Football Welcomes Lafayette for Homecoming Contest
10/18/2016 10:56:00 AM | Football
What: Lafayette Leopards (1-6, 0-2 PL) at Bucknell Bison (2-4, 1-1 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, 1 p.m.
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
TV: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN/WBPH/MASN2)
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 146/XM 204
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 6 R.J. Nitti (Sr., 6-6, 230) - Has not played since week 2 at Duquesne
or 4 John Chiarolanzio (Fr., 6-3, 195) - 11-for-19 for 139 yards in 1st career game last week
RB 23 Joey DeFloria (Jr., 5-9, 195) - Three 100-yard rushing games this season
FB 80 Andrew Owers (So., 6-2, 250) - Career-high seven receptions last week vs. Marist
WR 18 Will Carter (Sr., 5-11, 180) - Owns Bucknell records for career receptions and receiving yards
WR 2 Alan Butler (So., 6-1, 180) - Multiple receptions in all six games this season
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (Sr., 6-7, 315) - 3-time All-Patriot League selection; 39 straight starts
LG 66 Devlin Brennan (Sr., 6-4, 310) - 33 career games played, started all 11 games at RG in 2015
C 62 Ned Bent (Sr., 6-2, 290) - Started 5 games at C in 2015, 32 career games played
RG 54 Cary Hess (Sr., 6-4, 295) - Started at LG (Holy Cross) and RG (Colgate) last two weeks
RT 63 Griff Barth (Sr., 6-4, 290) - Expected to move to RT from RG this week
TE 87 Andrew Podbielski (Jr., 6-4, 230) - At least one reception in 11 consecutive games before last week
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 90 Doug Whitlock (Jr., 6-2, 250) - 13.5 of 61 career tackles have been for loss
DT 40 Abdullah Anderson (Jr., 6-4, 295) - 2-time All-Patriot League selection; started all 28 games of career
NG 91 Alex Jordan (So., 6-1, 290) - Expected to make first career start
DE 48 R.J. Sheldon (Sr., 6-3, 235) - Had game-clinching sack Oct. 8 at Holy Cross
Mike LB 29 Ben Richard (Jr., 6-1, 240) - Second Team All-PL in 2015; Top five in PL in tackles, TFL, sacks
Sam LB 5 Mark Pyles (Jr., 6-0, 220) - Preseason All-PL, second on team with 128 career tackles
SS 26 Joe Lauro (So., 5-11, 200) - Averaging 10.7 tackles in last three games played
FS 12 Bret Berg (Sr., 6-1, 205) - Ranks 30th nationally in solo tackles per game (5.2)
WS 43 Connor Golden (Jr., 6-0, 200) - Has not played since Sept. 10 at Duquesne
CB 9 Bryan Marine (So., 5-9, 175) - Most pass breakups (11) by a Bison since 2004
CB 8 Nick O'Brien (Sr., 5-9, 180) - 22 career starts, 126 career tackles
Specialists
PK 83 Jack Chambers (So., 5-10, 175) - 4 career games; 2-5 FG, 7-8 XP
KO 93 John Burdick (Jr., 6-0, 195) - Averaging 56.4 yards on 14 kickoffs this season
P 12 Bret Berg (Sr., 6-1, 205) - Starting safety, first two punts of career last week
PR 8 Nick O'Brien (Sr., 5-9, 180) - Leads team with 7.4 punt return average
KR 8 Nick O'Brien (Sr., 5-9, 180) - Leads team with 28.0 kick return average
9 Bryan Marine (So., 5-9, 175) - Returned first three kicks of career last week (23.3 avg.)
LS 58 Dillon Paprota (Fr., 5-11, 225) - In first year as long snapper
H 11 Alexander Romango (Sr., 6-2, 230) - Also a backup QB
With a Victory over Lafayette, Bucknell Would ...
• ... extend its winning streak vs. the Leopards to three games for the first time since posting five straight wins in the series from 1968 to 1972.
• ... eclipse its Patriot League win total from all of 2015.
• ... win a Homecoming game for the third time in the last four years.
• ... improve to 44-44-5 all-time on Homecoming.
• ... snap a seven-game home losing streak.
• ... help Joe Susan move into sole possession of eighth place on the Bucknell career wins list with 31.
