Saturday, September 22
Villanova, Pa.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
0-4
7
at
49
#14/15 Villanova
3-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Bucknell
0
7
0
0
7
Villanova
28
14
0
7
49
Photo by: Jon Lambert
No. 14/15 Villanova Storms Past Bucknell Football
9/22/2018 9:01:00 PM | Football
VILLANOVA, Pa. – No. 14/15 Villanova downed the Bucknell football team, 49-7, on Saturday at Villanova Stadium in the first meeting between the Pennsylvania programs since 2005.
The Bison, who last faced a ranked opponent during the 2016 campaign, were stymied by a slow start for the second-straight game. During the first quarter, the high-powered Wildcats stormed out to a 28-0 lead. They needed just 12 offensive plays to score their four touchdowns, three of which came on the ground and one of which was a school-record 90-yard bomb by Zach Bednarczyk to Josh McGrigg. In total, they racked up 230 yards of offense and limited the Bison to just 32, all but three of which came through the air.
Bucknell got on the board at the 7:56 mark of the second quarter, capitalizing on a Villanova fumble during a punt return. Ryan Brida forced the fumble, and Mike Colantuono came up with the ball at the Wildcat 12. Three plays later, Logan Bitikofer scored his first career rushing touchdown on a one-yard quarterback keeper.
In total, the Bison defense forced three turnovers during the second frame. First, Brice Sydnor picked off a pass in the end zone to halt a promising Villanova drive. Then came Colantuono's clutch recovery in the red zone. Finally, Matt Robinson forced a fumble, which was recovered by Bryan Marine, a play after Bednarczyk found McGrigg for a 48-yard gain to the Bucknell 16. But, one play later, a Bitikofer pass was intercepted by Jaquan Amos and returned to the one-yard line; Aaron Forbes ran for his second touchdown one play later to make it a 35-7 game.
The Wildcats covered 86 yards in seven plays, five of which were passes for at least 10 yards, to extend their lead to 42-7 entering the locker room. A two-yard quarterback keeper by Bednarczyk capped that drive with 16 seconds left in the half.
At the half, Villanova held a 434-61 lead in total offense. Bednarczyk had 266 yards on just nine passes, five of which went to McGrigg for 187 yards. In addition, four Wildcats had at least 35 yards on the ground. Bucknell only allowed 400 yards once in 2017, in a 35-13 loss to FCS Championship participant Monmouth.
Villanova, which pulled Bednarczyk early in the third quarter, completed the game's scoring at the 14:56 mark of the fourth quarter. A four-yard touchdown rush by D'Andre Pollard capped a 10-play, 40-yard drive. In the dying minutes of the game, the Bison had an opportunity to find the end zone once again. After Simeon Page and Sam Chitty combined for a sack on 4th and 9, Bucknell took over at its 39 with 4:48 on the clock. Bitikofer led the Bison to the Wildcat 12, most notably finding Stefone Moore-Greene for 29 yards on three-straight passes. But the Bison came up just short of a first down on 4th and 11 at the Villanova 13, with Bitikofer connecting with Dominic Lyles for only eight yards.
For the Bison, Bitikofer completed 11 of 24 passes for 87 yards. Moore-Green's 29 receiving yards, all of which came in succession in the fourth quarter, led the team. Jared Cooper paced Bucknell with 28 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Conner Romango led the Bison with a career-best 12 tackles (nine solo) while Chitty was next with a career-high 11 (six solo). Marine also recovered a fumble late in the first quarter to finish with a career-high two fumble recoveries. Chitty made a team season-best 3.5 tackles for a loss while Page posted a team-high 1.5 sacks; Page now has 11.5 career sacks, placing him five away from entering Bucknell's career top 10 with 16.5.
