Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Hosts No. 9 Fordham in Friday Night Matchup on National Television
11/3/2014 5:45:00 PM | Football
What: No. 9 Fordham (8-1, 4-0 PL) at Bucknell Bison (7-1, 3-0 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
TV: CBS Sports Network
Internet Video: None
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Related Videos:
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Gameday
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Highlights
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 6 R.J. Nitti (So., 6-4, 220) - Needs 76 passing yards for 2,000 in career
RB 4 C.J. Williams (So., 6-1, 205) - Ranks 11th nationally in rushing (127.1/game)
FB 33 Daniel McManus (Sr., 6-0, 260) - Moved to FB after playing OL earlier in career
WR 18 Will Carter (So., 5-10, 180) - 246 rec. yds. vs. Lehigh No. 2 in Bucknell history
WR 86 Jake Hartman (Sr., 6-3, 215) - Tied Bucknell record w/3 rec. TDs last week
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (So., 6-7, 320) - Preseason All-Patriot League selection
LG 72 Lonnie Rawles (Sr., 6-4, 290) - 37 straight starts, Preseason All-Patriot League selection
C 77 Brandon Noblett (Sr., 6-2, 285) - 23 career starts at center
RG 66 Devlin Brennan (So., 6-4, 290) - Started last three games in place of Hagman
RT 71 Ramy Kased (Jr., 6-6, 320) - 28 career games, 20 starts
TE 88 Patrick Kelly (Sr., 6-3, 230) - Played in all 41 games during career
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 52 Dylan McDonnell (Sr., 6-1, 255) - 61 career tackles
DT 40 Abdullah Anderson (Fr., 6-4, 260) - Only freshman to start all eight games
NG 97 D. Baldwin-Youngblood (Sr., 6-1, 285) - Preseason All-Patriot League selection
DE 15 Jimmy King (Jr., 6-1, 250) - Career highs for tackles (18), TFL (4) and sacks (1.5) this season
Mike LB 27 Evan Byers (Sr., 6-0, 235) - Ranks fifth on Bucknell's career tackles list (350)
Sam LB 37 Lee Marvel (Sr., 6-0, 215) - Team co-captain along with Matthew Steinbeck
SS 5 Clayton Ewell (Jr., 6-1, 195) - At least 0.5 TFL in eight of last nine games
FS 43 Louis Taglianetti (Jr., 5-11, 200) - Eight tackles shy of equaling career high of 57
WS 28 Connor Golden (Fr., 6-0, 200) - Made first career start last week vs. Lafayette
CB 20 Colin Jonov (Fr., 5-11, 195) - Returned to lineup vs. Lehigh after missing 4 gms w/leg injury
CB 8 Nick O'Brien (So., 5-10, 195) - Interception in each of last two games
With a Victory over Fordham, Bucknell Would ...
• ... be off to its best nine-game start since opening 1997 10-0.
• ... open Patriot League play 4-0 for the first time since 1997.
• ... win for the 13th time in 15 games.
• ... reach eight wins in a season for the first time since going 10-1 in 1997.
• ... post 8+ wins in a season for the fifth time in program history.
• ... guarantee a second consecutive above-.500 Patriot League finish.
• ... extend its home winning streak to six games.
• ... improve to 6-1 in its last seven November games.
• ... move Joe Susan into sole possession of 11th place on Bucknell's career wins list.
• ... improve to 5-1 against the Rams in Lewisburg since 2004.
About the Game
Bucknell and Fordham are the final two unbeaten teams in Patriot League play, setting up a highly anticipated matchup Friday evening at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison are 7-1 overall and 3-0 in Patriot League play, while the No. 9 Rams are 8-1 and 4-0 in league play. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised to a national audience on CBS Sports Network. A win for Bucknell will keep the chance at the program's first Patriot League title since 1996 alive, while a Fordham victory will guarantee the Rams at least a share of the league crown and the conference's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
About Fordham
• Fordham is a complete team, ranking fifth nationally in total offense (527.4) and 22nd nationally in total defense (326.1). The Rams are averaging 43.7 points per game and are outscoring their opponents by more than 23 points per game.
• Fordham is ranked ninth nationally in both The Sports Network and Coaches Polls this week.
• 2013 PL Offensive Player of the Year Mike Nebrich is Fordham's starting QB, but he missed last Saturday's game vs. Colgate with an injury. He has completed 190 of 288 passes for 2,596 yards and 22 touchdowns.
