Football Opens Three-Game Road Stretch Saturday at No. 9 Charleston Southern
10/25/2016 2:46:00 PM | Football
What: Bucknell Bison (3-4, 2-1 PL) at No. 9 Charleston Southern (4-2, 2-0 Big South)
Where: Buccaneer Field, Charleston, S.C.
When: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, 11:45 a.m.
Internet Video: Big South Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: CSUsports.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 6 R.J. Nitti (Sr., 6-6, 230) - 8-for-18 for 90 yards last week in first game since week 2
or 4 John Chiarolanzio (Fr., 6-3, 195) - 11-for-19 for 139 yards in 1st career game vs. Colgate
RB 23 Joey DeFloria (Jr., 5-9, 195) - Four 100-yard rushing games this season
FB 80 Andrew Owers (So., 6-2, 250) - Career-high seven receptions two weeks vs. Colgate
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 seven games this season
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (Sr., 6-7, 315) - 3-time All-Patriot League selection; 40 straight starts
LG 66 Devlin Brennan (Sr., 6-4, 310) - 34 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, 33 career games played
RG 54 Cary Hess (Sr., 6-4, 295) - Three straight starts, 21 career games played
RT 63 Griff Barth (Sr., 6-4, 290) - Moved to RT from RG last week vs. Lafayette
TE 87 Andrew Podbielski (Jr., 6-4, 230) - First career TD reception last week vs. Lafayette
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 90 Doug Whitlock (Jr., 6-2, 250) - 14.5 of 63 career tackles have been for loss
DT 40 Abdullah Anderson (Jr., 6-4, 295) - 2-time All-Patriot League selection; started all 29 games of career
NG 91 Alex Jordan (So., 6-1, 290) - Made first career start last week vs. Lafayette
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 10 in PL in tackles, TFL, sacks
Sam LB 5 Mark Pyles (Jr., 6-0, 220) - Preseason All-PL, second on team with 137 career tackles
SS 26 Joe Lauro (So., 5-11, 200) - Career-high 39 tackles this season
FS 12 Bret Berg (Sr., 6-1, 205) - Averaged 9.6 tackles from Sept. 10 to Oct. 15
WS 43 Connor Golden (Jr., 6-0, 200) - 5 tackles last week in first game action since Sept. 10
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) - 23 career starts, 131 career tackles
Specialists
PK 93 John Burdick Jr. 6-0 195 Career-best 6-for-6 on XP last week
KO 93 John Burdick Jr. 6-0 195 Averaging 57.2 yards on 21 kickoffs this season
P 12 Bret Berg Sr. 6-1 205 Starting safety, first time as starting punter last week vs. Lafayette
PR 8 Nick O'Brien Sr. 5-9 180 Third in PL with 8.9 punt return average
KR 8 Nick O'Brien Sr. 5-9 180 Leads team with 25.0 kick return average
9 Bryan Marine So. 5-9 175 Returned first three kicks of career vs. Colgate (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 Charleston Southern, Bucknell Would ...
• ... equal its win total from all of 2015.
• ... improve to 4-1 in its last five October games.
• ... defeat a current Big South Conference member for the first time.
• ... win back-to-back games for the first time since defeating Cornell (Sept. 19) and VMI (Oct. 3) last fall.
• ... win in back-to-back weeks for the first time since defeating Georgetown (Oct. 25) and Lafayette (Nov. 1) in 2014.
• ... win a second straight road game for the first time since winning at Cornell (Sept. 19) and VMI (Oct. 3) last fall.
• ... win its final non-league game in a season for the first time since 2013.
• ... defeat a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since upending No. 15 Lehigh in 2013.
• ... help Joe Susan tie Tim Landis for seventh place on the Bucknell career wins list with 32.
About the Game
Bucknell makes its farthest trip from Lewisburg since 2002 on Saturday when it travels to Charleston Southern for its final non-league game of the 2016 campaign. The Bison have won two of their last three games and are coming off their largest victory margin (42-17 vs. Lafayette) since 2013 as they look to snap a three-game losing streak against nationally ranked opponents. The No. 9-ranked Buccaneers have won three games in a row, including an impressive 38-3 victory over Presbyterian this past Saturday after a 21-day layoff that included a bye week and a game cancellation due to Hurricane Matthew.
Broadcast Options
• Doug Birdsong and Kevin Herr will call all the action on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3) and BucknellBison.com.
