Bucknell Football Hosts Sacred Heart Saturday in Stadium Game

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team welcomes Sacred Heart to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, Sept. 8. The Bison, who fell in a defensive battle to William & Mary in their season opener, will look to run their winning streak against the Pioneers to three games.

Tickets are on sale at the Campus Box Office, starting at $10 for adults, $6 for children (13-18) and $6 for seniors (62+). Admission is free for Bucknell students as well as children between the ages of 0 and 12. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice or by calling 570-577-1000. For information on Bucknell's Hero Appreciation Game festivities, visit this link.

This is the first of three Bucknell games that will be televised nationally on Stadium's over-the-air channels (the full list can be viewed at WatchStadium.com/Where-To-Watch). In addition, a free live stream of the game will be available on WatchStadium.com, on Twitter at @WatchStadium and on the Stadium channel on Roku, Android TV, PlutoTV, SlingTV, Verizon Go90, FuboTV and other services.

When: Saturday, September 8 – 3 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Television: Stadium's Family of Networks
Internet Video: Stadium or Facebook Live
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB

With a victory the Bison would...
• take a 3-1 series lead over Sacred Heart
• improve to 1-1 in non-conference action this season
• move to 16-9 all-time against Northeast Conference teams
• give Joe Susan a win in his 100th career game as a collegiate head coach

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 0-1 (0-0 Patriot League) on the season following their tight 14-7 loss to William & Mary.
• 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 returns 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 returns its top passer (John Chiarolanzio, 1,069 yards) from a year ago. The Bison lost their top receiver (Jack Horan, 377 yards) and top two tacklers (Ben Richard, 77, and Mark Pyles, 73) to graduation and their top rusher (Chad Freshnock, 525 yards) to a season-ending injury.

Inside the William & Mary Box Score
• The Bison defense stood tall all night, but the Tribe prevailed, 14-7, thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown.
• On the first play of the fourth quarter, DE Joe Schiano came up with a strip sack to give Bucknell the ball at William & Mary's 36-yard line. Five plays later, RB Marquis Carter scampered 12 yards into the end zone; a good extra point by K Jack Chambers made it a 7-7 game.
• The Tribe was quick to respond. On the second play of its next drive, QB Shon Mitchell connected with WR DeVonte Dedmon for a 75-yard score that proved to be the difference in the game.
• QB John Chiarolanzio finished with 143 yards on 20-for-32 passing, connecting with eight different receivers.
• WR Brandon Sanders, a freshman, led all Bison with 59 yards on four receptions. On the ground, Carter ran for a career-best 81 yards on 18 carriers.
• Defensively, S Joe Lauro (11) and CB Bryan Marine (10) reached the double digits in tackles. Four Bison recorded a sack: Schiano, DE Blake Fletcher, LB Simeon Page and DE Nnamdi Unachukwu.
• William & Mary held advantages in total offense (348-257), first downs (20-11) and time of possession (37:25-22:35). Bucknell chipped into its deficit during the second half; at halftime, the Tribe was up 226-93 in total offense, 15-3 in first downs and 22:43-7:17 in time of possession.

Sacred Heart at a Glance
• The Pioneers are currently 1-0 (0-0 Northeast Conference) on the season following their 35-6 victory over Lafayette.
• QB Kevin Duke went 17-for-22 for 146 yards and two touchdowns while RB Jordan Meachum rushed for a career-best 132 yards on 17 carries. WR Andrew O'Neill added 103 yards and one touchdown on nine receptions.
• Sacred Heart finished 2017 with a 4-7 (2-4 NEC) record. The Pioneers, who tied Wagner for fifth in the NEC a year ago, were picked to place sixth in the 2018 preseason poll.
• Sacred Heart returned six offensive starters, including Duke and O'Neill, and three defensive starters.
• The Pioneers won back-to-back NEC titles in 2013 and 2014, the first two years they faced the Bison.
• Before 2017, Sacred Heart had posted a winning record for four-straight seasons, including a 10-3 record in 2013 and a 9-3 ledger in 2014.

