Football Plays Final Home Game of Season Saturday vs. Holy Cross
11/10/2015 4:50:00 PM | Football
What: Holy Cross Crusaders (4-5, 1-3 PL) at Bucknell Bison (4-5, 1-3 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, 1 p.m.
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 127/XM 205
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 6 R.J. Nitti (Jr., 6-4, 230) - Ranks t-4th on Bucknell career passing TDs list (28)
RB 34 Matt DelMauro (Sr., 5-7, 185) - Career-high 168 yards last week, including 131 in 1st half
FB 80 Andrew Owers (Fr., 6-3, 240) - Led team in receptions three times this season
WR 2 Bobby Kaslander (Sr., 6-2, 200) - Went over 1,000 career receiving yards last week
WR 18 Will Carter (Jr., 5-10, 180) - 196 receiving yards shy of becoming 3rd Bison with 2,000 in career
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; 21 total starts
C 62 Ned Bent (Jr., 6-2, 290) - Started vs. Marist, Duquesne, Georgetown & Fordham this season
RG 66 Devlin Brennan (Jr., 6-4, 295) - 25 career games played
RT 71 Ramy Kased (Sr., 6-6, 315) - 40 career games, 32 career starts
TE 87 Andrew Podbielski (So., 6-4, 240) - 20+ yard reception each of last three games
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 48 R.J. Sheldon (Jr., 6-2, 235) - 4 tackles, 1 sack in 1st career start Oct. 24 vs. Georgetown
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) - At least 1 TFL in six straight games
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) - Ranks in top 11 in PL in tackles and TFL
Sam LB 42 Mark Pyles (So., 6-0, 220) - Averaging 9.7 tackles over last six games
SS 5 Clayton Ewell (Sr., 6-1, 195) - Only Bison to play in all 42 games over last 4 years
FS 12 Bret Berg (Jr., 6-1, 200) - Tied for team lead with four pass breakups
WS 28 Connor Golden (So., 6-0, 195) - INT at Army West Point was on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays
CB 37 Bryan Marine (Fr., 5-10, 180) - Leads team with four INTs this year
CB 8 Nick O'Brien (Jr., 5-10, 195) - Posted 11 tackles in two of four appearances in 2015
With a Victory over Holy Cross, Bucknell Would ...
• ... improve to 18-9 in its last 27 games.
• ... improve to 7-4 in its last 11 November games.
• ... keep alive the chance to post a third consecutive above-.500 record.
• ... win its final home game for the third time in the last four years.
• ... defeat the Crusaders in back-to-back years for the first time since 2003 and 2004.
• ... defeat the Crusaders in Lewisburg for the first time since 2009.
About the Game
Saturday marks the final home game of the season for Bucknell as the Bison welcome Holy Cross to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Prior to kickoff, 16 Bucknell seniors will be recognized on the field during Senior Day ceremonies. The Bison and Crusaders enter the game with matching 4-5, 1-3 Patriot League records. Bucknell is coming off a close road loss at nationally ranked Fordham, while Holy Cross lost 51-38 at Lehigh last Saturday. This will be the final road game of the season for the Crusaders, who host Georgetown for their Senior Day on Nov. 21.
About Holy Cross
• Holy Cross is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in Patriot League play. Its only conference win was a 42-0 victory over Lafayette.
• Holy Cross has lost three consecutive road games.
• Junior QB Peter Pujals is the key to the Holy Cross offense. The 2014 Second Team All-Patriot League selection has completed 232 of 398 passes for 2,604 yards and 24 touchdowns. He leads the Patriot League in total offense (318.9 ypg).
• Junior RB Gabe Guild is the team's leading rushing with 321 yards on 56 carries.
• Holy Cross is outscoring its opponents 283-235 and has gained 19 turnovers this season.
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Series Notes
• Holy Cross leads 20-11.
• Holy Cross has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
• The series is tied 7-7 in Lewisburg.
• First meeting was in 1925.
Last Time vs. Holy Cross
Bucknell 31, Holy Cross 24 (OT) (Nov. 15, 2014 - Worcester, Mass.)
• Bucknell tied an FCS record by playing a third consecutive overtime game.
• Bucknell RB Matt DelMauro started in place of an injured C.J. Williams and posted career highs in rushing attempts (30), rushing yards (139), rushing touchdowns (3), receiving yards (53), long reception (36) and all-purpose yards (192).
• There were five lead changes and two ties in the game.
