Football Hosts Fordham Saturday in Season Finale
11/14/2016 3:57:00 PM | Football
What: Fordham Rams (7-3, 4-1 PL) at Bucknell Bison (4-6, 3-2 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, 12 p.m.
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
TV: American Sports Network (Where to Find it)
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Probable Starters - Offense
QB 4 John Chiarolanzio (Fr., 6-3, 195) - First Bison freshman to start at QB since Nitti in 2013
RB 23 Joey DeFloria (Jr., 5-9,195) - First Bison 1,000-yard rusher since 2004
FB 86 Jared Morse (Jr., 6-4, 230) - Expected to make first career start at FB/TE
WR 18 Will Carter (Sr., 5-11, 180) - Owns Bucknell records for career receptions and receiving yards
WR 16 Jack Horan (Jr., 6-3, 195) - Former QB, has 15 receptions in 1st year as WR
LT 70 Julie'n Davenport (Sr., 6-7, 315) - 3-time All-Patriot League selection; 43 straight starts
LG 66 Devlin Brennan (Sr., 6-4, 310) - 37 career games played, started all 11 games at RG in 2015
C 62 Ned Bent (Sr., 6-2, 290) - 36 career games played, 22 career starts at C
RG 54 Cary Hess (Sr., 6-4, 295) - 24 career games played; 11 career starts
RT 63 Griff Barth (Sr., 6-4, 290) - Started at both RG and RT this season
TE 87 Andrew Podbielski (Jr., 6-4, 230) - First career TD reception Oct. 22 vs. Lafayette
Probable Starters - Defense
DE 90 Doug Whitlock (Jr., 6-2, 250) - 15.5 of 65 career tackles have been for loss
DT 40 Abdullah Anderson (Jr., 6-4, 295) - 2-time All-Patriot League selection; started all 32 games of career
NG 96 Troy Glenn (Sr., 6-1, 270) - Started seven of the last nine games
DE 48 R.J. Sheldon (Sr., 6-3, 235) - At least 1.0 sacks in three of last four games
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 152 career tackles
SS 26 Joe Lauro (So., 5-11, 200) - 3 double-figure tackle games 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) - Second career multi-INT game Oct. 29 at Charleston Southern
CB 9 Bryan Marine (So., 5-9, 175) - Most pass breakups (13) by a Bison since 2004
CB 8 Nick O'Brien (Sr., 5-9, 180) - 26 career starts, 138 career tackles
Specialists
PK 93 John Burdick (Jr., 6-0, 195) - Team-best 11-for-12 on XP this season
or 83 Jack Chambers (So., 5-10, 175) - 4th on team with 16 points this season
KO 93 John Burdick (Jr., 6-0, 195) - Averaging 56.9 yards on 33 kickoffs this season
P 12 Bret Berg (Sr., 6-1, 205) - Starting safety, PL Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 14)
PR 8 Nick O'Brien (Sr., 5-9, 180) - Third in PL with 7.7 punt return average
KR 8 Nick O'Brien (Sr., 5-9, 180) - 1,076 career KOR yards
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 Fordham, Bucknell Would ...
• ... exceed its win total from 2015.
• ... finish above .500 in Patriot League play for the third time in four years.
• ... finish in second place in the Patriot League for the third time in the last four years.
• ... end a season with two straight wins for the second time in the last 12 years.
• ... defeat the Rams for the first time since 2012.
• ... win two straight home games for the first time since 2014 (Cornell, Lafayette).
• ... record its 597th all-time win.
• ... help Joe Susan move past Tim Landis for sole possession of seventh place on the Bucknell career wins list with 33.
About the Game
Saturday will be Senior Day at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium as Bucknell welcomes Fordham for the final game of the regular season for both teams. The Bison's campaign will conclude following the contest, while the Rams will be hoping to receive an at-large berth to the NCAA playoffs. Kickoff for the contest will be at noon. As usual, Fordham's offense is outstanding, registering more than 40 points and nearly 500 yards per game. Bucknell's strength is its defense as opponents are averaging less than 23 points per game.
Broadcast Options
• Kevin Herr and former Bison football player Rob Oshinskie '93 will call all the action on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3) and BucknellBison.com.
• The game will be televised live on American Sports Network. Veteran broadcaster Mike Gleason will handle play-by-play duties.
• A free live video broadcast will be available on the Patriot League Network (PatriotLeague.tv). The American Sports Network television feed will be featured on the Patriot League Network.
About Fordham
• Fordham is 7-3 overall and 4-1 in Patriot League play.
• The Rams' only Patriot League loss was to 2016 Patriot League champion Lehigh late last month.
