Bucknell Football Begins Patriot League Play at Holy Cross

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team begins Patriot League action at Holy Cross on Saturday, Sept. 29. The Bison, who have won the past two meetings at Fitton Field, will face the Crusaders at 1:05 p.m.

When: Saturday, September 29 – 1:05 p.m.
Where: Fitton Field – Worcester, Mass.
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: GoHolyCross.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB

With a victory the Bison would...
• improve to 19-14 in Patriot League openers
• move to 3-2 in their past five Patriot League openers
• run their winning streak over Holy Cross at Fitton Field to three games

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 0-4 (0-0 Patriot League) on the season. This is only the fourth time the Bison have started 0-4 in program history; they previously started 0-6 in both 1958 and 1988 and 0-5 in 2010.
•Bucknell finished 2017 with a 5-6 (2-4 PL) record. The Bison, who took sixth in the Patriot League a year ago, were chosen to tie for fifth with Lafayette in the 2018 preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.
• Bucknell returned a total of 41 letterwinners in 2018. That group includes 14 seniors, 17 juniors and 10 sophomores. Eight seniors—WR Alan Butler, DL Alex Jordan, S Joe Lauro, CB Bryan Marine, CB Fisayo Oluleye, TE/FB Andrew Owers, P Alex Pechin and LB Matt Robinson—are three-time letterwinners.
• OL Pat Finn, Lauro, Marine and Pechin are serving as team captains in 2018.
• The Bison have led the Patriot League in total defense six of the past seven seasons, including five years in a row from 2011 to 2015. In 2017, they finished fourth nationally in passing defense (148.3) and 11th in total defense (294.6).
• Bucknell is currently tied with Eastern Kentucky (OVC), Morgan State (MEAC) Northern Arizona (Big Sky) and Weber State (Big Sky) for the NCAA FCS lead with 12 turnovers gained on seven fumble recoveries and five interceptions.
• QB John Chiarolanzio started the first three games and has thrown for 247 yards while QB Logan Bitikofer has thrown for 237 yards in his two appearances, one of which was his first career start at No. 14/15 Villanova. Freshman RB Jared Cooper is the team leader in both rushing (204) and receiving (104) yards.
• Through four games, three Bison have made at least 30 tackles: Lauro (35), Marine (34) and LB Sam Chitty (30). Chitty is the team leader with 6.0 tackles for a loss.

Inside the Villanova Box Score
• No. 14/15 Villanova downed Bucknell, 49-7. 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 QB Zach Bednarczyk to WR Josh McGrigg.
• The Bison got on the board at the 7:56 mark of the second quarter, capitalizing on a fumble during a punt return. LB Ryan Brida forced the fumble, and LS Mike Colantuono came up with the ball at the Wildcat 12. Three plays later, QB Logan Bitikofer scored his first career rushing touchdown on a one-yard quarterback keeper.
• The Bison forced four turnovers, including three in the second quarter alone. In addition to Colantuono's clutch fumble recovery, S Brice Sydnor picked off his first pass since his sophomore year while LBs Simeon Page and Matt Robinson forced fumbles that were recovered by CB Bryan Marine.
• Marine doubled his career total with his two fumble recoveries a game after matching his career high with two interceptions at Penn.
• S Conner Romango made a career-high 12 tackles in his first career start. He entered the game with two career tackles, both of which came against Sacred Heart on Sept. 8, 2018.
• P Alex Pechin's career-high 51.0 punting average was one yard shy of Bucknell's school record, which was set in 1962. Of his nine punts, four landed inside the 20 and five sailed for at least 50 yards.
• Pechin's 71-yard bomb that pinned the Wildcats at their two-yard line during the fourth quarter is tied for the third-longest punt in school history. It is also tied for the longest punt by an NCAA FCS punter this season.
• Villanova held advantages in total offense (609-128), first downs (28-8) and time of possession (37:10-22:50). At the half, the Wildcats were up, 434-61, in total offense.

