palmer (Sr., 5-10, 175) - Team captain along with Friend, Goyette
CB 21 Nick O'Brien (Fr., 5-10, 195) - 23 of 29 tackles have been in last five weeks
With a Victory over VMI, Bucknell Would ...
• ... finish with an above-.500 record for the second time in the last three years.
• ... win its season finale for the sixth time in the last eight years.
• ... end a season on a multiple-game winning streak for the first time since 2004.
• ... wins its final road game for the first time since 2007.
• ... win five games in a six-game span for the first time since 2001.
• ... post its first-ever win vs. the Keydets.
• ... improve to 6-3 in November over the last three years.
About the Game
Bucknell will play a non-league game in its season finale for the second consecutive year as it travels to VMI this Saturday. It will be just the second matchup between the two teams who first faced each other in 1978. The Bison, who rank in the top 20 nationally in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense, will look to end their season on a high note as they aim for their second above-.500 record in the last three years. VMI is coming off a 31-10 loss to The Citadel, but one week earlier snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win over Gardner-Webb. The Keydets, who were picked tied for fifth in the Big South Preseason Poll, pile up nearly three times more passing yards than rushing yards each game.
About VMI
• VMI has not finished a season with a .500 record since 2003.
• VMI has used three different quarterbacks this season, but Eric Kordenbrock (137-239 for 1,619 yards) and A.J. Augustine (74-128 for 905 yards) have received the majority of the snaps. Augustine has played in 10 games and has seen the majority of the playing time in recent weeks.
• Derrick Ziglar has carried the ball more than 140 times for 764 yards. Only two other Keydets have surpassed 100 yards on the ground this fall.
• Eight different VMI players have intercepted at least one pass this season.
Bucknell vs. VMI Series Notes
• VMI leads 1-0 thanks to a 25-14 win in the 1978 season opener.
• VMI scored three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come back from a 14-3 deficit.
• 29 of the game's 39 points were scored in the fourth quarter.
• 6,200 fans were in attendance at Alumni Memorial Field.
• Bison freshman RB Ken Jenkins, a future Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame member, had one carry for seven yards in that game.
Inside the Georgetown Box Score
• Bucknell and Georgetown combined for 420 yards of total offense. It marked the fewest combined yards in a game involving the Bison since Bucknell (103) and Penn (267) totaled just 370 yards in a 2005 matchup.
• Bucknell wrapped up its Patriot League schedule with a 3-2 record, marking its first above-.500 mark in conference play since 2004.
• All 17 of Bucknell's points came on three consecutive drives in the first half.
• It was Senior Day at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Eighteen Bison seniors were honored on the field during a pregame ceremony.
• Bucknell's defense limited Georgetown to a season-low seven points. The Hoyas' 22 rushing yards were a season low and marked the sixth opponent the Bison have held under 100 rushing yards this season.
• Bucknell did not turn the ball over. It was the fourth time in 2013 the Bison did not commit a turnover.
• Bison QB Brandon Wesley completed 14 of 21 passes for 112 yards and crossed the 6,000-yard mark for his career.
• Bucknell possessed the ball for the final 7:55 of the game and finished with more than 10 minutes of possession time in both the second and fourth quarters.
• Bucknell and Georgetown combined for nine sacks, 17 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups.
• Quarterbacks Brandon Wesley and Kyle Nolan combined to complete 34 passes for 261 yards for an average of 7.7 yards per completion.
Career Highs Set vs. Georgetown
• Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood: tackles for loss (3), sacks (3)
• Jimmy King: forced fumbles (1)
• Kyle Sullivan: long reception (26)
PL Success
• Bucknell finished its Patriot League season last Saturday with a 3-2 record.
• Bucknell finished a Patriot League campaign above .500 for the first time since 2004.
• Bucknell is guaranteed of finishing in a tie for second place in the final Patriot League standings.
• Bucknell has not finished as high as second place in the Patriot League standings since 1997.
Season Finales
• Bucknell is an impressive 7-3 in its final game of the season over the last 10 years.