• Bucknell completed its road schedule with a 5-1 record, its most road victories since 1997 (6).
Inside the Fordham Box Score
• Bucknell held Fordham to a season-low 49 yards. Chase Edmonds, the 2014 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, rushed for just 62 yards, his second-lowest figure of the year.
• Fordham won its third straight game vs. Bucknell by a total of 13 points.
• Bucknell scored a touchdown with 1:44 to play in the fourth quarter to pull within 17-16. The Bison's two-point attempt was not successful and the Rams added a late touchdown for the final eight-point spread.
• It was a matchup of the top two teams in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.
• The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 9,192 at Jack Coffey Field.
• Bucknell recorded a season-high 11 tackles for loss, including three by Jimmy King, 2.5 by R.J. Sheldon and two by Mark Pyles.
• Bucknell and Fordham combined to go 5-for-27 on third downs.
• Bucknell outgained Fordham 353-345 as the Rams were held 127 yards below their average entering the game.
• Bucknell dominated the time of possession 34:47-25:13. The Bison held the ball nearly six minutes longer than the Rams in the second quarter alone (10:29-4:31).
• Bucknell's two touchdown drives were an average of eight plays for 79 yards.
Career Highs Set vs. Fordham
• Matt DelMauro: all-purpose yards (193)
• Omar Garcia: receptions (1), receiving yards (5), long reception (5)
• Trey Johnson: tackles (2)
• Alex Jordan: tackles (1)
• Nick O'Brien: tackles for loss (1.5)
• Alex Pechin: punt average (48.6), field goals (1), long field goal (37), tackles (1)
• Andrew Podbielski: receiving yards (36), all-purpose yards (36)
• Mark Pyles: sacks (1)
• Ben Schumacher: interceptions (1), long interception return (5), all-purpose yards (5)
• R.J. Sheldon: tackles (6), tackles for loss (2.5)
Senior Day
• Saturday is the final home game of the 2015 season for Bucknell. Prior to kickoff, 16 Bison seniors will be honored during Senior Day ceremonies (12:50 p.m.).
• Bucknell's 16 Senior Day honorees: Ken Barrett, Nick Craven, Matt DelMauro, Brian Duncan, Clayton Ewell, Brandon Farrell, Clayton Hoffmaster, Matthew Jegede, Ramy Kased, Bobby Kaslander, Jimmy King, Anthony Marcozzi, Robert Naylor, Brian Regan, Vikram Shenoy and Louis Taglianetti.
Final Home Game
• Saturday's contest is Bucknell's final home game of the season.
• The Bison have won their final home game in two of the last three years.
• Bucknell is 2-3 under Joe Susan in its final home game.
Broadcast Options
• There will be plenty of options to watch or listen to Saturday's Bucknell-Holy Cross game as four different outlets will be broadcasting it.
• As always, Doug Birdsong and Kevin Herr will call all the action on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3) and BucknellBison.com.
• The Patriot League Network broadcast will be produced by Campus Insiders with Matt Martucci and Dan Conley serving as announcers. The video feed can be watched free of charge via PatriotLeague.tv.
• The Heritage Sports Radio Network will carry the game on Sirius/XM radio. The game will air on Sirius 127 and XM 205. Gary Laing and former Bucknell football player Marc Harrison will be behind the microphones.
• WEEI 1440 AM in Massachusetts is the radio home of Holy Cross football. Dick Lutsk will handle play-by-play duties, while Brendan Glasheen will serve as color analyst.
100-Yard Games for DelMauro
• Bucknell senior RB Matt DelMauro rushed 29 times for a career-high 168 yards last week at Fordham. It was his fourth career 100-yard rushing performance.
• DelMauro has three starts this year and has rushed for more than 100 yards in all three.
• DelMauro has 10 starts in his career and has rushed for more than 100 yards in four of them.
• DelMauro is the 20th player in program history to have at least four 100-yard rushing games.
• All four of DelMauro's 100-yard performances have come on the road.
Matt DelMauro in Home Games (career)
13 Games: 146 rushes for 675 yards and 2 touchdowns
Matt DelMauro in Road Games (career)
16 Games: 201 rushes for 957 yards and 9 touchdowns
100-Yard Rushing Games
• Bucknell running backs Matt DelMauro and C.J. Williams have combined for 16 100-yard rushing games over the last three years.