• Six-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Chase Edmonds ranks second nationally in rushing yards per game (146.9).
• Fordham earned an at-large berth to last year's NCAA playoffs and posted a 1-1 record with the victory coming against Sacred Heart.
Bucknell vs. Fordham Series Notes
• Bucknell leads 18-11.
• This is the eighth straight year the two teams have met in the month of November.
• Bucknell and Fordham have met every year since 1989 after not playing for a span of more than 55 years.
• The last two meetings have been decided by a total of five points.
• Bucknell leads 8-4 in Lewisburg.
Last Time vs. Fordham
No. 7 Fordham 23, Bucknell 21 (Nov. 9, 2013 - Bronx, N.Y.)
• There were a total of nine turnovers, but just one led directly to points.
• A wild final minute ended with Fordham blocking the potential game-winning field goal off the foot of Bison kicker Derek Maurer. The Rams were set up in the victory formation and prepared to take a knee, but the Bucknell defense forced a fumble and recovered it. The Bison moved down the field on two long pass completions and a pass interference call, setting up the 37-yard FG attempt.
• A sellout crowd of nearly 7,000 watched the game.
• Fordham converted 11 of 20 third downs compared to 3 of 12 for Bucknell.
Inside the Lafayette Box Score
• Bucknell snapped a six-game home losing streak to Lafayette.
• Senior TE Jake Hartman had a career day for Bucknell with seven receptions for 134 yards and three touchdowns. All three figures were career highs for the veteran who entered the game with 12 receptions for 206 yards in his career.
• Bucknell had seven sacks for 57 yards in the game, including three for 28 yards on Lafayette's final two drives.
• Bison LB Evan Byers had six of his seven tackles in the fourth quarter.
• Sophomore CB Nick O'Brien intercepted a pass for the second straight game.
• Bucknell played its first overtime game since 2008 and improved to 6-5 all-time in overtime.
• Lafayette's average drive start was its own 38-yard line. Bucknell's average drive start was its own 26-yard line.
• Bucknell evened its all-time Homecoming record at 43-43-5.
Career Highs Set vs. Lafayette
• Julie'n Davenport: tackles (1)
• Connor Golden: tackles (9)
• Jake Hartman: receptions (7), receiving yards (134), long reception (45), receiving TDs (3), all-purpose yards (134)
• Colin Jonov: tackles (5)
• Lee Marvel: sacks (2)
• Ben Schumacher: tackles for loss (1), sacks (1)
• Louis Taglianetti: sacks (0.5)
Fast Start
• With a 7-1 record, Bucknell is off to its best start since opening the 1997 campaign 10-0.
• This is just the fifth time in program history the Bison have started at least 7-1.
Bucknell 7-1 or Better Starts
1924: Opened Season 8-1; Final Record: 8-2
1929: Opened Season 7-1; Final Record: 8-2
1951: Opened Season 9-0; Final Record: 9-0
1997: Opened Season 10-0; Final Record: 10-1
2014: Opened Season 7-1; Final Record: ???
12-2
• Bucknell is at least 12-2 in a 14-game stretch for just the third time in program history.
• The 1950-52 Bison won 17 games in row, while the 1996-98 Bison had a 14-1 stretch.
• Bucknell has outscored its opponents 395-248 (28.2-17.7) over the last 14 games.
• Bucknell has been on the road for nine of the 14 games during the hot streak.
Home Success
• Bucknell has won five consecutive home games, dating back to last year.
• The last time the Bison won more consecutive home games was an eight-game streak that spanned 1996 to 1998.
• The Bison did not play a home game in the month of October and their three November home contests are their most since 2003.
• The Bison are 245-156-10 (.608) all-time at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, including 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Bucknell vs. Ranked Opponents
• Friday's game will be Bucknell's first against a ranked opponent since facing No. 7 Fordham last November.
• Bucknell's most recent win over a ranked foe was Oct. 26, 2013 when it posted a 48-10 win over No. 15 Lehigh.
• Bucknell is 1-6 in its last seven games against ranked opponents.
• Bucknell has five wins over ranked foes since 2000.
Bucknell's Wins Over Ranked Teams (since 2000)
Bucknell 31, No. 14 Fordham 10 (Oct. 4, 2003)
Bucknell 42, No. 22 Colgate 7 (Nov. 13, 2004)
Bucknell 38, No. 18 Fordham 24 (Nov. 17, 2007)
Bucknell 23, No. 13 Holy Cross 17 (Nov. 21, 2009)
Bucknell 48, No. 15 Lehigh 10 (Oct. 26, 2013)
Undefeated Patriot League Record
• Bucknell and Fordham are two of the 11 teams nationally that are still undefeated in conference play this year.