• Fordham is coming off a 54-14 win over Holy Cross last Saturday. The game was played at Yankee Stadium.
• All three of Fordham's losses have come on the road. The Rams are 0-3 on the road in 2016.
• Fordham's head coach Andrew Breiner is in his first season. A 2006 graduate of nearby Lock Haven University, he was on the Fordham staff as an assistant for three years before being elevated to his current position prior to the 2016 campaign.
• Fordham is outscoring its opponents 405-309 this season and is averaging nearly 110 more yards per game.
• All-American RB Chase Edmonds leads the country in rushing yards per game (161.8). He was the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2015. Edmonds is averaging just 82.5 yards rushing in his first two career games vs. Bucknell.
• Senior QB Kevin Anderson has thrown for 2,397 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He leads the Patriot League in both categories and is ranked fifth nationally in touchdown passes.
• Fordham has five receivers who have at least 200 receiving yards this season. Sophomore Austin Longi leads the way with 660 yards on 51 catches.
• Senior K Makay Redd has made 11 field goals this season, including three of at least 40 yards in length.
• Senior LB George Dawson leads Fordham with 61 tackles this season. He also has three interceptions and nine pass breakups.
Bucknell vs. Fordham Series Notes
• Bucknell leads 18-13.
• This is the 10th straight year the two teams have met in the month of November.
• Bucknell and Fordham have met every year since 1989 after not playing for a span of more than 55 years.
• The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 16 points.
• Bucknell leads 8-5 in Lewisburg.
• Fordham's current three-game winning streak is the longest in the series since Bucknell won three in a row from 2006 to 2008.
Last Time vs. Fordham
No. 16 Fordham 24, Bucknell 16 (Nov. 7, 2015 - Bronx, N.Y.)
• Bucknell held Fordham to a season-low 49 rushing yards.
• 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 to 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 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 season averaged entering the game.
• Bucknell dominated the time of possession 34:47-25:13.
Inside the Georgetown Box Score
• Bucknell defeated Georgetown for the seventh time in the last nine meetings.
• Bucknell won the time of possession battle 39:21-20:39. The Bison had the ball for more than 21 minutes in the second half.
• Bucknell's defense limited the Hoyas to 190 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers (all interceptions).
• Bucknell ran 26 more offensive plays than Georgetown (77-51).
• All three of Bucknell's touchdowns were on the ground. Joey DeFloria scored two rushing touchdowns, while Chad Freshnock added one.
• Joey DeFloria posted his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 150 yards on a career-high 31 carries.
• All seven of Will Carter's team-high seven receptions came in the first half.
• In a matchup of two of the Patriot League's best defenses, neither team scored for the first 29 minutes of play. The Bison finally got on the board in the final minute of the first half on a DeFloria touchdown run.
• Bucknell was 8-for-16 on third downs, while Georgetown was 3-for- 12.
• Georgetown did not enter the red zone during the game. The Hoyas were the first Bison opponent since Colgate in 2013 to not enter the red zone.
• Georgetown was held to 33 rushing yards, its second-lowest figure of the season.
Senior Day
• Saturday is the final home game of the 2016 season for Bucknell. Prior to kickoff, 18 Bison seniors will be honored during Senior Day ceremonies.
• Bucknell's 18 Senior Day honorees: Griff Barth, Ned Bent, Bret Berg, Thomas Bodolus, Devlin Brennan, Will Carter, Julie'n Davenport, Anthony DelRusso, Troy Glenn, Cary Hess, Nathan Medrano, R.J. Nitti, Nick O'Brien, Ryan Riethmiller, Alexander Romango, Ben Schumacher, R.J. Sheldon and C.J. Williams.
Season Finales
• Bucknell is 8-5 in its final game of the season over the last 13 years.
• The Bison are 51-68-11 all-time in their final game of a season.
Final Home Game
• Saturday's contest is Bucknell's final home game of the season.
• Bucknell is 2-4 under head coach Joe Susan in its final home game.
Time of Possession
• Bucknell ranks ninth nationally in time of possession this year. The Bison offense is on the field an average of 33:30.
• Bucknell has won the time of possession battle in eight of 10 games this year.
• Since Joe Susan took over the program in 2010, Bucknell has had 25 games with at least 35 minutes of possession time, including last week at Georgetown (39:21).
Bucknell's Most Time of Possession (since 2000)
1. at Cornell (2013) - 39:30
2. vs. Duquesne (2000) - 39:26
3. at Georgetown (2016) - 39:21
4. at Georgetown (2010) - 38:44
5. at Princeton (2011) - 38:42
Defense Shuts down Georgetown
• Bucknell's defense limited Georgetown to just 190 yards of total offense and one score last week.