• A free live video broadcast will be available on the Big South Network (http://bigsouth.sidearmsports.com/watch/?Live=102).
About Charleston Southern
• Charleston Southern is 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Big South play this season.
• The Buccaneers are ranked ninth nationally in both the FCS Coaches Poll and the STATS poll.
• Charleston Southern advanced to the NCAA playoffs last year. The Buccaneers defeated The Citadel in their first game and then dropped a 58-38 decision to Jacksonville State.
• Jamey Chadwell has been named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in two of the last three seasons.
• Charleston Southern was 0-11 in 2011, but is 37-18 since 2012.
• Charleston Southern ranks in the top 10 nationally in punt returns (5th), rushing offense (6th) and passing defense (8th).
• Charleston Southern has outscored opponents 214-151. It has outscored FCS opponents 206-99.
• More than two-thirds of Charleston Southern's offense comes on the ground. The Buccaneers are averaging 6.2 yards per carry this year. Seven different players have rushed for at least 100 yards.
• The Buccaneers have attempted just six field goals all season.
Bucknell vs. Charleston Southern Series Notes
• Saturday's game will be the first meeting between Bucknell and Charleston Southern.
• Bucknell is in its 131st season of football, while Charleston Southern's program began in 1991.
Inside the Lafayette Box Score
• Bucknell won a third consecutive game against Lafayette for the first time since winning five in a row from 1968-72.
• Bucknell scored its most points since a 45-24 win at Lehigh in 2014. It marked the first time the bison eclipsed 40 points since that contest against the Mountain Hawks.
• Five of Bucknell's touchdowns were scored on the ground. WR Will Carter and RB Chad Freshnock ran for two touchdowns apiece.
• Bucknell scored 21 of its points in the fourth quarter when it outgained Lafayette 146-71, including 122-23 on the ground.
• Bucknell's 259 rushing yards were its most since a 2013 win vs. Lehigh.
• QB R.J. Nitti and S Connor Golden made their return to the Bison lineup for the first time since week two at Duquesne. Nitti threw for 90 yards, while Golden recorded five tackles.
• Bucknell was a combined 9-for-20 on third and fourth downs, while Lafayette was 2-for- 15.
• Bucknell possessed the ball for more than 10 minutes in each of the final three quarters and held a +14:04 advantage in time of possession. The Bison had the ball for 32:19 of a possible 45:00 over the final three quarters.
• Bucknell improved to 44-44-5 all-time on Homecoming with the victory.
• Bucknell scored points in all four quarters of a game for the first time since a 2014 victory vs. Lafayette.
• Bucknell had five rushing touchdowns in a game for the first time since 2013 vs. Lehigh. C.J. Williams (3), Matt DelMauro (1) and Brandon Wesley (1) ran for five touchdowns vs. the Mountain Hawks.
• Nick O'Brien returned seven punts for Bucknell, just two shy of equaling the school record. He totaled 70 yards on the seven returns.
Victory Margin
• Bucknell's 25-point margin of victory last week vs. Lafayette marked its largest since defeating Lehigh 48-10 in 2013.
• Bucknell had 17 wins in between those two victories and they were by an average of 11.2 points.
• Since Joe Susan took over as head coach in 2010, Bucknell has had four wins by 25+ points and three of them are against opponents from the Lehigh Valley.
Largest Victory Margins (since 2010)
1. +38 - vs. Lehigh (W, 48-10 - Oct. 26, 2013)
2. +26 - at Lafayette (W, 39-13 - Oct. 29, 2011)
3. +25 - at Princeton (W, 34-9 - Sept. 24, 2011)
+25 - vs. Lafayette (W, 42-17 - Oct. 22, 2016)
Bucknell vs. Ranked Opponents
• Saturday's game will be Bucknell's first against a ranked opponent since facing No. 16 Fordham last November.
• Bucknell's most recent win over a ranked foe was Oct. 26, 2013 when it posted a 48-10 win over No. 15 Lehigh.
• Bucknell is 1-8 in its last nine games against ranked opponents.
• Bucknell has five wins over ranked foes since 2000.