Preseason All-American Alex Pechin had a sensational game, averaging a career-high 51 yards on nine punts. He landed four inside the 20 and had five sail for at least 50 yards, including a career-long 71-yard bomb that pinned Villanova at its two-yard line. That 71-yard punt was Bucknell's first of at least 70 yards since Ryan Gutowski booted a 71-yard bomb against Lehigh on Oct. 8, 2011; Pechin and Gutowski's 71-yard punts are now tied for third in school history behind two punts of more than 80 yards that occurred before 1985.
The Wildcats finished with a 609-128 advantage in total offense; they had near equal totals of rushing (302) and receiving (307) yards. Bednarczyk completed 11 of 17 passes for 281 yards while McGrigg finished with 187 yards. Six Wildcats rushed for at least 30 yards, led by Matt Gudzak with 60. In addition, Villanova posted 28 first downs while holding Bucknell to eight.
Entering the game, the Wildcats ranked in the FCS's top 30 in passing efficiency (18th, 163.53), rushing defense (19th, 95.3), time of possession (20th, 32:31), total defense (23rd, 318.3) and passing offense (26th, 286.0). They were averaging 433.3 yards of total offense per game, a figure that stood 32nd in the FCS. Bednarczyk had thrown for 858 yards in Villanova's first three games, a total good for 12th nationally.
The Bison, now 0-4, begin Patriot League play next Saturday at Holy Cross.
The Bison, who last faced a ranked opponent during the 2016 campaign, were stymied by a slow start for the second-straight game. During the first quarter, the high-powered Wildcats stormed out to a 28-0 lead. They needed just 12 offensive plays to score their four touchdowns, three of which came on the ground and one of which was a school-record 90-yard bomb by Zach Bednarczyk to Josh McGrigg. In total, they racked up 230 yards of offense and limited the Bison to just 32, all but three of which came through the air.
Bucknell got on the board at the 7:56 mark of the second quarter, capitalizing on a Villanova fumble during a punt return. Ryan Brida forced the fumble, and Mike Colantuono came up with the ball at the Wildcat 12. Three plays later, Logan Bitikofer scored his first career rushing touchdown on a one-yard quarterback keeper.
In total, the Bison defense forced three turnovers during the second frame. First, Brice Sydnor picked off a pass in the end zone to halt a promising Villanova drive. Then came Colantuono's clutch recovery in the red zone. Finally, Matt Robinson forced a fumble, which was recovered by Bryan Marine, a play after Bednarczyk found McGrigg for a 48-yard gain to the Bucknell 16. But, one play later, a Bitikofer pass was intercepted by Jaquan Amos and returned to the one-yard line; Aaron Forbes ran for his second touchdown one play later to make it a 35-7 game.
The Wildcats covered 86 yards in seven plays, five of which were passes for at least 10 yards, to extend their lead to 42-7 entering the locker room. A two-yard quarterback keeper by Bednarczyk capped that drive with 16 seconds left in the half.
At the half, Villanova held a 434-61 lead in total offense. Bednarczyk had 266 yards on just nine passes, five of which went to McGrigg for 187 yards. In addition, four Wildcats had at least 35 yards on the ground. Bucknell only allowed 400 yards once in 2017, in a 35-13 loss to FCS Championship participant Monmouth.
Villanova, which pulled Bednarczyk early in the third quarter, completed the game's scoring at the 14:56 mark of the fourth quarter. A four-yard touchdown rush by D'Andre Pollard capped a 10-play, 40-yard drive. In the dying minutes of the game, the Bison had an opportunity to find the end zone once again. After Simeon Page and Sam Chitty combined for a sack on 4th and 9, Bucknell took over at its 39 with 4:48 on the clock. Bitikofer led the Bison to the Wildcat 12, most notably finding Stefone Moore-Greene for 29 yards on three-straight passes. But the Bison came up just short of a first down on 4th and 11 at the Villanova 13, with Bitikofer connecting with Dominic Lyles for only eight yards.