• Bucknell is 3-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since 2001.
• Bucknell has won six consecutive games that count in the Patriot League standings (loss to Fordham last year did not count in standings).
Back-to-Back Winning Seasons
• With seven wins this year, Bucknell has clinched an above-.500 finish.
• This is the first time the Bison will finish above .500 in back-to-back years since 2000 and 2001.
Young Starters
• Freshmen Connor Golden and Colby Klingerman made the first starts of their careers last week against Lafayette.
• Bucknell has had five different freshmen (Abdullah Anderson, Connor Golden, Colin Jonov, Colby Klingerman, Doug Whitlock) start games this year.
Starts by Class
Freshman: 15
Sophomore: 41
Junior: 42
Senior: 78
November Success
• Bucknell is happy the calendar says November. Since 2011, November is the most successful month for the Bison.
• Bucknell is 7-3 (.700) in November, 8-6 (.571) in September and 6-10 (.375) in October over that span.
Night Games
• Bucknell is 20-16 in night games (6 p.m. or later starts) since 2000.
• The Bison are 3-0 at night this year with wins over VMI, Marist and Cornell.
More Passing
• Bucknell quarterbacks R.J. Nitti (252) and Trey Lauletta (66) combined to throw for 318 yards last Saturday vs. Lafayette. It marked the second time this year the Bison have had more than 300 passing yards in a game.
• Bucknell's last 300-yard passing game as a team prior to this year was in the final game of the 1994 season.
• Lauletta earlier this year against Lehigh threw for a career-high 313 yards, marking Bucknell's first individual 300-yard passing performance since Rob Glus threw for 383 in that final game of 1994.
• Bucknell is averaging 245.0 passing yards per game this season, just shy of the program single-season record of 246.5.
• Bucknell's 1,960 passing yards this year are its most since 2008 (2,063).
Player League Weekly Awards
• Bucknell senior TE Jake Hartman earned his first career Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday. He had seven receptions for 134 yards and three touchdowns against Lafayette, setting career highs in all three categories. His touchdown receptions were 12, 19 and 45 yards and he scored the game-tying touchdown with 1:01 to play in regulation.
• Hartman's three touchdown receptions tied the school single-game record. He is just the fifth player in program history to have three touchdown catches in a game.
• Hartman is the eighth different Bucknell player to earn a Patriot League weekly award this season.
• Senior K/P Derek Maurer was also honored by the Patriot League as Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this year.
• Maurer was 3-for-3 on extra points, 2-for-2 on field goals, punted twice and kicked off five times against Lafayette. He made the game-tying extra point with 1:01 to play in the fourth quarter and connected on the winning 33-yard field goal in overtime.
Two 100-Yard Receivers
• Jake Hartman (134) and Will Carter (104) had over 100 receiving yards last week against Lafayette. It marked the ninth time in program history two receivers have gone over the century mark.
• The last time two receivers had 100 yards in the same game was 2010 vs. Lafayette when Frank DeNick (105) and Victor Walker (102) accomplished the feat.
• It was the first 100-yard game of Hartman's career and the third for Carter.
Most Receiving Yards Since 2008
• Sophomore WR Will Carter has 33 catches for 712 yards and eight touchdowns this year. It is the most yards by a Bison receiver since Shaun Pasternak had 1,083 in 2008.
• Carter has 1,108 receiving yards in 13 career games.
• Following Bucknell's win at Lehigh in October, Carter was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and College Football Performance Awards National Wide Receiver of the Week. He caught seven passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns for 69, 78 and 77 yards in that contest.
• Carter became the fifth player in program history to have two 70-yard touchdowns in the same game, joining Matt Hart (1963 vs. Ohio Wesleyan), Hassen Abdellah (1979 vs. Lehigh), Earl Beecham (1985 vs. Cornell) and Dante Ross (2004 at Georgetown).
• The 246 yards rank second on Bucknell's single-game list, while the three touchdowns tied the school record. Carter was the first Bison to go over 200 yards receiving in a game since 1989.
• Carter's 258 all-purpose yards against the Mountain Hawks were the ninth-most in school annals.
