Bucknell University Athletics
Football Welcomes Georgetown for Homecoming Matchup
10/20/2015 3:28:00 PM | Football
What: Georgetown Hoyas (3-4, 1-1 PL) at Bucknell Bison (3-3, 0-1 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, 1 p.m.
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 6 R.J. Nitti (Jr., 6-4, 230) - Needs 178 passing yards to move into 10th place on career list
RB 4 C.J. Williams (Jr., 6-0, 210) - 11 career 100-yard rushing games, including 2 this season
FB 80 Andrew Owers (Fr., 6-3, 240) - Led team in receptions three times this season
WR 2 Bobby Kaslander (Sr., 6-2, 200) - Only Bison with at least 1 catch in all 6 games this season
WR 18 Will Carter (Jr., 5-10, 180) - 10th on Bucknell's career receiving yards list (1,555)
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (Jr., 6-7, 315) - 2-time All-Patriot League selection
LG 76 Clayton Hoffmaster (Sr., 6-4, 295) - 12 career starts at RG; 18 total starts
C 54 Cary Hess (Jr., 6-4, 290) - Made first career start at C vs. Cornell
RG 66 Devlin Brennan (Jr., 6-4, 295) - 22 career games played
RT 71 Ramy Kased (Sr., 6-6, 315) - 37 career games, 29 career starts
TE 87 Andrew Podbielski (So., 6-4, 240) - Started five of six games this season
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 48 R.J. Sheldon (Jr., 6-2, 235) - Expected to make 1st career start in place of injured Doug Whitlock
DT 40 Abdullah Anderson (So., 6-4, 295) - 35 pounds heavier than last year's listed playing weight
NG 99 Ben Schumacher (Jr., 6-2, 270) - T-3rd on team with 5.5 TFL this year
DE 15 Jimmy King (Sr., 6-1, 250) - Named Bison Athlete of the Week after Cornell game
Mike LB 29 Ben Richard (So., 6-1, 235) - T-5th in PL with 59 tackles
Sam LB 42 Mark Pyles (So., 6-0, 220) - Ranks second on team with career-high 55 tackles
SS 5 Clayton Ewell (Sr., 6-1, 195) - Only Bison to play in all 39 games over last 4 years
FS 12 Bret Berg (Jr., 6-1, 200) - Averaging 6.3 tackles per game in October
WS 28 Connor Golden (So., 6-0, 195) - INT at Army West Point was on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays
CB 13 Colin Jonov (So., 5-11, 195) - One of only two freshmen to start last year's season opener
CB 8 Nick O'Brien (Jr., 5-10, 195) - 11 tackles vs. Lehigh in season debut
With a Victory over Georgetown, Bucknell Would ...
• ... even its Patriot League record at 1-1.
• ... defeat the Hoyas for a third consecutive year.
• ... still have a chance to finish above .500 at home this season.
• ... snap a two-game home losing streak.
• ... improve to 17-7 in its last 24 games.
• ... avoid its first three-game losing streak since losing four in a row in September and October 2013.
• ... continue its streak of being at or above .500 since November 2013.
• ... help Joe Susan move into sole possession of ninth place on Bucknell's all-time wins list (28).
About the Game
It is Homecoming at Bucknell and the Bison host Georgetown Saturday at 1 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak and even its Patriot League record at 1-1, while the Hoyas will look to get back on the winning side after a 17-13 home loss to Colgate last Saturday. Georgetown has alternated wins and losses all season and is 3-4 overall, including 1-1 opposite Patriot League foes. Neither Bucknell nor Georgetown are averaging 20 points this season and the teams rank one-two in the Patriot League in scoring defense, meaning it should be a low-scoring affair, which is common in the series that has seen the winning team reach 30 points just once in the last 10 matchups.
About Georgetown
• Georgetown is 3-4 overall and 1-1 in Patriot League play. The Hoyas are listed fourth in the Patriot League standings.
• Georgetown had one of its most impressive wins in recent years two weeks ago when it defeated Lafayette 38-7 on Homecoming at the newly renamed Cooper Field.
• Like Bucknell, Georgetown will play three of its final four games on the road.
• Georgetown has been outscored by a 120-88 margin in the first half this year. The Hoyas are being outscored 171-139 overall.
• Senior three-year starter Kyle Nolan is Georgetown's quarterback. He has completed 151 of 254 passes for 1,484 yards.
• 2014 Second Team All-Patriot League selection Jo'el Kimpela leads Georgetown's ground game with 412 yards and one touchdown on 100 carries.
