Saturday, October 26
Easton, Pa.
3:30 p.m.
Bucknell University
1-7 , 1-2
17
at
21
Lafayette
1-7 , 1-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Bucknell
7
7
3
0
17
Lafayette
7
0
0
14
21
Photo by: Jon Lambert
Lafayette Uses Late Rally to Down Bucknell Football, 21-17
10/26/2019 6:35:00 PM | Football
EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to down the Bucknell football team, 21-17, on Saturday at Fisher Stadium.
After Keegan Shoemaker found Nick Pearson for a 43-yard touchdown, the Leopards forced a turnover on the Bison's very next drive. Four plays later, Selwyn Simpson rushed for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
For the Bison, Logan Bitikofer completed two touchdown throws to Brandon Sanders while Jared Cooper rushed for a career-high 103 yards on 15 carries. Birthday boy Rick Mottram paced a strong defensive effort, making a career-best 16 tackles (12 solo), posting two sacks and picking off his second career pass.
"We win as a team, and we lose as a team," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "Unfortunately, we lost as a team today. We had failures in the second half. All of the little things went out the window in the fourth quarter. Hats off to Lafayette for making the plays that they did to get back in this ball game. This was a game, with the opportunities that we had, that we should have walked away with a win. But we didn't do that."
Both teams scored on their first drive of the game. Lafayette's march down the field was methodical, covering 70 yards in 11 plays and draining 5:45 from the clock. Bucknell's, in contrast, covered 75 yards in five plays and less than two minutes. On the second play of the Bison's first scoring drive, Cooper found a seam and rumbled 40 yards into Leopard territory. After Cooper picked up another two yards, Bitikofer connected with Sanders for a 17-yard gain and for a 16-yard touchdown on back-to-back plays.
With 13:33 on the clock in the second quarter, a shanked punt gave the Bison the ball at the Leopard 40. Lafayette's defense held fast at first, but Bucknell extended its drive by faking a 49-yard field goal; Alex Pechin hit Naiman with a four-yard pass to pick up a first down on 4th and 2. The Leopards ultimately forced the Bison to attempt a 26-yard field goal, which went wide right.
Bucknell extended its lead to 17-7 at the third quarter's 7:07 mark on a 28-yard Ethan Torres field goal. Torres's field goal capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive highlighted by 23- and 31-yard receptions by Dominic Lyles that brought the Bison from their end to Lafayette's in short succession. On 3rd and goal, Sanders nearly hauled in his third touchdown catch on a fade route, but his feet touched down just out of bounds.
The Leopards cut Bucknell's lead to 17-14 with 11:10 on the clock in the fourth quarter. After the Bison failed to take advantage of Mottram's interception, which gave them the ball at the Lafayette 35, the Leopards got the ball at their own five-yard line following a short punt. Shoemaker proceeded to engineer a seven-play, 95-yard scoring drive, completing three passes for 70 yards and running for 10 yards. That drive was capped by Pearson's 43-yard touchdown, which came on a deep ball down the middle of the field.
On Bucknell's next drive, Marco Olivas forced a fumble that was recovered by Yasir Thomas at the Bison 45. Four rushing plays later, Lafayette was back in the end zone. Simpson's 22-yard touchdown rush decided the game as the Leopards didn't allow the Bison to advance past midfield on their final two drives of the game.
For Bucknell (1-7, 1-2 PL), Bitikofer completed 17 of 33 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders totaled 66 yards on a game-high eight receptions while Lyles added 57 on three catches. Beyond Mottram, Brandon Benson had a strong game defensively, making nine tackles.
For Lafayette (1-7, 1-1 PL), Shoemaker completed 23 of 27 passes for 207 yards; he also ran for 47 yards on 12 carries. Pearson caught six passes for 95 yards while Zadok Scott added 51 on six receptions. On the ground, Simpson posted 68 yards on nine carries. Major Jordan made 14 tackles while Olivas added two sacks to his forced fumble.
The Leopards finished with advantages in total offense (369-287), first downs (20-18) and time of possession (33:48-26:12). They snapped a two-game home losing skid to the Bison.
After enjoying their second bye week of the season, the Bison return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for their rivalry game against Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
NOTES
This was Cooper's first career 100-yard rushing performance. He became the first Bison to reach the triple digits in rushing yards in a single game since Chad Freshnock ran for 174 against Lehigh on Nov. 4, 2017.
Sanders became the sixth Bison to catch at least 50 passes in a single season, joining Will Carter (2x), Dave Kucera (2x), Tom Mitchell (2x), Jim Horan and Shaun Pasternak. With 52 on the year, Sanders stands eighth in school history with three games left to play.
