Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Duquesne
Football Drops to 1-1 with 26-7 Loss to Duquesne
9/12/2015 8:50:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Dillon Buechel threw for three touchdowns to three different receivers to lead Duquesne to a 26-7 victory over Bucknell in a non-league football game Saturday evening at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison fell to 1-1 on the year and will hit the road for the first time next week when they play at Cornell.
R.J. Nitti scored Bucknell's lone touchdown on a 17-yard third-down run with 11:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the junior's third rushing touchdown of the season.
Duquesne (2-0) built a 26-0 lead by scoring at least six points in each quarter. Buechel found Wayne Capers, Chris King and Dave Thomas on short passes for touchdowns, while Austin Crimmins added a pair of field goals.
“We have nine games left,” mentioned Bucknell sixth-year head coach Joe Susan. “We had a positive conversation in the locker room. It is up to us to wash this one away. We have to come back and prepare for Cornell.”
Nitti completed 15 of 31 passes for 190 yards, while C.J. Williams added a team-high 70 rushing yards. Williams crossed the 2,000-yard mark for his career and stands seventh in program history with 2,001 in his three-year career.
Buechel was 15-for-28 for 172 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target was King, who had eight receptions for 88 yards. P.J. Fulmore rushed for a game-high 87 yards.
Bucknell's defense was paced by Clayton Ewell, who had a career-high 14 tackles. Ben Richard (12) and Doug Whitlock (10) also reached double-figures in tackles. All three had two tackles for loss as well. The Bison posted 10 tackles for loss in the contest and limited Duquesne to 347 yards of total offense.
Bucknell registered 306 yards of total offense and was hurt by eight penalties and four turnovers in the contest. One of the more pivotal turnovers came on Bucknell's second drive of the second half. Abner Roberts stripped the ball from C.J. Williams as the Bison junior approached the goal line. Duquesne landed on the ball for a touchback and then marched down the field and covered 69 yards in eight plays, leading to Crimmins converting a 28-yard field goal to extend the Dukes' lead to 19-0 with 1:38 to play in the third quarter.
Duquesne was flagged for nine penalties in the contest for 84 yards. The Dukes were a solid 10-for-18 on third downs, compared to 5-for-12 for Bucknell.
For the second straight game, freshman TE Andrew Owers led the Bison in receiving, catching four passes for 74 yards.
Bucknell, which defeated Marist 17-0 last week, will go on the road for the first time this season when it travels to Cornell next Saturday. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. in Ithaca, New York. It will be the first game of the season for the Big Red.