• This year alone, the duo has six 100-yard games. Williams has rushed for 100 yards against Marist, Cornell and Georgetown, while DelMauro has 100-yard outings against Army West Point, Lafayette and Fordham.
• Bucknell has had a 100-yard rusher in four consecutive games.
• Williams is ranked sixth on Bucknell's career rushing yards list with 2,334 yards, while DelMauro's 1,632 career rushing yards place him less than 250 yards from joining the program's top-10 list.
Nitti Playing Well
• Bucknell QB R.J. Nitti has been putting up some of the best numbers of his career the last three weeks.
• Oct. 24 vs. Georgetown Nitti threw for 338 yards, the sixth-most in program history. It was his first career 300-yard outing.
• Nitti followed that performance with 241 passing yards at Lafayette and 222 at Fordham, marking just the second time he has gone over 200 yards in three consecutive games.
• Nitti has thrown for more than 200 yards eight times in 19 career starts.
• Over the last three weeks, Nitti is 62-for-106 for 801 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
• Nitti ranks ninth in program histor in career passing yards (3,829), career pass completions (304) and career pass attempts (569). He is tied for fourth with 28 career touchdown passes.
• With 1,905 passing yards this year, Nitti is on the verge of becoming the first Bison since Todd Wenrich in 2001 to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a season.
Low-Scoring Bucknell Games
• Bucknell ranks sixth in the Patriot League in scoring offense (17.2 ppg), but is first in scoring defense (18.8 ppg). The average points scored in a Bison game this season is 36.0.
• In Patriot League games, Bucknell and its opponents are averaging a combined 39.0 ppg (156 total points in four games).
Patriot League Total Points Per Game
15 Patriot League Games in 2015: 53.7 ppg
11 Patriot League Games Not Involving Bucknell in 2015: 59.1 ppg
4 Bucknell Patriot League Games: 39.0 ppg
Big Plays
• Bucknell has been much better at hitting the big play in recent weeks.
• The Bison had just five offensive plays of at least 30 yards over the season's first six games. They have seven plays of at least 30 yards the last three weeks (Georgetown, Lafayette, Fordham).
• Bucknell's four longest offensive plays this season have come in the last three weeks.
Bucknell's Longest Offensive Plays in 2015
R.J. Nitti to Matthew Jegede - 59 yards (vs. Georgetown)
R.J. Nitti to Marcus Ademilola - 56 yards (at Lafayette)
R.J. Nitti to Will Carter - 55 yards (at Lafayette)
R.J. Nitti to Will Carter - 48 yards (at Fordham)
R.J. Nitti to Alan Butler - 44 yards (vs. Lehigh)
Scoring Defense
• Bucknell is ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense (18.8 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 Lowest Scoring Defense (since 2000)
1. 2000 - 15.6 ppg
2. 2001 - 15.7 ppg
3. 2015 - 18.8 ppg
4. 2011 - 19.4 ppg
Holding Opponents Under 30 Points
• Bucknell has held all nine 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 five teams nationally to hold all of its opponents in 2015 under 30 points. Included in that group are three undefeated teams (Dayton, Harvard, McNeese), 7-1 Dartmouth and 4-5 Bucknell.
• The Bison are tied for the third-longest consecutive games streak in holding opponents under 30 points with 11 in a row.
Consecutive Games Holding Opponents Under 30 Points
1. Harvard - 19
2. Dartmouth - 14
3. Bucknell, Dayton, McNeese - 11
Turnovers
• Bucknell had a 6-1 turnover deficit after its first two games of the season vs. Marist and Duquesne.
• Bucknell has not lost the turnover battle in any of its last seven games.
• The Bison have not turned the ball over more than once in any of their last seven outings.
• Bucknell has had a positive turnover margin in each of its last five contests, holding an 13-5 edge during that span. However, the Bison are just 1-4 in games they win the turnover battle this season.
• Bucknell now ranks 41st nationally in turnover margin (+0.3).
Milestone Watch
• Will Carter: Needs four touchdown catches to tie Bucknell career record of 18
• Matt DelMauro: Needs 97 all-purpose yards to reach 2,000 mark in career
• R.J. Nitti: Needs 95 passing yards to become seventh different Bison to throw for 2,000 yards in a season
• Mark Pyles: 15 tackles shy of 100 in career
Up Next
• Bucknell will wrap up its season with a 1 p.m. game at first-place Colgate next Saturday, Nov. 21. The Raiders hold a 46-17 all-time edge in the series and have won seven of the last eight meetings.