Sanders became the first Bison to catch two touchdown passes in a single game since Andrew Owers did so against Lafayette on Oct. 20, 2018. Sanders's touchdown catches were the second and third of his career; he caught his first in Bucknell's victory at Colgate on Oct. 12.
Mottram eclipsed his previous career high of 14 tackles, set in the 2018 finale against Fordham. He became the first Bison to make at least 15 tackles in a single game since Benson made 15 against Monmouth on Sept. 30, 2017. That season, Ben Richard also made 15 tackles; he did so against Sacred Heart, the game before Benson's 15-tackle effort.
With his sack, Page moved to fifth in Bison history with 19.5. The junior now needs a half sack to become the fifth Bison with at least 20 in his career.
Bitikofer has now thrown for two touchdowns in three 2019 games. He did so previously against then No. 23/RV Princeton and at Colgate.
It drizzled on and off beginning at the end of the second quarter. The light rain created a slick playing surface that came into play in the second half.
After Keegan Shoemaker found Nick Pearson for a 43-yard touchdown, the Leopards forced a turnover on the Bison's very next drive. Four plays later, Selwyn Simpson rushed for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
For the Bison, Logan Bitikofer completed two touchdown throws to Brandon Sanders while Jared Cooper rushed for a career-high 103 yards on 15 carries. Birthday boy Rick Mottram paced a strong defensive effort, making a career-best 16 tackles (12 solo), posting two sacks and picking off his second career pass.
"We win as a team, and we lose as a team," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "Unfortunately, we lost as a team today. We had failures in the second half. All of the little things went out the window in the fourth quarter. Hats off to Lafayette for making the plays that they did to get back in this ball game. This was a game, with the opportunities that we had, that we should have walked away with a win. But we didn't do that."
Both teams scored on their first drive of the game. Lafayette's march down the field was methodical, covering 70 yards in 11 plays and draining 5:45 from the clock. Bucknell's, in contrast, covered 75 yards in five plays and less than two minutes. On the second play of the Bison's first scoring drive, Cooper found a seam and rumbled 40 yards into Leopard territory. After Cooper picked up another two yards, Bitikofer connected with Sanders for a 17-yard gain and for a 16-yard touchdown on back-to-back plays.
Bucknell took its first lead of the contest at the second quarter's 3:23 mark. After a short punt, the Bison gained possession at their 47-yard line. On the first play of that drive, Cooper broke free for a 17-yard gain. The seven-play, 53-yard scoring drive was capped by Bitikofer's second touchdown throw to Sanders, that one a 13-yard score.🔶 TOUCHDOWN BISON 🔷
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) October 26, 2019
Logan Bitikofer finds Brandon Sanders for a 16-yard score.#ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/zBtY6y40jt
During the first half, Bucknell twice had a short field to work with but came away with nothing. Late in the first quarter, Simeon Page forced a fumble that Sean Naiman recovered at the Bison 42. While Bucknell advanced to the Lafayette 21, with Cooper making a leaping play to come up with a 24-yard Bitikofer pass early in that drive, a 39-yard field goal ultimately sailed wide left.#⃣1⃣2⃣▶️#⃣5⃣▶️🙌
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) October 26, 2019
Does this look familiar?
Logan Bitikofer finds Brandon Sanders for 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 Bison touchdown! #ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/XVgyslrYkO
With 13:33 on the clock in the second quarter, a shanked punt gave the Bison the ball at the Leopard 40. Lafayette's defense held fast at first, but Bucknell extended its drive by faking a 49-yard field goal; Alex Pechin hit Naiman with a four-yard pass to pick up a first down on 4th and 2. The Leopards ultimately forced the Bison to attempt a 26-yard field goal, which went wide right.
Bucknell extended its lead to 17-7 at the third quarter's 7:07 mark on a 28-yard Ethan Torres field goal. Torres's field goal capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive highlighted by 23- and 31-yard receptions by Dominic Lyles that brought the Bison from their end to Lafayette's in short succession. On 3rd and goal, Sanders nearly hauled in his third touchdown catch on a fade route, but his feet touched down just out of bounds.
The Leopards cut Bucknell's lead to 17-14 with 11:10 on the clock in the fourth quarter. After the Bison failed to take advantage of Mottram's interception, which gave them the ball at the Lafayette 35, the Leopards got the ball at their own five-yard line following a short punt. Shoemaker proceeded to engineer a seven-play, 95-yard scoring drive, completing three passes for 70 yards and running for 10 yards. That drive was capped by Pearson's 43-yard touchdown, which came on a deep ball down the middle of the field.
On Bucknell's next drive, Marco Olivas forced a fumble that was recovered by Yasir Thomas at the Bison 45. Four rushing plays later, Lafayette was back in the end zone. Simpson's 22-yard touchdown rush decided the game as the Leopards didn't allow the Bison to advance past midfield on their final two drives of the game.
