Bucknell University Athletics
Photo by: Jon Lambert
Football Position Preview: Linebacker
8/13/2018 9:15:00 AM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – For three years, Mark Pyles and Ben Richard patrolled the field at linebacker, wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. The dynamic duo combined for 486 tackles (262 solo), 45.5 tackles for a loss and 17.5 sacks, each starting more than 30 games and earning three All-Patriot League citations.
"Replacing Mark and Ben will be challenging," said head coach Joe Susan. "They complimented each other so well. Mark was one of the smarter defensive players we've ever had, and Ben was the firebrand—very physical, athletic and aggressive. Just like Abdullah [Anderson], you don't really replace those guys so we'll have a different look at linebacker. This year, we're often going to have three linebackers on the field, a 'Mike,' a 'Sam' and the 'X.'"
The "X," who Susan believes could take Anderson's place as the X factor on Bucknell's defense, is sophomore Simeon Page. Page exploded onto the scene as a freshman, setting a Bison rookie record with nine sacks and adding 46 tackles (29 solo) and a team-high 13 tackles for a loss. In the season finale at Fordham, he posted six tackles for a loss of 33 yards, four sacks for a loss of 27 yards and one forced fumble in the red zone; his four sacks tied a Bison record last equaled in 1998 while his six tackles for a loss were the most registered by an FCS player in a single game during the 2017 campaign.
The "X" is a hybrid position, a mix of a defensive lineman and linebacker. It's a natural position for Page, who prefers to play out of a two-point stance and combines the strength and explosiveness of a defensive lineman with the agility and athleticism of a linebacker.
"There will be times he has the responsibilities of a defensive lineman and times he has the responsibilities of a linebacker," Susan said. "That creates a dilemma for opposing offenses. Do they see him as a defensive lineman? Or do they see him as a linebacker? In most cases, when people see him as linebacker, they're not going to double team him. And that's advantage Simeon."
At "Mike" and "Sam," senior Matt Robinson and junior Sam Chitty are projected to start. While Robinson has yet to start, he leads his class with 30 career games played and has been a valuable backup and member of special teams. Chitty has mostly been utilized on special teams to date, though he did start at the "Sam" position in the place of an injured Pyles during his freshman year.Â
"Both Matt and Sam have played a lot of football for us," Susan said. "While a lot of that has come in a backup role or on special teams, they've been very effective in everything we've asked them to do. With Matt being a senior, he took on a leadership role in the spring. Sam did the same. You can't replace Mark and Ben, but these two are going to do an outstanding job in their own right. Both are very athletic and had outstanding springs."
Susan also anticipates that junior Jon Fox, a former strong safety who started three games in 2017 before losing the season to injury, will make an impact at linebacker.Â
"Like Matt and Sam, Jon has played a lot of football for us," Susan said. "It will be interesting to see how he transitions to a new position. At linebacker, you want a pair and a spare, and we think Jon can be our spare."
NOTES: The Bison have eight linebackers on their roster: one senior, two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen ... Chitty and Robinson have looked confident in their new role as starters; both have looked strong in run protection and when called on to shift back into pass protection ... Page is one of three All-Patriot League honorees on the 2018 roster, joining Bryan Marine and Alex Pechin ... Page leads all linebackers with five career starts ... Page, who was named the team's Strength & Conditioning MVP during spring ball, has been as impressive in the weight room as on the field ... Page has been a force in Bucknell's blitz packages as expected ... Robinson is tied with Fisayo Oluleye for first among Bucknell seniors in career games (30); he is also one of nine three-year letterwinners on the roster ... Sophomores Ryan Brida and Rick Mottram have looked strong on special teams thus far ... In December 2017, Mottram represented Bucknell at the NFF Chapter Awards Banquet as one of five NFF Chapter Scholar-Athletes ... Mottram, a Mechanical Engineering major, was one of two Bison to achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall of 2017; he was also among three Bison who posted a 4.0 GPA during the spring of 2018.
"Replacing Mark and Ben will be challenging," said head coach Joe Susan. "They complimented each other so well. Mark was one of the smarter defensive players we've ever had, and Ben was the firebrand—very physical, athletic and aggressive. Just like Abdullah [Anderson], you don't really replace those guys so we'll have a different look at linebacker. This year, we're often going to have three linebackers on the field, a 'Mike,' a 'Sam' and the 'X.'"