• Georgetown's defense has 14 sacks and 41 tackles for loss this season, which is similar to Bucknell's 16 sacks and 44 tackles for loss.
Bucknell vs. Georgetown Series Notes
• Bucknell leads 16-10-1.
• Bucknell has won six of the last seven meetings.
• Nine of the last 10 games have been decided by 10 points or less.
• A total of 76 points have been scored the last three years.
• The winning team has had more than 30 points just once in the last decade (Bucknell scored 35 points in 2011).
• Georgetown has not won games in back-to-back years since 1938 and 1939.
• Bucknell and Georgetown went from 1939 to 2000 without playing and have now played each of the last 15 years.
Last Time vs. Georgetown
Bucknell 22, Georgetown 17 (Oct. 25, 2014 - Washington, D.C.)
• There were six lead changes and Bucknell and Georgetown alternated scores throughout the contest.
• Bucknell's first drive of the game ate up 9:57 off the clock, helping the Bison to a 35:36-24:24 advantage in time of possession.
• C.J. Williams rushed for 136 yards on a career-high 32 carries. It marked his second career 30-carry game and his ninth career 100-yard outing.
• Bucknell limited Georgetown DE Alec May, who entered the game leading the nation in sacks with 12.5, to just five tackles and one sack. The Hoyas posted just two sacks in the contest.
• The two teams were flagged a combined 16 times for 147 yards.
Inside the Army West Point Box Score
• Bucknell played an FBS opponent for the first time since facing Kent State in 2001.
• Army West Point marked Bucknell's sixth FBS opponent all-time. The Bison fell to 0-6 in those contests.
• The score was tied or Bucknell led for all but 6:10 in the game.
• Bucknell was penalized 14 times for 105 yards, marking the first time it was flagged for more than 100 yards since a 2002 game at Towson.
• Bucknell and Army West Point combined to go 4-for-4 on fourth downs.
• Bucknell QB R.J. Nitti completed 17 of 33 passes for 186 yards, moving him over 3,000 passing yards for his career.
• Bucknell played in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 fans for the first time since its last trip to Michie Stadium in 1995.
• The game aired on CBS Sports Network, marking Bucknell's first national television appearance since November 2014.
• Bucknell's touchdowns came on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter.
• Bucknell's defense limited Army West Point's triple option offense to 4.3 yards per carry. The Bison averaged 5.0 yards per rush.
• Bison RB Matt DelMauro recorded his second career 100-yard rushing outing.
• Connor Golden posted a career-high 13 tackles and picked off two passes for Bucknell.
• Army West Point scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 68-yard pass play with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter.
• R.J. Nitti completed a pass to Andrew Owers for a two-point conversion in the second quarter, marking Bucknell's first passing two-point conversion since last October at Bryant.
Career Highs Set vs. Army West Point
• Troy Glenn: tackles (1)
• Connor Golden: tackles (13), tackles for loss (1.5), interceptions (2)
• Bobby Kaslander: tackles (1)
• Bryan Marine: fumble recoveries (1)
• Andrew Owers: receiving TDs (1)
• Andrew Podbielski: receiving yards (18), long reception (18), all-purpose yards (18)
• Ben Schumacher: tackles (6)
• R.J. Sheldon: tackles (3)
Honors for Connor Golden
• Sophomore S Connor Golden was cited a number of times this week for his 13-tackle, two-interception performance at Army West Point last Saturday.
• Golden became Bucknell's second Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week this season.
• Golden was also recognized by STATS.com as Honorable Mention National Defensive Player of the Week and by College Sporting News as a National All-Star.
• Golden's first interception against Army West Point was a highlight-reel grab that ended up as the No. 8 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 that day.
• Golden has started five games this year and ranks fourth on the squad with 36 tackles. He has posted two consecutive double-figure tackle outings and is averaging 10.3 stops over the last three games.
Scoring Defense
• Bucknell is ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) this year.
• If the Bison finish the season under 20.0 ppg in scoring defense, it will mark just the fourth time since 2000 that Bucknell opponents will average less than 20.0 ppg.
Bucknell's Fewest Points Per Game Allowed (since 2000)
1. 2000 - 15.6 ppg
2. 2001 - 15.7 ppg
3. 2015 - 17.3 ppg
4. 2011 - 19.4 ppg
Holding Opponents Under 30 Points
• Bucknell has held all six of its opponents this year under 30 points. In fact, the most points for an opponent this year is 26 by Duquesne.