About the Game
Bucknell plays at home for a second consecutive week as it looks to move back above .500 in Patriot League play when it hosts 1-6 Lafayette in a Homecoming contest Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison entered their brief two-game homestand coming off a one-point win at Holy Cross, but lost by a 27-7 score last Saturday against Colgate. Bucknell was within one touchdown with possession in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 5:08 to clinch the victory. Lafayette lost in overtime to the Bison in its last trip to Lewisburg in 2014 and is just 2-16 over the last two seasons. The Leopards lost 62-7 last week at Army West Point in their final non-league matchup of the year.
Broadcast Options
• Doug Birdsong and Kevin Herr will call all the action on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3) and BucknellBison.com.
• The Lafayette Sports Network will produce a television broadcast that will air regionally on RCN and WBPH.
• A live video broadcast will be available on the Patriot League Network (PatriotLeague.tv). The game will be produced by the Lafayette Sports Network.
• Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) will have a broadcast available on Sirius 146 and XM 204.
About Lafayette
• Lafayette is 1-6 overall and 0-2 in Patriot League play this season.
• The Leopards are being outscored by more than 16 points per game this season and have lost six in a row since their season-opening 24-10 win at Central Connecticut State.
• This week's game marks Lafayette's third consecutive road contest.
• Seventeenth-year head coach Frank Tavani is the longest-tenured coach in the Patriot League. Tavani has 83 victories during his time leading the Leopards.
• Junior DeSean Brown leads Lafayette in rushing with 195 yards on 62 carries.
• Seniors Drew Reed and Blake Searfoss have both seen time at quarterback this season. Reed has thrown for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns, while Searfoss has thrown for 656 and five touchdowns.
• Junior Matt Mrazek ranks fourth in the Patriot League with 539 receiving yards. He has a team-high eight touchdowns this season.
• Junior LB Michael Root has a team-high 55 tackles to rank third in the Patriot League.
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Series Notes
• Lafayette leads 52-35-1.
• The winning team has scored more than 30 points in nine of the last 11 meetings.
• Bucknell's 35 points last year vs. Lafayette marked a season-high figure for the Bison.
• Bucknell has won back-to-back games in the series for the first time since 2000 and 2001, although Lafayette has won 11 of the last 14 games.
• The series is tied 20-20-1 all-time in Lewisburg.
• Bucknell's 93 all-time meetings with Lafayette make it the most-played series in program history.
• Lafayette was Bucknell's only opponent in 1883, its first year of football.
Last Time vs. Lafayette
Bucknell 35, Lafayette 24 (Oct. 31, 2015 - Easton, Pa.)
• Bucknell scored a season-high 35 points, including 21 in the second half, as the Bison overcame a 14-0 first-half deficit.
• Bucknell scored a touchdown on five of its final eight possessions.
• Bucknell QB R.J. Nitti had a hand in all five of the Bison touchdowns. He equaled a career high with four touchdown passes and he ran for a touchdown that put the game out of reach in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
• All four of Nitti's touchdowns were to different receivers, and two of his touchdown passes were longer than 50 yards.
• Bison freshman DB Bryan Marine intercepted two passes and Bucknell won the turnover battle 4-1.
• Bucknell was 11-for-18 on third downs, including 7-for-10 in the second half.
Inside the Colgate Box Score
• Bucknell had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but Colgate limited the Bison to 32 yards of total offense in the final period and scored two unanswered touchdowns in the final 5:08.
• Bucknell freshman QB John Chiarolanzio came off the bench to start the second half for his first career game action. He completed six of his first eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in relief of starter Matt Muh. Chiarolanzio finished 11-for-19 for 139 yards and one touchdown.
• Colgate outgained Bucknell 198-79 in the first half.
• Colgate rushed for 230 yards, becoming the first Bison opponent to rush for 200+ yards since Army West Point recorded 263 yards on the ground in October 2015.
• Brice Sydnor recorded a career-high 12 tackles for Bucknell in his third career start.
• Colgate entered the game leading the nation in fewest penalty yards per game (32.0) and was flagged a season-high eight times for a season-high 60 yards.
• Colgate's two running backs — Keyon Washington and Alex Mathews — averaged 6.5 yards per carry.
• Bucknell was held to its lowest rushing yards figure (27) since the second-to-last game of 2015 vs. Holy Cross.
• Bucknell's defense did not record a sack for the second time in three games.
• Bucknell's average drive started at its own 19-yard line. Colgate's average drive start was its own 42-yard line.
• The best field position for the Bison at the start of a drive was their own 29-yard line.