• It marked the second time this year the Bison held an opponent to less than 200 yards of total offense. Holy Cross managed just 162 yards against Bucknell in early October.
• The Bison lead the Patriot League in total defense, allowing just over 350 yards per game.
• The 190 yards marked the fifth-fewest for a Bison opponent in the Joe Susan era (since 2010).
Bucknell's Fewest Yards Allowed Under Joe Susan (since 2010)
1. 138 - at Marist (9/6/14)
2. 161 - vs. Marist (9/5/15)
3. 162 - at Holy Cross (10/8/16)
4. 171 - vs. Georgetown (11/16/13)
5. 192 - at Georgetown (11/12/16)
1,000 Yards for DeFloria
• Junior RB Joey DeFloria ran for 150 yards last week at Georgetown, pushing his season total to 1,070 yards.
• DeFloria is the first Bison to run for 1,000 yards in a season since QB Daris Wilson did in 2004.
• DeFloria currently ranks eighth on Bucknell's single-season rushing list and is just 127 yards shy of second place.
• DeFloria is just the eighth different player in program history to rush for 1,000+ yards.
• DeFloria is ranked second in the Patriot League in rushing, behind only Fordham's Chase Edmonds (1,618).
100-Yard Rushers
• Bucknell has had a 100-yard rusher in seven of its 10 games this year, surpassing its total from all of 2015.
• Joey DeFloria ran for 100 yards against Marist (145), Cornell (154), Holy Cross (149), Lafayette (130), Lehigh (119) and Georgetown (150), while Chad Freshnock did it against VMI (161).
• By running for 100 yards against Georgetown, DeFloria broke his pattern of crossing the century mark in every other game this season. It marked the first time he accomplished the feat in back-to-back contests.
• DeFloria is the 12th player in program history to record at least six career 100-yard games.
• DeFloria is ranked 10th nationally in rushing yards per game (107.0).
100-Yard Rushing Games in a Season
1. Rich Lemon (1994) - 11
2. Brad Myers (1951) - 7
Rich Lemon (1995) - 7
4. Ken Jenkins (1980) - 6
Rich Lemon (1993) - 6
Daris Wilson (2004) - 6
Joey DeFloria (2016) - 6
Rushing TDs
• Bucknell running backs Joey DeFloria (10) and Chad Freshnock (8) have combined for 18 rushing touchdowns this season.
• DeFloria ranks 14th nationally in rushing touchdowns, while Freshnock is 38th.
• DeFloria has three games with multiple rushing touchdowns and has scored at least one touchdown in seven of Bucknell's games this fall.
• Freshnock has scored at least one rushing touchdown in four consecutive games and also has three multi-touchdown outings this year.
• Bucknell's last seven touchdowns (dating back to Charleston Southern game on Oct. 29) have been on the ground courtesy of DeFloria or Freshnock.
Players of the Week
• Senior Bret Berg was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. He punted six times for an average of 41.3 yards in last week's win at Georgetown. A starting safety, Berg also totaled six tackles and one interception.
• Freshman Chad Freshnock was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the third time this year on Monday. He ran 13 times for 47 yards and scored one touchdown vs. Georgetown. Freshnock is the only player this year to be named Rookie of the Week more than once.
New Starters
• Bucknell has had 17 first-time starters this season: Griff Barth, Justin Bethea, John Chiarolanzio, Sam Chitty, Joey DeFloria, Trevor Fennimore, Jon Fox, Troy Glenn, Jack Horan, Trey Johnson, Alex Jordan, Joe Lauro, Stefone Moore-Green, Matt Muh, Fisayo Oluleye, Brice Sydnor and Chase Watkins.
First Points
• Unexpectedly, Bucknell was 0-4 when scoring first this season prior to last week's victory at Georgetown.
• Bucknell scored the first 14 points vs. the Hoyas and snapped that streak as it went on to win 21-7.
• The Bison have scored first in three consecutive games (at Charleston Southern, at Lehigh, at Georgetown).
Milestone Watch
• Will Carter: Needs 192 all-purpose yards to reach 3,000 for career
• Joey DeFloria: Needs 128 rushing yards to move into second place on Bucknell's single-season rushing yards list
• Joe Lauro: Needs 12 tackle to reach 100 in career
• Matt Muh: Needs 157 passing yards to reach 1,000 in career
• R.J. Nitti: Needs 103 passing yards to move into second place on the school's all-time passing yards list