Bucknell's Wins Over Ranked Teams (since 2000)
Bucknell 31, No. 14 Fordham 10 (Oct. 4, 2003)
Bucknell 42, No. 22 Colgate 7 (Nov. 13, 2004)
Bucknell 38, No. 18 Fordham 24 (Nov. 17, 2007)
Bucknell 23, No. 13 Holy Cross 17 (Nov. 21, 2009)
Bucknell 48, No. 15 Lehigh 10 (Oct. 26, 2013)
Time of Possession
• Bucknell possessed the ball for 37:02 last time out vs. Lafayette, marking the 24th time in the Joe Susan era that the Bison have held the ball for at least 35 minutes in a game.
• Bucknell ranks 10th nationally in time of possession (33:02) this season.
• The Bison are averaging 36:11 time of possession in their three victories this year.
Bison Take to the Air
• Bucknell will travel to Saturday's game at Charleston Southern a little differently. The Bison will fly from Harrisburg to Charleston on Friday.
• It will be Bucknell's first road trip by plane since a 2002 game at St. Mary's (Calif.).
• Bucknelly typically takes a bus to road games. The Bison's longest road trip since that 2002 journey to California was a 431-mile trek to Dartmouth in 2013.
• The driving distance from Bucknell's Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, campus to Charleston Southern is 690 miles.
Bucknell vs. Big South Conference
• Saturday's game marks the first time Bucknell has faced a current member of the six-team Big South Conference.
• Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Monmouth and Presbyterian are the teams in the Big South.
• Bucknell's women's golf team was a member of the Big South Conference as recently as 2012.
Late Non-League Game
• Saturday's game marks the latest non-league contest for the Bison since they faced VMI in the 2013 season finale (Nov. 23).
• Bucknell's last non-league contest last year was Oct. 17 at Army West Point.
• Bucknell has not won its final non-league game since 2013.
Five Games, Five Different Times
• Bucknell's players are in the midst of playing their final five games of the 2016 season at five different starting times.
• The stretch began with last week's game vs. Lafayette that kicked off at 1 p.m.
• Bucknell will now play at 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 12 p.m. over the next four weeks.
• Bucknell's games have seven different starting times this year.
Weekly Awards
• DL Abdullah Anderson (Bison Athlete of the Week) and RB Chad Freshnock (Patriot League Rookie of the Week) won weekly awards this week.
• Anderson totaled eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks vs. Lafayette. He earned his first career Bison Athlete of the Week honor.
• Freshnock ran 18 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns vs. Lafayette. It was his second PL Rookie of the Week honor of the season.
100-Yard Rushers
• Bucknell has had a 100-yard rusher in five of its seven games this year.
• Joey DeFloria ran for 100 yards against Marist (145), Cornell (154), Holy Cross (149) and Lafayette (130), while Chad Freshnock did it against VMI (161).
• DeFloria finished with 98 rushing yards vs. Duquesne.
• Bucknell had a 100-yard rusher six times last year.
• DeFloria is the 21st player in program history to record at least four career 100-yard games.
• DeFloria is ranked 10th nationally in rushing yards per game (107.6).
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 the Oct. 15 game vs. Colgate and starting S Bret Berg took over as punter. Berg averaged 40.5 yards on the first two punts of his career.
• Berg moved into the starting punter role last week and averaged nearly 37 yards on seven kicks. He also converted a first down run on a fake punt, leading to Bucknell's final touchdown of the game.
Nitti Moving Up Lists
• Senior QB R.J. Nitti has already moved up the Bison career record books this season. He is 27-for-59 for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
• Nitti now ranks fourth in program history in career passing yards (4,731), career pass completions (375) and career pass attempts (697). Nitti is ranked second on the school's all-time list with 32 touchdown passes.
New Starters
• Bucknell has had 15 first-time starters this season: Griff Barth, Justin Bethea, Sam Chitty, Joey DeFloria, Trevor Fennimore, Jon Fox, Troy Glenn, Trey Johnson, Alex Jordan, Joe Lauro, Stefone Moore-Green, Matt Muh, Fisayo Oluleye, Brice Sydnor and Chase Watkins.
Milestone Watch
• Will Carter: Needs 578 all-purpose yards to move into top 10 on program's career list
• Joey DeFloria: Needs 140 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 60 passing yards to pass Jim Given for third place on the school's career list
Up Next
• Bucknell will continue its three-game road stretch with a 12:30 p.m. contest at Lehigh next Saturday, Nov. 5.
• Lehigh is 6-2 overall and owns a 3-0 record against Patriot League opponents heading into this weekend's matchup with Fordham.
• Lehigh is Bucknell's second-most-common opponent (behind Lafayette) with 79 all-time meetings between the teams.
