Bucknell University Athletics
Football Aims for 2-0 Start Saturday at Marist
9/2/2014 6:29:00 PM | Football
What: Bucknell Bison (1-0, 0-0 PL) at Marist Red Foxes (0-1, 0-0 PFL)
Where: Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
When: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014, 6 p.m.
Internet Video: Red Fox Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: GoRedFoxes.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 6 R.J. Nitti (So., 6-4, 220) - 271 yards vs. Holy Cross (2013) most by Bison since 2008
RB 4 C.J. Williams (So., 6-1, 205) - Career-high 164 yards vs. VMI
FB 33 Daniel McManus (Sr., 6-0, 260) - Moved to FB after playing OL earlier in career
WR 2 Bobby Kaslander (Jr., 6-2, 200) - 29 receptions in last five games
WR 80 Josh Brake (Sr., 6-3, 205) - At least one catch in 18 consecutive games
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (So., 6-7, 320) - Preseason All-Patriot League selection
LG 72 Lonnie Rawles (Sr., 6-4, 290) - 30 straight starts, Preseason All-Patriot League selection
C 77 Brandon Noblett (Sr., 6-2, 285) - 16 career starts at center
RG 79 Nevin Hagman (Sr., 6-3, 285) - 20 career starts
RT 71 Ramy Kased (Jr., 6-6, 320) - 21 career games, 13 starts
TE 88 Patrick Kelly (Sr., 6-3, 230) - Played in all 34 games during career
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 52 Dylan McDonnell (Sr., 6-1, 255) - 49 career tackles
DT 40 Abdullah Anderson (Fr., 6-4, 260) - One of two freshmen in starting lineup vs. VMI
NG 97 Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood (Sr., 6-1, 285) - Preseason All-Patriot League selection
DE 15 Jimmy King (Jr., 6-1, 250) - First career start last week vs. VMI
Mike LB 27 Evan Byers (Sr., 6-0, 235) - 42 tackles over last two games
Sam LB 37 Lee Marvel (Sr., 6-0, 215) - Team co-captain along with Matthew Steinbeck
SS 5 Clayton Ewell (Jr., 6-1, 195) - 4th in Patriot League with 12.5 TFL in 2013
FS 43 Louis Taglianetti (Jr., 5-11, 200) - Career-high 10 tackles vs. VMI
Whip DB 36 Thomas Bodolus (So., 6-0, 205) - Expected to make first career start in place of Steinbeck
CB 7 Jaylen Amaker (Sr., 6-0, 180) - Team's Most Improved Def. Player in spring 2014 practice
CB 4 Terry Bennett (Sr., 5-8, 170) - Expected to make first career start; career-high 4 tackles vs. VMI
With a Victory over Marist, Bucknell Would ...
• ... open a season 2-0 for the first time since 2011.
• ... stretch its winning streak to four games for the first time since 2004.
• ... win for the seventh time in eight games.
• ... win its first road game of the season for the first time since 2008 (Robert Morris).
• ... defeat the Red Foxes for a fourth consecutive year.
• ... help Joe Susan even his career record at 28-28.
About the Game
Bucknell and Marist will be meeting for the 10th consecutive year this Saturday. The Bison are coming off an exciting 42-38 victory ovre VMI in their opener, while Marist suffered a 28-7 road loss to Sacred Heart in its first contest. Bucknell will hit the road for the first time this year as it looks to move to 2-0 for the first time since 2011. The Red Foxes will be aiming for their first home opener win since 2006. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field.
About Marist
• Marist was 8-3 overall and 7-1 in Pioneer Football League play last year when it tied for first place in the conference standings.
• The Red Foxes were picked sixth in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Poll.
• Marist was outgained 420-241 in its 28-7 loss at Sacred Heart last week. The Red Foxes scored first, but the Pioneers registered the final 28 points of the contest.
• There were a combined 19 penalties whistled on Marist and Sacred Heart.
Bucknell vs. Marist Series Notes
• Bucknell holds an 8-1 edge in the series that has been contested every year since 2005.
• Bucknell owns a 3-1 advantage in Poughkeepsie.
• Bucknell won the first three meetings by an average score of 38-11. The last six matchups have been decided by a total of 45 points.
• Marist has never scored 20 points vs. Bucknell.
• Along with Cornell, Marist is one of two non-league teams that have been on Bucknell's schedule every year since 2005.
• This is the second time in three years Bucknell is Marist's opponent for its home opener.
Last Time vs. Marist
Bucknell 27, Marist 14 (Sept. 7, 2013 - Lewisburg, Pa.)