Holy Cross at a Glance
• The Crusaders are currently 1-3 (0-1 Patriot League) on the season. Their lone victory came in dramatic fashion; on Sept. 15, they downed defending Ivy League champion Yale, 31-28, in overtime after roaring back from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit.
• Holy Cross was selected to finish fourth in the 2018 Patriot League preseason poll.
• LB Ryan Brady leads the FCS in tackles (57) and is tied for seventh in tackles for a loss (10); he stands second in tackles per game (14.3) and tied for 13th in tackles for a loss per game (2.0).
• QB Geoff Wade has completed 43 of 69 passes for 465 yards and four touchdowns while RB Miles Alexander has added 174 rushing yards and a score.
• Brady, WR Blaise Bell and DL Teddy Capsis were the Crusaders' 2018 Preseason All-Patriot League selections.
• First-year head coach Bob Chesney has many ties to Pennsylvania. A native of Kulpmont, he attended Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School. He then graduated in 2000 from Dickinson College (Carlisle), where he was a two-time Second Team All-Centennial Conference defensive back. He also held coaching positions at King's College (Wilkes-Barre) and Delaware Valley College (Doylestown). His father, also named Bob, was the head football coach at Mount Carmel Area High School and Shamokin Area High School.

The Bucknell/Holy Cross Series
• Bucknell and Holy Cross first met on Oct. 31, 1925, with the Crusaders emerging a 23-7 victor in Worcester, Mass.
• The Crusaders and Bison have squared off annually since 1986, the year the Patriot League was founded as the Colonial League.
• Between 1925 and 1986, Bucknell and Holy Cross met only once: in 1953.
• The Crusaders lead the series, 22-12, and hold a 13-5 edge on their home turf.
• Bucknell has won two of the past four games. The Bison took the 2014 (31-24 OT) and 2016 (21-20) meetings, both of which occurred at Fitton Field.
• This is the third-straight season the Bison will open Patriot League play against the Crusaders.
• Last year, Bucknell and Holy Cross faced off in September for the first time. Previously, the earliest date they had played was Oct. 6 (2012). They have squared off 20 times in November and 13 times in October.

The Last Meeting with the Crusaders
Holy Cross 20 – Bucknell 0 (Sept. 9, 2017 – Lewisburg, Pa.)
• Holy Cross toppled Bucknell, 20-0, in the Patriot League opener for both teams at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• After recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff, the Crusaders started their drive on the Bison 22. While they took three penalties on that drive, which pushed them back to the Bucknell 32, QB Peter Pujals connected with WR Richie DeNicola for a 30-yard gain that set up RB Diquan Walker for his first of two touchdown rushes.
• The Bison limited Pujals, who threw for 358 yards and one touchdown against FBS foe UConn on Aug. 28, to 178 yards and no touchdowns.
• For the second-straight game, Bucknell held its opponent to 20 or fewer points and 200 or less passing yards.
• S Aaron Brown and S Jon Fox each hauled in his first career interception.
• S Joe Lauro led the Bison defense with eight tackles (five solo) while S Chanse Riley was close behind with a then career-best seven (two solo).
• QB Matt Muh totaled 138 yards on 22-for-39 passing.
• The Crusaders scored 13 of their 20 points off of turnovers.
• Before this game, Bucknell last suffered a shutout on Sept. 28, 2013, a 16-0 loss to Sacred Heart.
• The Bison held a slim 30:48 to 29:12 advantage in time of possession. They were bolstered by a 9:37 fourth quarter drive that covered 71 yards in 18 plays.
• This game marked the first time since 2012 Bucknell began Patriot League play in September. It was also the second time the Bison had their Patriot League opener on Sept. 9, which is the second earliest date they have kicked off league action.

Patriot League Openers
• Bucknell holds an 18-14 record in Patriot League openers.
• In 2017, the Bison fell to the Crusaders, 20-0, in their first Patriot League game.
• Bucknell has met Holy Cross in its Patriot League opener four times: 2017 (0-20), 2016 (21-20), 1996 (38-7) and 1992 (12-27).
• The Bison are starting Patriot League play in September for the second year in a row.

Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on offense have made a combined 125 starts.
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on defense have made a combined 98 starts, with CB Bryan Marine (28) and S Joe Lauro (21) accounting for 50 percent of them.
• On offense, three seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and one freshman are expected to start. On defense, six seniors, one junior, three sophomores and one freshman are projected to start.
• Twelve seniors, 12 juniors, 17 sophomores and nine freshmen appear on the depth chart.
• Ten players on Bucknell's roster have made at least 10 career starts: Marine (28), WR Alan Butler (24), Lauro (21), TE/FB Andrew Owers (17), OL Pat Finn (14), OL Noah Stephenson (14), OL P.J. Barr (12), QB John Chiarolanzio (11), WR Justin Bethea (10) and DE Roger Mellado (10).
• Butler leads the team with 15-consecutive starts while Barr (12), Finn (10) and Mellado (10) round out the top three. Stephenson had his starting streak snapped at 14 games at Villanova on Sept. 22.
• Barr became the first member of the class of 2021 to start at least 10 contests against Sacred Heart in week two. Mellado became the second at Villanova in week four.
• No member of the class of 2019 has played in all 37 of Bucknell's games during his time in Lewisburg to date. CB Fisayo Oluleye and LB Matt Robinson are tied for first in their class with 34 career games played.
• Five Bison earned their first career start at Villanova last week: QB Logan Bitikofer, DE Grayson Cherubino, OL Simon Krizak, S Conner Romango and DE Nnamdi Unachukwu.
• So far in 2018, 15 Bison have earned their first career start: Bitikofer, RB Marquis Carter, Cherubino, RB Jared Cooper, Krizak, OL Justis Peppers, WR John McGuire, DE Sean Naiman, Robinson, Romango, WR Brendan Sanders, DE Joe Schiano, DL Jimmy Sheehan, Unachukwu and S Gerrit Van Itallie.
• Cherubino, Cooper and Sanders are the only freshmen who have started to date.

Bison in the NCAA FCS Top 15
• P Alex Pechin: 1st in punting yards (1,414), 6th in punting average (45.6)
• CB Bryan Marine: t-1st in fumbles recovered (2), 2nd in combined kick returns (334), t-4th in solo tackles (27) and t-8th in solo tackles per game (6.8)
• CB Fisayo Oluleye: t-3rd in interception return touchdowns (1)
• LBs Simeon Page and Matt Robinson: t-9th in forced fumbles per game (0.50)

School Record Holders on the 2018 Roster
• LB Simeon Page: Single Game Sacks (4.0, 11/18/17), Rookie Season Sacks (9.0, 2017)
• P Alex Pechin: Career Punting Average (43.7), Season Punting Average (45.1, 2017)

Alex Pechin: Setting an All-American Standard
• P Alex Pechin is currently sixth in the NCAA FCS ranks with a 45.6 punting average; the national leader in punts (31) and punting yards (1,414), he is one of only three punters in nation's top 15 in punting average with at least 25 punts.
• After averaging a career-best 51.0 yards on nine punts at No. 14/15 Villanova, Pechin received Honorable Mention National Special Teams Player of the Week laurels from STATS.
• Pechin's 51.0 punting average against the Wildcats was a single yard shy of Bucknell's school record, set in 1962; he landed four punts inside the 20 and had five sail for at least 50 yards, including a 71-yard bomb that is tied for the longest in the FCS this season.
• After that 71-yard bomb, Pechin now owns Bucknell's third- (71, 2018), seventh- (67, 2017) and 10th- (64, 2017) longest punts in school history.
• Pechin was named to 2018 Preseason All-America First Teams by STATS, Phil Steele, Hero Sports, College Sports Madness and FreeAgentFootball.com
• Pechin was honored on the 2017 STATS All-America Third Team after finishing third in the NCAA FCS ranks with a 45.1 punting average. His average shattered his previous school record, set in 2015 as a freshman, by three full yards.