Homecoming
• Saturday marks Homecoming at Bucknell. The Bison are 43-44-5 (.495) all-time on Homecoming.
• Bucknell is 11-9 in Homecoming games over the last 20 years, including wins in two of the last three years over Lehigh (48-10 in 2013) and Lafayette (27-24 in OT in 2014).
Versatile Punters
• Sophomore P Alex Pechin suffered an injury prior to the Cornell game on Sept. 17 and has been out of the lineup since.
• Starting QB Matt Muh pulled double duty for a four games as both quarterback and punter, averaging 36.6 yards on 17 kicks.
• Muh missed the second half of last week's game and starting S Bret Berg took over as punter. Berg averaged 40.5 yards on the first two punts of his career.
Chiarolanzio Makes Debut at QB
• Freshman John Chiarolanzio made his season debut at quarterback last week vs. Colgate and completed 11 of 19 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown.
• Chiarolanzio's 42-yard completion to Will Carter in the third quarter was the second-longest pass play for the Bison this year.
• Chiarolanzio entered the game after halftime and played at quarterback the entire second half.
• Chiarolanzio's older brother, Luke, is an offensive assistant coach at Lafayette. Luke started 40 consecutive games for the Leopards from 2011 to 2014 and was a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection on the offensive line.
Five Games, Five Different Times
• Bucknell's players will need to adapt to five different starting times for games over the next five weeks.
• The Bison have five games left in the regular season and all five kick off at different times. The earliest start time is 11:45 a.m. at Charleston Southern, while the latest is a 3:30 p.m. start at Georgetown on Nov. 12.
• Bucknell's games have seven different starting times this year.
Low-Scoring Bucknell Games
• Bucknell ranks seventh in the Patriot League in scoring offense (17.7 ppg), but is first in scoring defense (22.3 ppg). The average points scored in a Bison game this season is 40.0.
• In Patriot League games, Bucknell and its opponents are averaging a combined 37.5 ppg (75 total points in two games).
Patriot League Total Points Per Game
6 Patriot League Games in 2016: 57.8 ppg
4 Patriot League Games Not Involving Bucknell: 68.0 ppg
2 Bucknell Patriot League Games: 37.5 ppg
100-Tackle Club
• Six members of the Bison defense have piled up at least 100 career tackles.
• It is a close race for the lead, but junior linebackers Ben Richard (137) and Mark Pyles (128) rank first and second on the list.
Career Tackles (current Bucknell players)
1. Ben Richard - 137
2. Mark Pyles - 128
3. Nick O'Brien - 126
4. Bret Berg - 108
5. Abdullah Anderson - 107
6. Connor Golden - 100
New Starters
• Bucknell has had 12 first-time starters this season: Griff Barth, Sam Chitty, Joey DeFloria, Trevor Fennimore, Jon Fox, Troy Glenn, Joe Lauro, Stefone Moore-Green, Matt Muh, Fisayo Oluleye, Brice Sydnor and Chase Watkins.
• Trevor Fennimore, Jon Fox, Stefone Moore-Green, Fisayo Oluleye and Brice Sydnor are Bison that have made their first career starts over the last three games.
Record-Breaking Carter
• Bucknell senior WR Will Carter broke Tom Mitchell's 51-year-old program records for receptions and receiving yards Oct. 8 at Holy Cross.
• Carter now tops both lists with 178 receptions and 2,490 receiving yards in his career.
• Only two other players in program history have surpassed 2,000 yards. Only eight other players have at least 100 catches in their careers.
• Carter leads Bucknell in receptions (32), receiving yards (470) and receiving touchdowns (3) this year.
• Carter has at least three receptions in all 30 career games played.
Milestone Watch
• Will Carter: Needs 637 all-purpose yards to move into top 10 on program's career list
• Joey DeFloria: Needs 270 rushing yards to reach 1,000 in career
• Bryan Marine: Needs 7 tackles to reach 100 in career
• Matt Muh: Needs 157 passing yards to reach 1,000 in career
• R.J. Nitti: Needs 150 passing yards to pass Jim Given for third place on the school's career list
Up Next
• Bucknell will open a three-game road stretch with its first-ever game at Charleston Southern next Saturday, Oct. 29.
• It will be the first-ever meeting between Bucknell and Charleston Southern and will be the final non-league game of the year for the Bison.
• Charleston Southern is ranked ninth nationally in both the coaches poll and in the STATS poll this week.