• Two of the three losses during that stretch came as part of 1-10 campaigns in 2005 and 2010.
• Twice (2008 & 2009) in the last five years Bucknell defeated a ranked opponent to close the season.
• This is the second straight year Bucknell has played a non-league foe in the final game of the season (vs. Bryant in 2012).
• Bucknell is 50-66-11 all-time in its final game of a season.
• This is the third time in the last four years Bucknell has played its season finale on the road.
Bucknell vs. Big South
• Bucknell is 0-1 all-time against teams that currently compose the Big South Conference: Charleston Southern (0-0), Coastal Carolina (0-0), Gardner-Webb (0-0), Liberty (0-0), Presbyterian (0-0) and VMI (0-1).
Strong Defense
• Bucknell has held five opponents (Marist, Dartmouth, Lehigh, Colgate, Georgetown) to their lowest point totals of the season.
• Bucknell has not allowed more than seven points in a quarter in more than a month. The last time an opponent scored more than one touchdown in a quarter was Holy Cross in the third quarter of the Oct. 12 matchup.
• Bucknell's rush defense ranks fourth in the country, allowing just 93.5 yards per game.
• Bucknell has held eight of its 10 opponents under their season total yards average.
Rushing Defense
• Bucknell was 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 ranks fourth nationally in rush defense in 2013, allowing just 93.5 yards per game.
• Bucknell has held 13 opponents under 50 yards rushing since the beginning of 2011 (32 games).
• The Bison defense has held opponents to under 100 yards rushing 20 times over that same span, including six times this year.
• Opponents are averaging 51.6 yards rushing per game in Bucknell's five wins in 2013.
• The last opponent to rush for more than 100 yards in a Bucknell win was Fordham (137) last November.
Scoring Defense
• Bucknell has not allowed an opponent to score more than 14 points in a Bison win all season.
• In 11 of Bucknell's last 13 wins dating back to 2011, the opponent has been held under 20 points.
November Success
• Since 2011, November is Bucknell's most successful month. The Bison are 5-3 (.625) in November, 5-6 (.455) in September and 4-9 (.308) in October over that span.
20-Point Games
• Bucknell is 11-3 in its last 14 games it has scored at least 20 points.
• The Bison are 12-6 when scoring 20 points since Joe Susan took over as head coach in 2010.
• Twelve of Bucknell's 14 wins under Joe Susan have come when the team has scored 20 points.
• Bucknell recently scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games for the first time since October 2008 vs. Hofstra (31), Georgetown (27) and Colgate (28).
• Bucknell has scored 20 points in a game five times this year, its most since reaching that plateau six times in 2011.
Time of Possession
• Bucknell ranks third nationally in time of possession (33:56).
• Bucknell is averaging 36:29 time of possession in its five wins.
Turnovers
• Bucknell has just one turnover in its five wins and 23 turnovers in its five losses.
• Bucknell has zero turnovers in a game four times this year (Dartmouth, Lehigh, Colgate, Georgetown).
• Bucknell has forced 23 turnovers this year to rank tied for 24th nationally in that category.
• Since Joe Susan took over as coach in 2010, Bucknell has forced at least three turnovers in a game 15 times.
• Only five times over the last four years (32 games) has Bucknell's defense not forced a turnover.
Friend Receives Carries
• Senior FB Travis Friend received his first carries of the year last week vs. Georgetown.
• Friend rushed five times for 17 yards and one touchdown against the Hoyas. It was his first rushing TD since 2010.
• Friend is used mainly as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield. He has 64 catches for 393 yards in his career.
• Friend's 17 rushing yards pushed him over 100 all-purpose yards for the fourth consecutive season.
Williams Making Impact in Backfield
• Freshman CJ Williams has four 100-yard rushing games this season (Cornell, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Colgate).
• Williams is the 19th player in program history to post four career 100-yard outings, and is just the 12th different Bison to do it four times in one season.
• Williams leads Bucknell in rushing yards (827) this season. That is the most rushing yards by a Bison freshman since Rich Lemon set the program freshman mark of 1,151 in 1993.