For the Bison, Bitikofer completed 11 of 24 passes for 87 yards. Moore-Green's 29 receiving yards, all of which came in succession in the fourth quarter, led the team. Jared Cooper paced Bucknell with 28 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Conner Romango led the Bison with a career-best 12 tackles (nine solo) while Chitty was next with a career-high 11 (six solo). Marine also recovered a fumble late in the first quarter to finish with a career-high two fumble recoveries. Chitty made a team season-best 3.5 tackles for a loss while Page posted a team-high 1.5 sacks; Page now has 11.5 career sacks, placing him five away from entering Bucknell's career top 10 with 16.5.
Preseason All-American Alex Pechin had a sensational game, averaging a career-high 51 yards on nine punts. He landed four inside the 20 and had five sail for at least 50 yards, including a career-long 71-yard bomb that pinned Villanova at its two-yard line. That 71-yard punt was Bucknell's first of at least 70 yards since Ryan Gutowski booted a 71-yard bomb against Lehigh on Oct. 8, 2011; Pechin and Gutowski's 71-yard punts are now tied for third in school history behind two punts of more than 80 yards that occurred before 1985.
Preseason All-American Alex Pechin with the 💣!
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) September 23, 2018
He pins the Wildcats on their own two-yard line with a 71-yard punt! It's Bucknell's first punt of at least 70 yards since 2011. #BandOfBison #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/aKFsJgFu08
The Wildcats finished with a 609-128 advantage in total offense; they had near equal totals of rushing (302) and receiving (307) yards. Bednarczyk completed 11 of 17 passes for 281 yards while McGrigg finished with 187 yards. Six Wildcats rushed for at least 30 yards, led by Matt Gudzak with 60. In addition, Villanova posted 28 first downs while holding Bucknell to eight.
Entering the game, the Wildcats ranked in the FCS's top 30 in passing efficiency (18th, 163.53), rushing defense (19th, 95.3), time of possession (20th, 32:31), total defense (23rd, 318.3) and passing offense (26th, 286.0). They were averaging 433.3 yards of total offense per game, a figure that stood 32nd in the FCS. Bednarczyk had thrown for 858 yards in Villanova's first three games, a total good for 12th nationally.
The Bison, now 0-4, begin Patriot League play next Saturday at Holy Cross.
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
VU
Total Yards
128
609
Pass Yards
87
307
Rushing Yards
41
302
Penalty Yards
85
70
1st Downs
8
28
3rd Downs
2
8
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
22:50
37:10
1st Quarter
BUCKNELL 0, VU 7
VU - Forbes, A. 7 yd run (Kresge, D. kick), 3 plays, 20 yards, TOP 1:07
BUCKNELL 0, VU 14
VU - Gudzak, M. 3 yd run (Kresge, D. kick), 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 4:07
BUCKNELL 0, VU 21
VU - McGrigg, J. 90 yd pass from Bednarczyk, Z. (Kresge, D. kick) 1 plays, 90 yards, TOP 0:14
BUCKNELL 0, VU 28
VU - DaSilva, A. 29 yd run (Kresge, D. kick), 1 plays, 33 yards, TOP 0:08
2nd Quarter
BUCKNELL 7, VU 28
BUCKNELL - Bitikofer, L. 1 yd run (Torres, Ethan kick), 3 plays, 12 yards, TOP 1:17
BUCKNELL 7, VU 35
VU - Forbes, A. 1 yd run (Kresge, D. kick), 1 plays, 1 yards, TOP 0:04
BUCKNELL 7, VU 42
VU - Bednarczyk, Z. 2 yd run (Kresge, D. kick), 7 plays, 86 yards, TOP 1:36
4th Quarter
BUCKNELL 7, VU 49
VU - Pollard, D. 4 yd run (Kresge, D. kick), 10 plays, 40 yards, TOP 5:15
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
11
TD
0
YDS
87
INT
3
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DE/LS
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
LB
/ Football
S
/ Football
S
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