For Bucknell (1-7, 1-2 PL), Bitikofer completed 17 of 33 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders totaled 66 yards on a game-high eight receptions while Lyles added 57 on three catches. Beyond Mottram, Brandon Benson had a strong game defensively, making nine tackles.
For Lafayette (1-7, 1-1 PL), Shoemaker completed 23 of 27 passes for 207 yards; he also ran for 47 yards on 12 carries. Pearson caught six passes for 95 yards while Zadok Scott added 51 on six receptions. On the ground, Simpson posted 68 yards on nine carries. Major Jordan made 14 tackles while Olivas added two sacks to his forced fumble.
The Leopards finished with advantages in total offense (369-287), first downs (20-18) and time of possession (33:48-26:12). They snapped a two-game home losing skid to the Bison.
After enjoying their second bye week of the season, the Bison return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for their rivalry game against Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
NOTES
This was Cooper's first career 100-yard rushing performance. He became the first Bison to reach the triple digits in rushing yards in a single game since Chad Freshnock ran for 174 against Lehigh on Nov. 4, 2017.
Sanders became the sixth Bison to catch at least 50 passes in a single season, joining Will Carter (2x), Dave Kucera (2x), Tom Mitchell (2x), Jim Horan and Shaun Pasternak. With 52 on the year, Sanders stands eighth in school history with three games left to play.
Sanders became the first Bison to catch two touchdown passes in a single game since Andrew Owers did so against Lafayette on Oct. 20, 2018. Sanders's touchdown catches were the second and third of his career; he caught his first in Bucknell's victory at Colgate on Oct. 12.
Mottram eclipsed his previous career high of 14 tackles, set in the 2018 finale against Fordham. He became the first Bison to make at least 15 tackles in a single game since Benson made 15 against Monmouth on Sept. 30, 2017. That season, Ben Richard also made 15 tackles; he did so against Sacred Heart, the game before Benson's 15-tackle effort.
Mottram and Gerrit Van Itallie each made the 100th tackle of his collegiate career. Mottram now has 114 while Van Itallie has 101. Van Itallie also became the third Bison to reach 50 tackles on the season, joining Mottram and Conner Romango; he now has exactly 50.Rick Mottram says 𝗦𝗜𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡. 💪#ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/QTJkXbHRMp
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) October 26, 2019
With his sack, Page moved to fifth in Bison history with 19.5. The junior now needs a half sack to become the fifth Bison with at least 20 in his career.
Bitikofer has now thrown for two touchdowns in three 2019 games. He did so previously against then No. 23/RV Princeton and at Colgate.
It drizzled on and off beginning at the end of the second quarter. The light rain created a slick playing surface that came into play in the second half.
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
LAFAYETT
Total Yards
287
369
Pass Yards
163
207
Rushing Yards
124
162
Penalty Yards
35
55
1st Downs
18
20
3rd Downs
5
5
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
26:12
33:48
1st Quarter
BUCKNELL 0, LAFAYETT 7
LAFAYETT - Shoemaker, K. 5 yd run (Kordenbrock, J. kick), 11 plays, 70 yards, TOP 5:45
BUCKNELL 7, LAFAYETT 7
BUCKNELL - Sanders, B. 16 yd pass from Bitikofer, L. (Pechin, Alex kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:57
2nd Quarter
BUCKNELL 14, LAFAYETT 7
BUCKNELL - Sanders, B. 13 yd pass from Bitikofer, L. (Torres, Ethan kick) 7 plays, 53 yards, TOP 2:49
3rd Quarter
BUCKNELL 17, LAFAYETT 7
BUCKNELL - Torres, Ethan 28 yd field goal 10 plays, 59 yards, TOP 4:20
4th Quarter
BUCKNELL 17, LAFAYETT 14
LAFAYETT - Pearson, Nick 43 yd pass from Shoemaker, K. (Kordenbrock, J. kick) 7 plays, 95 yards, TOP 2:56
BUCKNELL 17, LAFAYETT 21
LAFAYETT - Simpson, Selwyn 22 yd run (Kordenbrock, J. kick), 4 plays, 45 yards, TOP 2:17
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
17
TD
2
YDS
159
INT
0
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
4
INT
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ FootballQB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
TE/FB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballP/K
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
LB
/ FootballMichigan State at Bucknell Field Hockey Highlights 9-28-2025
Sunday, September 28
Saint Francis at Bucknell Football Highlights 9-27-2025
Sunday, September 28
Post Game Interview vs. SFU
Sunday, September 28
Saint Francis at Bucknell Football Highlights 9-27-2025
Sunday, September 28