Bucknell University Athletics
Football Ranked Ninth in Lambert Meadowlands Poll
10/14/2014 5:37:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell football is 5-1 this season and is off to its best start since 2001 and on Tuesday earned some recognition as the Bison were ranked ninth in the first Lambert Meadowlands Poll of 2014. Bucknell is one spot behind Sacred Heart, whose only loss was to the Bison, and one spot ahead of Delaware.
Villanova (5-1), New Hampshire (5-1) and Patriot League member Fordham (6-1) hold down the top three spots in the FCS poll, while Bryant – the only team to defeat Bucknell this year – is listed seventh.
The Bison opened the season with a 4-0 mark for the first time since winning their first 10 games in 1997. After a 45-24 victory at Lehigh on Saturday that saw significant statistical numbers put up by QB Trey Lauletta and WR Will Carter, Bucknell is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Patriot League play.
Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East in the Bowl Subdivision. In 1957, the Lambert Cup was created to recognize non-Division I-A teams, and in 1966 a Division III award was added. In 1983, the Lambert family decided the Meadowlands Sports Complex would be the best organization with a sincere and involved interest in college athletics to sponsor and manage the award, and since that time, the awards have been known as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.
Bucknell has twice won the Lambert Cup as the best team in Eastern football. The Bison claimed the trophy in 1960 and 1964. The 1964 squad recently had its 50-year anniversary celebration in conjunction with the Bison's season-opening win over VMI in late August.
Bucknell's strong start to the season has also drawn attention in The Sports Network and FCS Coaches' national polls. The Bison have been receiving votes in The Sports Network poll each of the last four weeks and this week marks the second time in the last three weeks they have received votes in the coaches' poll.
This Saturday is a bye for Bucknell, who will return to action Oct. 25 at Georgetown.
Note: There will be a Bucknell Football Luncheon this Wednesday, Oct. 15, at La Primavera Restaurant in Lewisburg. The event begins at noon. Head coach Joe Susan and select players will recap Saturday's win at Lehigh and talk about the team's strong 5-1 start to the season. The buffet lunch costs $10.
