Bucknell University
Fordham
Football Drops Overtime Thriller to No. 9 Fordham, 30-27
11/8/2014 12:13:00 AM | Football
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LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team is in the midst of its best season in nearly 20 years and on Friday night at a chilly Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium the Bison nearly added a win over a ranked opponent to their list of accomplishments. Playing a second consecutive overtime contest for the first time in program history, Bucknell took a late seven-point lead on No. 9-ranked Fordham, but the Rams quickly tied it up and then scored a touchdown in the extra session for a 30-27 victory.
Fordham (9-1, 5-0 PL) clinched at least a share of the Patriot League title and earned the conference's automatic NCAA berth with the victory. However, the Rams had one of their toughest days of the season as their 363 yards marked their second-fewest of the year and this was their first game decided by fewer than 20 points.
Playing in front of a spirited crowd, Bucknell's defense totaled six sacks, including three by Evan Byers and two by Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood, and forced three turnovers, including one that led to the go-ahead touchdown in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
Fordham came into the game ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (43.7), second in passing offense (329.2) and fifth in total offense (527.4) and was held well below those marks. The Rams managed only 30 points, 285 passing yards and 363 total yards against the stout Bison defense.
Bison backup quarterback Trey Lauletta, who last week engineered a game-tying drive late in regulation in an eventual win over Lafayette, got his second start of the year in place of injured starter R.J. Nitti and was 13-for-26 for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Bucknell (7-2, 3-1 PL) also used backup running back Matt DelMauro for a career-high-tying 28 carries (for 77 yards) after starter C.J. Williams was helped off the field in the first half.
The game was a close one that featured four ties and the largest lead by either team was just seven points.
The Bison took their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter after Byers sacked Fordham QB Peter Maetzold, who was filling in for injured starter Mike Nebrich for a second straight week. On the way down, Byers knocked the ball out of Maetzold's hand and freshman DE Doug Whitlock corralled the loose ball after it squirted through the hands of numerous players on both teams.
With the ball at Fordham's 17-yard line, it took Bucknell just three plays to find the end zone as Lauletta found Will Carter down the left sideline from 28 yards away to stake the Bison to a 24-17 lead with 3:15 on the clock in regulation. The pinpoint pass by Lauletta negated a 15-yard personal foul penalty that had pushed Bucknell back to the edge of field goal range.
The Rams started their next possession at their own 25-yard line and took just 65 seconds to advance down the field and even the score. Tebucky Jones had a 16-yard reception, Chase Edmonds followed with a 28-yard run that put him over 100 yards on the day and Sam Ajala had a 27-yard reception. Edmonds followed with the game-tying score from four yards out.
Bucknell had one more chance in regulation, but Lauletta was sacked on a 3rd-and-10 near midfield and the Bison punted the ball away, sending the game to overtime.
Fordham won the coin toss in overtime and elected for possession second. The Bison scored on a 44-yard field goal by Derek Maurer on their possession, meaning the Rams needed a field goal to force another overtime period or a touchdown to win.
Bucknell's defense stopped Edmonds for a loss of three yards on the first play, but Maetzold avoided a strong rush on second down and completed a pass to Ajala, moving the ball to the 10-yard line. The next play was a pass to the goaline to Ajala that Nick O'Brien batted away. However, Maetzold then connected with Jones in the left corner of the end zone for the winning score.
Despite the loss, Bucknell's defense was strong from the beginning. Louis Taglianetti recorded the first of his two interceptions in the game to end Fordham's first drive, and the Bison pushed the Rams backwards nine yards on their next one.
A one-yard touchdown run by Edmonds late in the first quarter started the scoring, but Bucknell quickly answered back with a nine-play, 67-yard drive that concluded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Lauletta to Jake Hartman, who now has four touchdown receptions in the last two games. A big 17-yard completion on 4th-and-12 by Lauletta to Carter kept the drive alive.
The teams exchanged field goals on their next two drives. Another interception by Taglianetti gave Bucknell the ball at the Fordham 34-yard line with 4:30 to play in the half. It looked as though the Bison – who were slated to receive the opening kickoff of the second half – would have a chance to go into halftime with the lead. However, the Bison were held to a three-and-out and Fordham ended up scoring on a Maetzold-to-Dan Light 20-yard pass with 35 seconds left in the first half.
The Bison tied the score again late in the third quarter when they took 7:33 off the clock on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Lauletta to Patrick Kelly across the middle. It was one of four drives of at least nine plays for Bucknell in the game.
Fordham entered Friday's game outscoring its opponents 103-31 in the third quarter, but Bucknell ended up with the edge in the stanza. The Bison held the Rams scoreless in the third quarter for the first time this season and ended up with an 89-19 edge in total yards in the stanza.
The score was tied 17-17 entering the fourth quarter, marking the first time this season the Rams entered the fourth quarter with the score closer than a 16-point spread.
Maetzold finished 24-for-34 for 285 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams. Edmonds rushed 21 times for 103 yards and two scores.
Carter, who now ranks seventh on the program's single-season receiving yards list with 832, posted his third 100-yard receiving game of the season with seven catches for a game-high 120 yards and his ninth touchdown of the season.
A number of Bison defenders had strong days as Nick O'Brien posted a team-high 11 tackles and two pass breakups to go along with 127 kickoff return yards. Byers had nine tackles to go along with his three sacks and forced fumble, while Whitlock totaled six tackles and one sack in addition to his fumble recovery. Baldwin Youngblood's two sacks moved him up to sixth on the school's career list with 18.
Friday's game aired live to a national audience on CBS Sports Network. It was Bucknell's first non-Saturday game in more than a decade, and the Bison were looking for their first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 15 Lehigh last October.
Bucknell and Fordham have seen their last three contests decided by a total of eight points.
The Bison will hit the road for the final time in 2014 next Saturday, Nov. 15, when they travel to Holy Cross for a 12:30 p.m. game in Worcester.