The "X," who Susan believes could take Anderson's place as the X factor on Bucknell's defense, is sophomore Simeon Page. Page exploded onto the scene as a freshman, setting a Bison rookie record with nine sacks and adding 46 tackles (29 solo) and a team-high 13 tackles for a loss. In the season finale at Fordham, he posted six tackles for a loss of 33 yards, four sacks for a loss of 27 yards and one forced fumble in the red zone; his four sacks tied a Bison record last equaled in 1998 while his six tackles for a loss were the most registered by an FCS player in a single game during the 2017 campaign.
"Like Abdullah, Simeon is a guy who can potentially be defined as unblockable," Susan said. "As a senior in high school, he was a state champion 220-pound wrestler, and his knowledge of leverage has benefited him as a football player. He's one of the strongest guys on our team, and he's incredibly explosive. As a freshman, he was very effective in some of our pressure schemes, and we're excited to have him take on an expanded role."Â"I'm a guy that likes to hit that gap and go."
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) August 14, 2018
Check out our latest #BandOfBison Spotlight, featuring LB Simeon Page. #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/tVAaQ9UQac
The "X" is a hybrid position, a mix of a defensive lineman and linebacker. It's a natural position for Page, who prefers to play out of a two-point stance and combines the strength and explosiveness of a defensive lineman with the agility and athleticism of a linebacker.
"There will be times he has the responsibilities of a defensive lineman and times he has the responsibilities of a linebacker," Susan said. "That creates a dilemma for opposing offenses. Do they see him as a defensive lineman? Or do they see him as a linebacker? In most cases, when people see him as linebacker, they're not going to double team him. And that's advantage Simeon."
At "Mike" and "Sam," senior Matt Robinson and junior Sam Chitty are projected to start. While Robinson has yet to start, he leads his class with 30 career games played and has been a valuable backup and member of special teams. Chitty has mostly been utilized on special teams to date, though he did start at the "Sam" position in the place of an injured Pyles during his freshman year.Â
"Both Matt and Sam have played a lot of football for us," Susan said. "While a lot of that has come in a backup role or on special teams, they've been very effective in everything we've asked them to do. With Matt being a senior, he took on a leadership role in the spring. Sam did the same. You can't replace Mark and Ben, but these two are going to do an outstanding job in their own right. Both are very athletic and had outstanding springs."
Susan also anticipates that junior Jon Fox, a former strong safety who started three games in 2017 before losing the season to injury, will make an impact at linebacker.Â
"Like Matt and Sam, Jon has played a lot of football for us," Susan said. "It will be interesting to see how he transitions to a new position. At linebacker, you want a pair and a spare, and we think Jon can be our spare."
NOTES: The Bison have eight linebackers on their roster: one senior, two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen ... Chitty and Robinson have looked confident in their new role as starters; both have looked strong in run protection and when called on to shift back into pass protection ... Page is one of three All-Patriot League honorees on the 2018 roster, joining Bryan Marine and Alex Pechin ... Page leads all linebackers with five career starts ... Page, who was named the team's Strength & Conditioning MVP during spring ball, has been as impressive in the weight room as on the field ... Page has been a force in Bucknell's blitz packages as expected ... Robinson is tied with Fisayo Oluleye for first among Bucknell seniors in career games (30); he is also one of nine three-year letterwinners on the roster ... Sophomores Ryan Brida and Rick Mottram have looked strong on special teams thus far ... In December 2017, Mottram represented Bucknell at the NFF Chapter Awards Banquet as one of five NFF Chapter Scholar-Athletes ... Mottram, a Mechanical Engineering major, was one of two Bison to achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall of 2017; he was also among three Bison who posted a 4.0 GPA during the spring of 2018.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballLafayette at Bucknell Baseball Game Two Highlights 3-14-2026
Saturday, March 14
Colgate at Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Highlights 3-14-2026
Saturday, March 14
Lafayette at Bucknell Baseball Game One Highlights 3-13-2026
Friday, March 13
In The Herd: Patriot League Home Opener Preview And John Young Feature
Thursday, March 12