• Williams ranks 37th nationally in rushing yards per game (37.9).
• Williams leads Bucknell with nine total touchdowns this season.
• Williams needs 173 yards vs. VMI to become the first Bison since Daris Wilson (1,149) in 2004 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Rushing Yards - Season (since 2005)
1. Dante Ross (2005) - 845
2. CJ Williams (2013) - 827
Record-Breaking Wesley
• Fourth-year starting QB Brandon Wesley is Bucknell's record holder in career pass completions (556), career pass attempts (960), career passing yards (6,073) and career total offense (6,714).
• The Bison are 6-3 in his last nine starts, including 4-2 in 2013.
• Wesley has five touchdown passes this season, boosting his career total to 25. He is tied for sixth in program history in that category.
• Wesley is the first player in program history to have four consecutive 1,000-yard passing seasons and last week became the first Bison to cross the 6,000-yard mark for his career.
Long Trip
• This week's trip to VMI will be Bucknell's fourth-lonest in terms of mileage in more than a decade.
• This will be Bucknell's first trip to Virginia since playing at Richmond in 2006.
Longest Road Trips (since 2003)
1. at Dartmouth (2013): 431 miles
2. at Harvard (2011, 2012): 378 miles
3. at Holy Cross (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012): 341 miles
4. at VMI (2013): 298 miles
5. at Richmond (2006): 288 miles
Byers Leads Defense
• Bucknell junior LB Evan Byers has a team-high seven double-figure tackle games this season.
• Byers ranks fifth nationally in tackles per game (11.0) and also leads the Patriot League in that category. He is one of only two Patriot Leaguers over 100 stops this season.
• Last month, Byers became the first Bison to reach 200 tackles in a career since Travis Nissley in 2010.
• Byers is on pace to become the first Bison since Greg Jones in 2008 and 2009 to lead the team in tackles in back-to-back years.
• Byers has 102 tackles this year, making him the first Bison with back-to-back 100-tackle campaigns since Willie Hill in 1996 (102) and 1997 (133).
Current Bison with 100 Career Tackles
1. Evan Byers - 244
2. Lee Marvel - 148
3. Derrick Palmer - 139
4. Tracey Smith - 117
5. Matthew Steinbeck - 116
Career Tackles (since 2001)
1. Dorian Petersen (2003-06) - 304
2. Kevin Ransome (2001-04) - 258
3. Greg Jones (2006-09) - 257
4. Travis Nissley (2007-10) - 256
5. Evan Byers (2011-pres.) - 244
100-Yard Rusher/100-Yard Receiver
• Bucknell had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game just 10 times from 1995 to 2012. The Bison have already had it occur three times this year:
- vs. Holy Cross: CJ Williams (104 rushing yards) & Josh Brake (129 receiving yards)
- vs. Lehigh: CJ Williams (154 rushing yards) & Will Carter (130 receiving yards)
- at Colgate: CJ Williams (115 rushing yards) & Bobby Kaslander (119 receiving yards)
Youth Movement
• Bucknell has nine freshmen listed on its two-deep this week, including four in starting positions.
• Freshmen have accounted for 50.0% (786 of 1,573) of the team's rushing yards, 24.0% (389 of 1,618) of the passing yards and 25.8% (418 of 1,618) of the receiving yards.
Quick Hitters
• Bison seniors Travis Friend and Jeff Goyette have played in all 43 games over the last four years.
• Bucknell finished its home schedule with a 3-2 record, marking the second time in the last three years it has finished above .500 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• Each of the five teams that Bucknell has lost to in 2013 (Cornell, Sacred Heart, Lafayette, Holy Cross, Fordham) lost their next game.
Milestone Watch
• Josh Brake is 115 receiving yards shy of 1,000 in his career.
• Evan Byers needs 18 tackles to become first Bison to crack program's single-season top-10 list since 1997.
• Matt Johnson needs two sacks to move into Bucknell's single-season top-10 list.
• CJ Williams needs 173 yards to become first Bison with 1,000 rushing yards in a season since 2004.