• Bucknell is one of seven teams nationally to hold all of its opponents in 2015 under 30 points. Included in that group are five undefeated teams (Dartmouth, Dayton, Harvard, Jacksonville, McNeese State), 4-3 Campbell and 3-3 Bucknell.
• The Bison are tied for the fourth-longest consecutive games streak in holding opponents under 30 points with eight in a row.
Consecutive Games Holding Opponents Under 30 Points
1. Harvard - 16
2. Jacksonville - 14
3. Dartmouth - 11
4. Bucknell, Campbell, Dayton, McNeese State - 8
Homecoming
• Saturday marks Homecoming at Bucknell. The Bison are 43-43-5 all-time on Homecoming.
• Bucknell is 11-8 in Homecoming games over the last 19 years, including wins the last two years over Lehigh (48-10 in 2013) and Lafayette (27-24 in OT last year).
Penalties
• Bucknell was flagged 14 times for 105 yards last week at Army West Point, its most penalty yards since it had 104 in a 2002 game at Towson.
• In the first 60 games of Joe Susan's tenure as Bucknell head coach, the Bison averaged 5.4 penalties for 47.2 yards per game.
• Prior to last week, Bucknell had double-figure penalties just once (2014 at Bryant) since Susan took over in 2010.
Large Crowd
• Bucknell last week played in front of 33,257 fans at Army West Point's Michie Stadium. It was the second time in the last 20 years the Bison played in front of a crowd of at least 20,000 fans.
Highest Attendance at Bucknell Game (since 1995)
Oct. 17, 2015: Army West Point 21, Bucknell 14 (at Army West Point - 33,257)
Nov. 18, 1995: Army West Point 37, Bucknell 6 (at Army West Point - 30,023)
Sept. 15, 2012: Delaware 19, Bucknell 3 (at Delaware - 18,118)
Oct. 21, 2000: Lehigh 21, Bucknell 14 (at Lehigh - 16,906)
Oct. 15, 2011: Harvard 42, Bucknell 3 (at Harvard - 16, 236)
Sept. 19, 2015: Bucknell 19, Cornell 14 (at Cornell - 16,057)
100-Yard Rushing Games
• Bucknell running backs C.J. Williams (11) and Matt DelMauro (2) have combined for 13 career 100-yard rushing performances.
• Williams is tied for fourth on Bucknell's 100-yard rushing games list with Ken Jenkins.
• Williams has two 100-yard rushing performances this season (vs. Marist, at Cornell), while DelMauro has one (at Army West Point).
• Williams ranks sixth in program history with 2,210 career rushing yards, while DelMauro has 1,353 rushing yards in his four-year career.
Play Deficit
• Bucknell's defense has been on the field for 240 plays the last three games, while the Bison offense has run just 178 plays over that span.
• Over those same three games, opponents have a 98:29-81:31 time of possession advantage.
Turnovers
• There have been just 16 total turnovers in Bucknell's six games this season.
• The Bison have turned the ball over nine times and opponents have seven turnovers.
• Bucknell forced 100 turnovers over the last four years (2011-14), an average of 2.3 per game, including 39 in 2011 to rank second nationally.
• The Bison won the turnover battle each of the last two weeks by a combined 5-2 margin, marking the first times they have had the advantage this year.
Susan Moving Up Lists
• Saturday's game will be sixth-year head coach Joe Susan's 62nd at Bucknell. He ranks ninth on the Bison's all-time games coached list. Next up for Susan to pass is Bob Odell, who coached 63 games from 1958-64. Bucknell's head coaching position is named the Bob Odell Head Coach.
• Susan is tied for ninth in program history with Pete Reynolds in victories with 27, just three behind eighth-place Al Humphreys.
• Susan was the 2014 Patriot League Coach of the Year, Bucknell's first honoree since Tom Gadd in 1997.
Milestone Watch
• Bobby Kaslander: 118 receiving yards shy of 1,000 for career
• R.J. Nitti: Needs two TD passes to tie Rob Glus for seventh place on program's career list
• Nick O'Brien: 11 tackles shy of 100 in career
Up Next
• Bucknell next Saturday will begin a stretch where it plays three of its final four games on the road when it travels to Lafayette for a 3:30 p.m. Halloween contest. The Leopards lead the all-time series 52-33-6, but the teams have split the last four meetings. The Bison claimed last year's home game by a 27-24 margin in overtime.
