Bucknell University Athletics
Football Returns Home for Family Weekend Matchup with Sacred Heart
9/24/2013 9:14:00 PM | Football
What: Sacred Heart Pioneers (4-0, 0-0 NEC) at Bucknell Bison (1-1, 0-0 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, 6 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: Eagle107.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 14 Brandon Wesley (Sr., 6-2, 195) - Holds Bucknell record for career completions, att. & total off.
RB 31 Matt DelMauro (So., 5-7, 185) - One of two Bison (Williams) over 100 yds rushing
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 eight straight games
WR 81 Vinnie Pini (Jr., 5-9, 170) - First career catch last week vs. Cornell
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, 20 career starts
C 77 Brandon Noblett (Jr., 6-2, 285) - Started 13 straight games at center
RG 79 Nevin Hagman (Jr., 6-3, 285) - Moved to RG from LT this year, 11 career starts
RT 71 Ramy Kased (So., 6-6, 325) - 11 career games, 3 starts
TE 88 Patrick Kelly (Jr., 6-3, 230) - 24 GP, 7 receptions in career
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 52 Dylan McDonnell (Jr., 6-1, 245) - 13th on team w/27 tackles in 2012
DT 97 D. Baldwin-Youngblood (Jr., 6-1, 285) - Posted first career sack vs. Marist
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 season opener vs. Marist, reserve vs. Cornell
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) - Equaled career high with 10 tackles vs. Cornell
SS 25 Clayton Ewell (So., 6-1, 195) - Made first career start vs. Marist, career-high 5 tackles
FS 43 Louis Taglianetti (So., 5-11, 200) - Predominantly a special teams player in 2012
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 Sacred Heart, Bucknell Would ...
• ... extend its home winning streak to four games.
• ... begin a season 2-1 for the second time in the last three years.
• ... improve to 4-2 in its last six games.
• ... finish the month of September above .500 for second time in last three years.
About the Game
Bucknell will look to get back on the winning side as it returns home to face Sacred Heart this week. It will be the first meeting between the Bison and Pioneers. Sacred Heart is coming off back-to-back victories over Division II opponents Lincoln (W, 45-3) and Chowan (W, 78-35). The Pioneers, who posted two wins in 2012, opened the campaign with non-league triumphs over Marist (W, 37-21) and Lafayette (W, 26-24). Sacred Heart ranks in the top 20 nationally in eight key statistical categories and at 4-0 is off to its best start since 2008. Bucknell will look to bounce back from a 45-13 loss at Cornell that featured six turnovers in rainy conditions. The Bison held the lead until late in the first half and they outgained the Big Red by a 348-302 margin overall and dominated time of possession (39:30-20:30).
Bucknell vs. Sacred Heart Series Notes
• First meeting
Inside the Cornell Box Score
• Bucknell had a 10-0 lead after 18 minutes of play. Cornell then scored 45 points in a span of 26:54.
• The game was played in a steady rain that featured intermittent downpours and Bucknell turned the ball over six times, compared to zero for Cornell. The Big Red scored four touchdowns following Bison miscues.
• Bison PR Kyle Sullivan returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. It marked Bucknell's first punt return for a touchdown since 2003 and the program's longest since 1993.
• Bucknell freshman RB CJ Williams rushed for 148 yards in just his second career game. He became the 74th Bison to rush for 100 yards in a game and his total ranks 68th on the Bison single-game list.
• Bucknell limited Cornell to 17 yards rushing. The Big Red were the third consecutive Bison opponent to be held under 50 yards on the ground.
• Lee Marvel led the Bison with a game-high 10 tackles, marking his second career double-figure tackle outing.
• Bucknell dominated the time of possession, 39:30-20:30, including 20:38-9:22 in the second half. The Bison had five drives that took up at least four minutes on the clock, while the Big Red only once had a drive longer than four minutes.
• The 15,442 attendance was the largest to see a Bucknell game since 2012 at Delaware (18,118).
• Cornell QB Jeff Mathews became the school's career leader in completions (688) and total offense (8,096). He was 15-for-23 for 285 yards and three touchdowns vs. Bucknell.
Career Highs Set vs. Cornell
• Evan Byers: pass breakups (1)
• Josh Lebo: receiving yards (56), long reception (56), all-purpose yards (56)
• Nick O'Brien: tackles (1), pass breakups (1)
• Derrick Palmer: tackles for loss (2)
• Vinnie Pini: receptions (1), receiving yards (22), long reception (22), all-purpose yards (22)
• Kyle Sullivan: long punt (49), punt return yards (6), long punt return (59), all-purpose yards (72)
• Louis Taglianetti: tackles (5), pass breakups (1)
• Charles Thompson: rushing attempts (10)
• Tajh Turner: pass breakups (1)
• CJ Williams: rushing attempts (30), rushing yards (148), long rush (17), receiving yards (14), long reception (14), all-purpose yards (162)
59-Yard Punt Return for Sullivan
• Senior Kyle Sullivan returned a first-quarter punt against Cornell 59 yards for a touchdown.
• It was the first punt returned for a touchdown by a Bison since Dante Ross Sept. 20, 2003 at Cornell.
• It was the longest punt return by a Bison since Brad Bernardini had a 71-yard return against Colgate in 1993.
• Sullivan was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. He returned three punts for 60 yards, punted three times for an average of 37.0 yards per kick, served as the holder on kicks and caught one pass for 12 yards against Cornell. It was his first career weekly honor from the Patriot League and he was the first Bison to earn Special Teams Player of the Week honors since Drew Orth Nov. 21, 2011.