Milestones Met at Villanova
• CB Bryan Marine: Made 150th career solo tackle; now has 150
• P Alex Pechin: Tied Ryan Gutowski for Bucknell's third-longest punt (71); now owns the third- (71, 2018), seventh- (67, 2017) and 10th- (64, 2017) longest punts in school history

Milestone Watch
• S Brandon Benson: Needs 24 tackles to reach 100 in his career
• WR Alan Butler: Needs 41 receiving yards to reach 800 in his career
• S Joe Lauro: Needs 16 tackles to reach 200 in his career
• CB Bryan Marine: Needs one interception to crack Bucknell's career top eight with 10
• CB Bryan Marine: Needs nine tackles to reach 200 in his career
• LB Simeon Page: Needs five sacks to crack Bucknell's career top 10 with 16.5
• LB Simeon Page: Needs 27 tackles to reach 100 in his career
• P Alex Pechin: Needs 2,094 punting yards to reach 10,000 in his career

Head Coach Joe Susan
• Joe Susan, the 26th head coach in program history, is in his ninth season at the helm and currently ranks third in career games (92) and tied for sixth in career victories (37).
• Sept. 8's contest with Sacred Heart was Susan's 100th career game. Before his time at Bucknell, he was the head coach at Davidson in 2000; that season, he led the Wildcats to a 10-0 mark, a school record for wins in a season.
• Susan tied Bob Odell, who coached the Bison from 1958 to 1964 and was enshrined in the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987, for sixth in career wins with Bucknell's Senior Day shutout of Georgetown on Nov. 11, 2017.
• At the conclusion of the 2017 campaign, Susan took sole possession of fourth place in career seasons, passing legendary coaches Odell and Tom Gadd.

Inside the 2018 Schedule
• This is the 133rd season of football at Bucknell. The Bison played their first game in 1883 and have played continuously since 1887.
• Nine of Bucknell's 11 opponents from 2017 remained on its 2018 schedule, with Penn and Villanova taking the place of Marist and Cornell.
• Bucknell's 2018 opponents went a combined 50-72 (.410) in 2017. Of that group, Monmouth (9-3), Colgate (7-4) and Penn (6-4) finished at or above .500. At 5-6, the Bison had a better 2017 record than seven of their opponents and matched one other's mark.
• Two of the Bison's 2018 foes reached the 2017 NCAA FCS Playoffs. Lehigh fell to Stony Brook, 59-29, while Monmouth was dispatched by Northern Iowa, 46-7, in the first round.
• Bucknell's five non-conference opponents hail from four different conferences: the Big South Conference (Monmouth), the Colonial Athletic Association (Villanova and William & Mary), the Ivy League (Penn) and the Northeast Conference (Sacred Heart).
• The Bison entered the campaign with a 151-244-12 (.371) record against their 2018 opponents, including winning marks against Fordham (18-15), Georgetown (18-11-1) and Sacred Heart (2-1).

How to Follow the Bison
• Every game will be broadcast on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3) and BucknellBison.com.
• All five of Bucknell's home games and its road contests at Holy Cross, Lehigh and Georgetown will air on the Patriot League Network (PatriotLeague.tv).
• Fans can watch the Bison's games at Penn and Monmouth on ESPN+. Their game at Villanova will be streamed on Villanova.com.
• Bucknell's home contests against Sacred Heart and Fordham and away game at Lehigh are among 10 Patriot League tilts that will be carried on Stadium's family of over-the-air channels and streaming services. All three will also be carried on Facebook Watch.
• In addition, Bucknell's home game against Colgate and away contest at Georgetown will be streamed on Facebook Watch.
• The Bison are active on Twitter (@Bucknell_FB) and Instagram (Bucknell_FB). Interact with the team using the hashtag #BandOfBison.

Up Next
• The Bison return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to face Patriot League Preseason favorite Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 12 p.m.

Bucknell Football Begins Patriot League Play at Holy Cross

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Players Mentioned

P.J. Barr

Brandon Benson

Justin Bethea

Logan Bitikofer

Ryan Brida

Aaron Brown

Alan Butler

Marquis Carter

Grayson Cherubino

John Chiarolanzio

Sam Chitty

Mike Colantuono

Jared Cooper

Pat Finn

Jon Fox

Alex Jordan

Simon Krizak

Joe Lauro

Bryan Marine

John McGuire

Roger Mellado

Matt Muh

Sean Naiman

Fisayo Oluleye

Andrew Owers

Simeon Page

Alex Pechin

Justis Peppers

Chanse Riley

Matt Robinson

Conner Romango

Joe Schiano

Jimmy Sheehan

Noah Stephenson

Brice Sydnor

Nnamdi Unachukwu

Gerrit Van Itallie