The Bucknell/Sacred Heart Series
• This is the fourth meeting between Bucknell and Sacred Heart.
• Last year at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, the Bison toppled the Pioneers, 34-31, on a walk-off field goal.
• The Pioneers won the 2013 game in Lewisburg,16-0, while the Bison took the 2014 meeting in Fairfield, Conn., 36-20.
• Before Holy Cross shut out Bucknell in week two of the 2017 campaign, Sacred Heart was the most recent team to blank the Bison. That shutout ended a program-record streak of 77-straight games with a point.

The Last Meeting with the Pioneers
Sacred Heart 31 – Bucknell 34 (Sept. 23, 2017 – Lewisburg, Pa.)
• K John Burdick booted a career-best 46-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Bison to a 34-31 victory over the Pioneers.
• Sacred Heart rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 31 apiece when Kevin Duke found Lawrence Nembhard for a 41-yard touchdown with 4:12 remaining in regulation.
• With 1:29 left on the clock, LB Ben Richard and DL Nick Zarkoski stuffed Duke inches short of a first down on a 4th and 1, giving the Bison a chance to win it.
• QB John Chiarolanzio set career highs in passing yards (187), completions (21) and attempts (34) in his first 2017 start. He also matched his career-long rush with a 17-yard run that helped set up RB Chad Freshnock's fourth-quarter touchdown
• The career highs that Chiarolanzio set in completions and long rush still stand.
• In his first game as one of Bucknell's captains, RB Joey DeFloria rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
• A trio of Bison reached the double figures in tackles: Richard (15), LB Mark Pyles (12) and S Joe Lauro (10). Richard also recovered a fumble while Lauro and S Aaron Brown picked off passes.
• Burdick's 46-yard field goal was eight yards longer his previous career long. It capped a perfect night for the senior, as he made both of his field-goal attempts and all four of his point-after bids for a career-high 10 points.
• For their efforts against Sacred Heart, Burdick and Richard captured weekly awards. Burdick was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week while Richard was honored as the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week and the Bison Athlete of the Week.

Bison vs. the Northeast Conference
• Bucknell is 15-9 all-time against current members of the Northeast Conference: Bryant (1-1), Duquesne (10-7), Robert Morris (2-0) and Sacred Heart (2-1).

Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on offense have made a combined 81 starts.
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on defense have made a combined 77 starts, with CB Bryan Marine (25) and S Joe Lauro (18) accounting for almost 56 percent of them.
• On offense, two seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and one freshman are expected to start.
• On defense, six seniors, three juniors and two sophomores are projected to start.
• Thirteen seniors, 14 juniors, 17 sophomores and 10 freshmen appear on this week's depth chart.
• Six players on Bucknell's roster have made at least 10 career starts: Marine (25), WR Alan Butler (21), Lauro (18), TE/FB Andrew Owers (16), OL Noah Stephenson (12) and OL Pat Finn (11). All but Stephenson, a junior who was the lone underclassmen to start all 11 of Bucknell's 2017 contests, are seniors.
• With a start against Sacred Heart, QB John Chiarolanzio and OL P.J. Barr will reach the double digits. Barr will become the first member of the class of 2021 to start at least 10 contests.
• Butler and Stephenson lead the team with 12 consecutive starts. Barr rounds out the top three with nine.
• No member of the class of 2019 played in all 34 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 31 career games played.
• Six Bison earned their first career start in the 2018 opener: RB Marquis Carter, OL Justis Peppers, DE Sean Naiman, Robinson, WR Brandon Sanders and DL Jimmy Sheehan. Sanders was the lone freshman to start while Sheehan, a junior, and Peppers, a sophomore, had yet to appear in a game before their start against William & Mary.
• RB Jared Cooper is expected to become the second freshman to start against the Pioneers.
• Six freshmen appeared in Bucknell's season opener: Sanders, Cooper, CB Sterling Deary, CB Micah Dennis, DE Grayson Cherubino and LB Cole McCabe.
• Seven returning Bison played in their first collegiate game against William & Mary: Peppers, Sheehan, LB Ryan Brida, LS Mike Colantuono, S Conner Romango, DE Joe Schiano and DE Nnamdi Unachukwu.