Williams Crosses 100 Yards on the Ground
• Freshman RB CJ Williams piled up 148 yards on 30 carries against Cornell. He became the 74th Bison to rush for 100 yards in a game and the first since Tyler Smith last November against Fordham.
• Williams ranks 68th on Bucknell's single-game rushing list with his 148 yards.
• Williams became the first Bison freshman to rush for 100 yards since Rashod Bumpers had 126 in the 2006 season opener vs. Duquesne.
• Williams has a team-high 190 yards on 44 carries this season. He ranks second in the Patriot League in yards (95.0/game).
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 (24 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.
Total Defense
• Bucknell ranks eighth nationally in total defense (278.5 ypg).
• Each of the top 14 teams in the nation in total defense own at least .500 records, including seven with undefeated marks.
• Bucknell's defense is facing the fewest number of plays in the country:
Fewest Plays Per Game (Defense)
1. Bucknell - 58.0
2. Gardner-Webb - 58.5
3. Northern Arizona - 59.0
4. Saint Francis (Pa.) - 59.7
5. Bethune-Cookman/Dayton/Penn - 60.0
20-Point Games
• Bucknell is 9-1 in its last 10 games it has scored at least 20 points.
• The Bison are 10-4 when scoring 20 points since Joe Susan took over as head coach in 2010.
• Ten of Bucknell's 11 wins under Joe Susan have come when the team has scored 20 points.
Pass Distribution
QB Brandon Wesley has enjoyed looking for the tight ends and fullbacks this season. Through two games, the tight ends and fullbacks (Josh Lebo, Patrick Kelly, Travis Friend) have seven catches for 137 yards. The rest of the team has 12 receptions for 157 yards.
407-294
Bucknell's rushing game has totaled 407 yards this year, while the Bison have 294 through the air. Bucknell has had more passing yards than rushing yards in each of Joe Susan's first three campaigns at the helm of the program. The last time the Bison had more rushing yardage was 2009, the final year the team ran an option-style offense.
Turnovers
• Bucknell's six turnovers (1 INT, 5 FUM) last week vs. Cornell marked its most since turning the ball over six times vs. Georgetown in 2004 (2 INT, 4 FUM). Interestingly, the Bison won that game by a 35-19 score.
• Bucknell had just 13 turnovers all of last year. The Bison had just six turnovers over their previous eight contests entering the Cornell game.
• Bucknell's defense saw its string of nine straight games with at least one interception come to an end vs. Cornell.
• Bucknell has had at least one interception in 21 of its last 24 games and at least one forced turnover in 24 of its last 26 outings.
Time of Possession
Bucknell has dominated the time of possession category this year. The Bison offense is on the field an average of 37:14, which leads the nation.
Bucknell's Most Time of Possession (since 2000)
1. at Cornell (2013) - 39:30
2. vs. Duquesne (2000) - 39:26
3. at Georgetown (2010) - 38:44
4. at Princeton (2011) - 38:42
5. at Harvard (2012) - 37:58
Bucknell's Time of Possession (last three games)
vs. Bryant (2011) - 35:57
vs. Marist (2013) - 34:59
at Cornell (2013) - 39:30
2013 Time of Possession Leaders
1. Bucknell - 37:14
2. Houston Baptist - 35:50
3. Gardner-Webb - 35:13
4. Penn - 35:10
Brown - 35:10
Bucknell vs. NEC
• Sacred Heart is a member of the Northeast Conference.
• Bucknell is 13-5 all-time against current members of the NEC: Bryant (1-0), Central Connecticut (0-0), Duquesne (10-5), Robert Morris (2-0), Sacred Heart (0-0), Saint Francis (Pa.) (0-0), Wagner (0-0)
Home Winning Streak
• Bucknell has won three consecutive home games for the first time since winning its first three home contests of the 2011 season vs. Duquesne, Marist and Georgetown.
• Bucknell will be going for its fourth straight home win Saturday vs. Sacred Heart. The Bison have not won four in a row at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium since the final game of 2008 (Fordham) and the first three of 2009 (Robert Morris, Marist, Georgetown).
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.
Night Games
Bucknell is 17-15 in night games (6 p.m. or later starts) since 2000. Bucknell is 4-1 in its last five night games and 6-2 in its last eight, including a 27-14 win over Marist in this year's season opener.
Quick Hitters
• Bucknell had 11 scoring drives of 70+ yards in 2012. The Bison already have five this fall.
• Bucknell has gained more yards than its opponent in three consecutive games for the first time since the final three contests of the 2011 campaign.
• LB Evan Byers has had at least 0.5 tackles for loss in 11 straight games. The last time he did not record a tackle for loss was the 2012 season opener at Marist.
• Bison seniors Travis Friend, Jeff Goyette and Brandon Wesley have played in all 35 games over the last four years.
• Four of Bucknell's last six opponents have been from New York State.
• Sacred Heart is Bucknell's first opponent from Connecticut since the Bison faced Yale in 1997 (W, 25-24).
• Derek Maurer is a perfect 8-for-8 on kicks this year and leads the Bison with 16 points.
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. • Lee Marvel is three tackles shy of 100 for his career.
Up Next
Bucknell will open Patriot League play next Saturday, Oct. 5, at Lafayette. The Bison are 33-51-6 all-time against the Leopards, but won the last time they played at Fisher Stadium in 2011. Bucknell has not defeated Lafayette at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium since 2000.