400 Yards
• Bucknell has had at least 400 yards of total offense nine times under head coach Joe Susan. Eight of those have happened in the last 15 games, including five this year.
• Bucknell is averaging 396.8 yards per game this season, an increase of more than 70 yards from 2013 (324.4).
• Bucknell earlier this year against VMI and Marist posted back-to-back 400-yard games for the first time since the final game of 2007 and the first game of 2008.
400-Yard Games Under Joe Susan (since 2010)
2012: vs. Colgate (531 yards)
2013: vs. Holy Cross (423 yards), vs. Lehigh (509 yards), at Fordham (414 yards)
2014: vs. VMI (465 yards), at Marist (462 yards), vs. Cornell (420 yards), at Lehigh (436 yards), vs. Lafayette (429)
Seven Sacks
• Bucknell had a season-high seven sacks last week against Lafayette. It marked the most sacks for the Bison since they had seven last October at Dartmouth.
• The seven sacks equaled the most Bucknell has had in Joe Susan's five years as head coach.
100-Yard Games for Williams
• Sophomore RB C.J. Williams has five 100-yard rushing games this season and nine in his two-year career.
• Williams is the sixth player in program history with at least nine career 100-yard games.
• Williams ranks 11th nationally in rushing yards per game (127.1) and fifth among active FCS players in career rushing yards per game (105.2).
• Williams leads Bucknell with 890 rushing yards this season, the second-most by a Bison since 2004 when Bucknell had its last 1,000-yard rusher.
Tackles for Byers
• Senior LB Evan Byers posted a career-high 23 tackles in the season opener vs. VMI, giving him 42 over a two-game span.
• Byers' 23 tackles vs. VMI were the most by a Bucknell player since at least 2000, and the most by a Patriot Leaguer since 2007.
• Byers ranks 23rd in the FCS record book for single-game tackles (record kept since 2000).
• Byers ranks eighth nationally this season in tackles per game (10.9) and is first in solo tackles per game (7.0).
• Byers ranks fourth among all current FCS players with 350 career tackles.
FCS Active Career Tackles
1. Quinn Backus, Coastal Carolina - 386
2. Nick Dzunbar, Cal Poly - 374
3. Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State - 354
4. Evan Byers, Bucknell - 350
5. Nick Thrasher, Tennessee State - 336
Susan Moving Up Lists
• Bucknell fifth-year head coach Joe Susan is in sole possession of 10th place on Bucknell's games coached list with 52.
• Susan's 23 wins at Bucknell place him in a tie for 11th place on the program's all-time list with Fred Prender. Next up is 10th-place Lou Maranzana, who guided Bucknell to 26 wins from 1989-1994.
CBS Sports Network
• Friday's game will air live nationally on CBS Sports Network. Jason Knapp (p-b-p), Randy Cross (analyst) and Melanie Collins (sideline) will have the call.
• This will be Bucknell's first CBS Sports Network appearance since 2012 at Harvard.
• The last time CBS Sports Network was at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for a game was in 2012 against Lafayette.
Big Plays
• Bucknell has had 23 offensive plays of at least 25 yards this season.
• 11 of Bucknell's 31 touchdowns this season have come on plays of at least 25 yards.
• The average yardage length of a Bucknell touchdown this year is 27.1 yards.
Quick Hitters
• Bucknell was one of the final nine undefeated teams in all of FCS this year.
• Bucknell's 4-0, 6-1 and 7-1 starts to the season were its best since 1997.
• Bucknell is 4-1 on the road this season, its most road wins since going 6-1 in 1997.
• Bucknell's defense has had at least one interception in 32 of 41 games over the last four years.
• Bucknell has forced 94 turnovers over the last four years (2.3 per game), including 39 in 2011 to rank second nationally.
• Friday's contest will mark Bucknell's first non-Saturday game since playing a Thursday night contest at Villanova in 2004.
Milestone Watch
• Evan Byers: 13 tackles shy of third straight 100-tackle season
• Derek Maurer: 11 points shy of 100 in career
• R.J. Nitti: 76 passing yards shy of 2,000 in career
• C.J. Williams: 211 rushing yards shy of 2,000 in career
Up Next
• Bucknell will play its final regular-season road game when it makes the trek to Worcester, Massachusetts, to take on Holy Cross next Saturday (Nov. 15). The Bison trail the all-time series 20-10 and have lost eight of the last nine meetings, including four in a row at Fitton Field. The Crusaders are 3-6, 1-2 PL and host Lehigh on Saturday.