• Bucknell QB Brandon Wesley completed 12 passes to eight different receivers.
• Wesley had 227 yards of total offense to move into first place on the program's career total offense list, passing Scott Auchenbach.
• Bucknell scored touchdowns on three consecutive offensive possessions for the first time since the 2008 season opener.
• Bucknell recorded six sacks, its most since 2011.
Inside the VMI Box Score
• Bucknell won its season opener for the seventh time in the last nine years.
• C.J. Williams ran for a career-high 164 yards on 17 carries. It marked his fifth career 100-yard game.
• Bison LB Evan Byers totaled a career-high 23 tackles, including 12 solo stops. That figure is tied for 22nd on the FCS all-time list (record kept since 2000).
• There were four ties (14-14, 21-21, 28-28, 35-35) in the contest and Bucknell never trailed.
• Bucknell had seven plays of at least 35 yards. Three of its six touchdowns were scored on plays of at least 50 yards.
• Bison running backs Matt DelMauro and C.J. Williams averaged 10.4 yards per carry and combined for 259 yards on the ground.
• Three different Bison - Josh Brake, Matt DelMauro, C.J. Williams - scored two touchdowns apiece.
• Bucknell and VMI combined for 886 yards of total offense.
• The teams alternated the final nine scores of the game.
• VMI converted 12 of 18 third downs.
• Bucknell improved to 2-0 all-time in August.
• Bucknell defeated VMI for the second straight year and took a 2-1 series lead.
First Starts
• Five Bison made their first career starts last week vs. VMI: CB Jaylen Amaker (Sr.), DL Abdullah Anderson (Fr.), CB Colin Jonov (Fr.), DE Jimmy King (Jr.) and FB Daniel McManus (Sr.).
62-Yard Punt Return for Brake
• Senior Josh Brake returned a fourth-quarter punt against VMI 62 yards for a touchdown. It proved to be the winning score for the Bison.
• It was the second Bison punt return for a touchdown in as many years, following Kyle Sullivan's 59-yard touchdown last September at Cornell.
• Prior to Sullivan, the most recent Bison to return a punt for a touchdown was Dante Ross Sept. 20, 2003 at Cornell.
• Brake's 62-yard return was the longest punt return by a Bucknell player since Brad Bernardini had a 71-yard return against Colgate in 1993. It was Brake's first career punt return.
• Brake was named the Bison Athlete of the Week on Monday. In addition to his punt return, he caught three passes for a team-high 80 yards and one touchdown.
• Brake enters this Saturday's game 17 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
Patriot League Awards
• Bucknell captured three of the four Patriot League weekly awards following Saturday's win over VMI.
• Sophomore RB C.J. Williams was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career after rushing for a career-high 164 yards and two touchdowns.
• Senior LB Evan Byers was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career after recording a career-high 23 tackles, including 12 solo stops.
• Senior K Derek Maurer earned his second career Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week citation after connecting on six-of-six extra points, punting three times for an average of 42.7 yards and handling kickoff duties.
Big Plays
• Bucknell had seven plays of at least 35 yards vs. VMI (listed below).
• Bucknell averaged 8.5 yards gained per play, compared to 5.5 for VMI.
35+-Yard Plays vs. VMI
1st Q: Hartman 35 pass from Nitti
1st Q: DelMauro 56 run (touchdown)
2nd Q: Brake 50 pass from Nitti (touchdown)
2nd Q: Kaslander 35 pass from Nitti
2nd Q: Williams 49 run
3rd Q: Williams 48 run
4th Q: Brake 62 punt return (touchdown)
Tackles for Byers
• Senior LB Evan Byers posted a career-high 23 tackles vs. VMI, giving him 42 over his last two games.
• Byers' 23 tackles were the most by a Bucknell player since at least 2000, and the most by a Patriot Leaguer since 2007.
• Byers ranks 22nd in the FCS record book for single-game tackles (record kept since 2000).
• Byers has the second-most tackles by an FCS player this year, trailing only Chinedu Ahanonu of Southern Utah, who had 28 stops against Nevada.
• Byers ranks first among all FCS players in solo tackles (12).
• Byers ranks third among all current FCS players with 286 career tackles.
Bucknell vs. Pioneer Football League
• Bucknell is 25-5 all-time against teams that are current members of the Pioneer Football League: Davidson (15-3), Dayton (2-1) and Marist (8-1).
Another 100-Yard Game for Williams
• In just 11 career games, sophomore RB C.J. Williams has posted five 100-yard rushing outings, including a career-high 164 yards last Saturday vs. VMI.
