Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Sacred Heart
Bucknell 3-0 for First Time Since 1997 After 36-20 Win at Sacred Heart
9/20/2014 4:31:00 PM | Football
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – R.J. Nitti completed four touchdown passes to Will Carter and Bobby Kaslander and a stifling Bison defense held Sacred Heart 117 yards below its season average en route to a 36-20 comeback victory Saturday afternoon. Bucknell improved to 3-0, marking its best start since 1997. The Bison are an impressive 8-1 in their last nine games.
Nitti finished the game 18-for-31 passing for 271 yards and he became the first Bucknell quarterback to throw for four touchdowns in a game since Jim Fox in 1996. Nitti tied his career high for passing yards in a game.
Clayton Ewell paced the defense with a career-high two interceptions, including one 60-yard return that set up a C.J. Williams rushing touchdown early in the second half. Lee Marvel posted a career-high 12 tackles, while Ewell added 10 and the defense as a whole recorded nine tackles for loss.
The Bison used big plays to their advantage as Kaslander had touchdown receptions of 65 and 19 yards, while Carter's two touchdowns were 38 yards and 55 yards. Kicker Derek Maurer also connected on a career-best 45-yard field goal.
After using a flurry of big plays late in the first half to take a 14-13 advantage into halftime, Bucknell dominated the second half, keeping the Pioneers off the scoreboard until 2:09 remained in the contest. Sacred Heart (3-1) was held to just 96 yards in the second half.
The Bison possessed the ball for nearly 18 minutes in the second half as they scored the first 22 points of the stanza. In a span of just over 30 minutes from the second quarter to the fourth, they recorded 36 of the 39 points scored, going from a 10-point deficit to a 23-point lead.
Bucknell's final touchdown (19-yard pass to Kaslander) came with 9:05 remaining and virtually clinched the outcome. The Bison were lined up to punt earlier on that drive and benefitted from a Sacred Heart penalty that advanced Bucknell to a first down and extended the drive.
“We played against a very good football team,” commented Bucknell head coach Joe Susan. “We are going to have to play from behind at times. Momentum can change in a heartbeat and once you have the momentum you don't want to give it up.”
After Sacred Heart built a 10-0 lead over the first 24 minutes of the first half, Bucknell used a couple big plays to get back into the contest and take the one-point lead into halftime. Nitti found Kaslander streaking down the right sideline wide open for a 65-yard touchdown to cut the Bison deficit to 10-7 with 5:52 left in the second quarter.
Bucknell stopped the Pioneers three-and-out on their next drive and immediately struck again on a long pass play as Nitti's perfectly placed pass over a defender found Carter for a 38-yard touchdown completion that put the Bison up 14-10.
Chris Rogers' second field goal of the first half as time expired cut Bucknell's halftime cushion to 14-13. Rogers earlier in the game broke Sacred Heart's record for career field goals.
The Bison finished the first half with 160 yards of total offense, 108 coming on the touchdown passes to Kaslander and Carter.
The game was expected to be a defensive battle and it started out quite the opposite. Bucknell marched 61 yards on 13 plays on the opening drive of the contest, advancing as far as the Sacred Heart six-yard line before being pushed back and missing a field goal. The Pioneers' no-huddle offense quickly answered with a six-play, 80-yard drive that spanned just 2:07 and ended with the game's first score, a 42-yard touchdown pass from R.J. Noel to Tyler Dube.
Noel completed 16 of 31 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Pioneers, while Keshaudas Spence ran for 52 yards.
Nitti spread his passes around as six different Bison had at least two receptions. Carter's 91 yards led the way, while Williams posted a team-high five catches. Williams also ran 22 times for a team-high 49 yards and one score. He now has 15 career touchdowns.
Bucknell totaled 311 yards of total offense and turned the ball over just once.
After two road games and one bye week, the Bison are set to return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium next Saturday to host Cornell in a 6 p.m. Family Weekend contest.