Bison All-Americans
• The Bison return an All-American in P Alex Pechin. 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.
• Pechin's 45.1 punting average shattered his previous school record, set in 2015 as a freshman, by three full yards.
• Pechin has been since named to 2018 Preseason All-America First Teams by STATS, Phil Steele, Hero Sports, College Sports Madness and FreeAgentFootball.com

Bison All-Patriot League Selections
• Bucknell returns three All-Patriot League players in CB Bryan Marine (1st in '16), LB Simeon Page (2nd in '17) and P Alex Pechin (1st in '17 & '15).
• The Bison lost six of their eight 2017 all-league honorees: DL Abdullah Anderson, also the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, K John Burdick, CB Colin Jonov, LB Mark Pyles, LB Ben Richard and OL Chase Watkins. In addition, RB Joey DeFloria, a 2016 All-Patriot League Second Team pick, also graduated in the class of 2018.

Bison Preseason All-Patriot League Honorees
• Bucknell had two players voted to the 2018 Preseason All-Patriot League Team: OL Pat Finn and P Alex Pechin.
• It was Pechin's second preseason accolade, as he was also named to the 2016 squad, and Finn's first ever Patriot League award.

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 (43.2), Season Punting Average (45.1, 2017)

Milestones Met Against William & Mary
• WR Alan Butler: Reached 700 career receiving yards; now has 701
• QB John Chiarolanzio: Reached 1,500 career passing yards; now has 1,576
• S Joe Lauro: Reached 150 career tackles; now has 160
• S Joe Lauro: Reached 100 career solo tackles; now has 102

Milestone Watch
• S Brandon Benson: Needs 29 tackles to reach 100 in his career
• CB Bryan Marine: Needs three interceptions to crack Bucknell's career top eight with 10
• CB Bryan Marine: Needs 20 solo tackles to reach 150 in his career
• LB Simeon Page: Needs 6.5 sacks to crack Bucknell's career top 10 with 16.5

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 (89) and tied for sixth in career victories (37).
• Saturday's tilt with Sacred Heart will be 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.

Bison Scholar-Athletes
• In 2017, P Alex Pechin became the eighth Bison to be honored as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was joined on the Academic All-Patriot League Team by three seniors, giving Bucknell double the number of selections as the other Patriot League teams. It was also the highest number of Bison voted to the 14-man squad since 2010, when four were honored.
• Bucknell placed a program-record 48 student-athletes on the 2017 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Previously, the record stood at 46, which was set the year before.
• The team combined for a 3.09 GPA during the 2017 fall semester, bolstered by FB Cinjun Erskine (now a student assistant coach) and LB Rick Mottram's perfect 4.0s.

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 remain on its 2018 schedule, with Penn and Villanova taking the place of Marist and Cornell. The Bison have faced the two new additions to their slate a combined 59 times but most recently took on the Quakers in 2010 and the Wildcats in 2005.
• 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+.
• Bucknell's home contest 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
• Bucknell begins a three-game road stretch by squaring off against Penn on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the Bison and Quakers since 2010, head coach Joe Susan's first season at the helm.
• Bucknell has faced at least one Ivy League opponent every year since 1978, a streak of 40-consecutive seasons.

Bucknell Football Hosts Sacred Heart Saturday in Stadium Game

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Players Mentioned

Abdullah Anderson

P.J. Barr

Brandon Benson

Ryan Brida

Aaron Brown

John Burdick

Alan Butler

Marquis Carter

Jack Chambers

Grayson Cherubino

John Chiarolanzio

Mike Colantuono

Jared Cooper

Sterling Deary

Joey DeFloria

Micah Dennis

Cinjun Erskine

Pat Finn

Blake Fletcher

Chad Freshnock

Jack Horan

Colin Jonov

Alex Jordan

Joe Lauro

Bryan Marine

Cole McCabe

Rick Mottram

Sean Naiman

Fisayo Oluleye

Andrew Owers

Simeon Page

Alex Pechin

Justis Peppers

Mark Pyles

Ben Richard

Matt Robinson

Conner Romango

Brandon Sanders

Joe Schiano

Jimmy Sheehan

Noah Stephenson

Nnamdi Unachukwu

Chase Watkins

Nick Zarkoski

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