• Williams is the 14th player in program history to have at least five 100-yard games.
• Williams crossed the 1,000-yard mark for his career against VMI and is now at 1,063.
• Williams' 899 yards rushing last year ranked as the second-most by a freshman in program history.
High Scoring
• The 80 combined points between Bucknell and VMI on Saturday marked the most in a Bison contest since Bucknell and Colgate also combined for 80 in a 2008 matchup.
• Bucknell's 77 points over its last two outings (35-23 W at VMI; 42-38 W vs. VMI) is the highest two-game point total for the Bison since scoring 86 in the 2007 finale at Fordham and the 2008 opener vs. Duquesne.
• Bucknell totaled at least 40 points for the second time in its last six games after not reaching that plateau since the 2008 season opener.
• Bucknell is averaging 34.0 ppg over its last five victories.
• Last year's 21.8 ppg average was the highest for the Bison since 2008.
Turnovers
• Bucknell's defense has forced an average of more than two turnovers per game since Joe Susan became head coach in 2010.
• The Bison did not force a turnover in last Saturday's victory over VMI, while they had one turnover.
• Bucknell had lost 18 consecutive games in which it had a negative turnover margin. Its last win in that situation was the 2008 season finale, a 24-21 overtime win vs. Fordham.
• Bucknell defeated VMI despite not forcing a turnover. It marked the first time the Bison won a game without forcing a turnover since accomplishing that feat against Marist in 2008.
.500 a Possibility for Susan
• With a win vs. Marist, Bucknell fifth-year head coach Joe Susan will see his career record reach the .500 mark (28-28).
• Susan will tie Pete Reynolds for 10th place on Bucknell's career games coached list with 48 on Sept. 20 vs. Sacred Heart.
Team Captains
• Seniors Lee Marvel and Matthew Steinbeck were elected team captains last spring.
• Marvel is a two-year starter at safety and linebacker who has played in all 34 games during his career. He ranked second on the team with a career-high 68 tackles last fall.
• Steinbeck is a two-time All-Patriot League safety who ranks seventh on the program's career interceptions list (11). He was a Preseason All-Patriot League selection this summer for the second straight year.
All-Patriot League
• Bucknell had seven players named All-Patriot League and six of them return in 2014.
• First-team selections Evan Byers and Lonnie Rawles return, as do second-team picks Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood, Julie'n Davenport, Matthew Steinbeck and C.J. Williams.
• The only All-Patriot League player to graduate was All-American Tracey Smith.
• Bucknell has had 14 All-Patriot League selections the last two years and 11 of them have returned the following season.
Big Offensive Line
• Bucknell's opening day offensive line was the largest by weight in the last decade, measuring 6'4" and 300 pounds.
• All five offensive line starters from a year ago return in 2014. Overall, seven Bison offensive linemen entered the season with starting experience, combining for 105 career starts.
Turnovers
• Bucknell's defense has at least one interception in 26 of 34 games over the last four years.
• The Bison have forced 82 turnovers over the last four years (2.4 per game), including 39 in 2011 to rank second nationally.
34 Gamers
• The following Bison seniors have played in all 34 games over their careers: Evan Byers, Patrick Kelly, Lee Marvel, Matthew Steinbeck.
20-Point Games
• Bucknell is 13-3 in its last 16 games it has scored at least 20 points.
• Fourteen of Bucknell's 17 wins under Joe Susan have come when the team has scored 20 points.
• Bucknell has scored at least 20 points on seven occasions over the last two years (2013 & 2014).
Night Games
• Bucknell is 18-16 in night games (6 p.m. or later starts) since 2000.
• The Bison were 1-1 at night last year and are scheduled for four night games this year (vs. VMI, at Marist, vs. Cornell, vs. Fordham).
Quick Hitters
• Bucknell has won six of its last seven games for the first time since the 2001 season.
• Bucknell has played VMI in back-to-back games (2013 finale & 2014 opener). It is the first time the Bison played the same team in back-to-back contests since playing Muhlhenberg in the first two weeks of the 1944 season.
Milestone Watch
• Josh Brake: 17 receiving yards shy of 1,000 career
• Evan Byers: 14 tackles shy of 300 career; 41 tackles shy of fifth place on Bucknell's career list
Up Next
• Bucknell will have its first of two bye weeks this season next Saturday. The Bison will return to action Saturday, Sept. 20, at Sacred Heart. The two teams met for the first time last year with the Pioneers posting a 16-0 victory in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
