Saturday, September 28
Lewisburg, Pa.
3:30 p.m.
Bucknell University
0-4
23
vs
56
#23/RV Princeton (Family Weekend)
2-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Princeton
7
21
14
14
56
Bucknell
7
7
3
6
23
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
No. 23 Princeton Storms Past Bucknell Football
9/28/2019 6:27:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – No. 23 Princeton, the defending Ivy League champion, stormed past the Bucknell football team, 56-23, on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
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Quarterback Kevin Davidson had a banner day for the Tigers (2-0), completing 29 of 37 passes for 381 yards and an Ivy League-record seven touchdowns. His favorite target was wide receiver Andrew Griffin, who caught nine passes for 200 yards and a school-record four touchdowns.
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For the Bison, quarterback Logan Bitikofer set a new career high with 268 yards on 28-for-42 passing; he threw two touchdown passes and ran for one more over the course of the contest. Wide receivers Dominic Lyles (108) and Connor Holmes (88) each exceeded 80 receiving yards on eight catches, helping Bucknell nearly reach 400 yards of total offense.
"We're a work in progress," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "We are getting better. We've certainly played as tough of a non-conference schedule as anybody so far, and we're not done yet. Despite that, we've continue to play better football, more consistent football. There's a lot to be positive about. We're going to keep moving forward. We may have some temporary setbacks here or there, but we're going to keep our eyes on the prize."
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The Bison (0-4) got off to a strong start, holding the high-powered Tigers to just 79 yards of total offense and a single touchdown in the first quarter. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead at that frame's 6:57 mark after stuffing Princeton on a 4th and 1; Roger Mellado and Gerrit Van Itallie combined for the tackle that gave Bucknell the ball at midfield.
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Bitikofer then orchestrated a nine-play, 50-yard scoring drive capped by a nine-yard John McGuire touchdown catch; McGuire made a sprawling play, just getting his toes in bounds, to come up with Bitikofer's throw in the right corner of the end zone.
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The Bison had an opportunity to regain their lead after advancing to the Princeton 22 on their next drive. But Samuel Wright came up with a sack for a loss of nine yards on 3rd and 7, pushing Bucknell back to the Tiger 31. Ultimately, a 48-yard field goal attempt came up short.
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Princeton then took its first lead of the contest, with Davidson finding Andrew Griffin twice in a row for 69 yards. Griffin's 57-yard touchdown catch came down the home sideline at the second quarter's 12:54 mark.
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The Bison regrouped, finding the end zone themselves two drives later. Their second scoring drive was a seven-play, 80-yard march that was capped by a one-yard Bitikofer quarterback keeper; highlights of that drive included a 15-yard catch by Chad Freshnock and a 54-yard rumble by Lyles on back-to-back plays; Lyles shed multiple tackles en route to his big gain, a new career long.
Princeton held advantages in first downs (30-23) and total offense (595-398). The Bison's 398 yards of total offense was their highest number of the 2019 campaign; it came on 127 rushing and 271 passing yards.
"The biggest story for us was lack of getting pressure on the quarterback," Cecchini said. "We weren't able to pressure him enough into bad throws, into sacks, into negative yardage plays. That made a really big difference because they have so many football players at so many positions."
Jared Cooper led Bucknell with 65 rushing yards while Freshnock totaled 48. Cooper added 23 yards on returns to finish with 92 all-purpose yards.
Rick Mottram made a game-high 11 tackles; it was the second time he reached the double digits this season. Van Itallie was next with a career-best 10; he and Clay Myers added tackles for a loss, with Myers's coming on the Bison's lone sack.
For Princeton, Collin Eaddy (83) and Ryan Quigley (64) surpassed 50 rushing yards while Jacob Birmelin (68) and Iosivas (55) exceeded 50 receiving yards. T.J. Floyd and James Johnson tied for the team lead with nine tackles while James Stagg and Sultaan Shabazz both picked off passes.
The Bison next open Patriot League play by hosting Holy Cross for its Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m.
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NOTES
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Lyles became the second Bison to record at least 100 receiving yards in a single game this season, joining fellow sophomore Brandon Sanders (115 at Temple). Earlier this year, he came up two yards shy of reaching 100 receiving yards at Sacred Heart.
Bitikofer's total of passing yards was one more than his previous career best, set last year against Lafayette.
Holmes became the first member of the class of 2023 to score an offensive touchdown with his 15-yard touchdown catch from Bitikofer at the fourth quarter's 5:44 mark.
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Ethan Torres's 38-yard field goal, which came at the third quarter's 10:06 mark, was a new career long; his previous career long was 37 yards, achieved three times.
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The following two players made their first career start: Holmes and center Jacob Russ. Holmes, who started at slot receiver, became just the second freshman to start in 2019, joining offensive lineman Zack Tarburton.
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Davidson set a Ivy League and school records with his seven touchdown throws; all seven were of at least 12 yards, with a long of 59.
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Princeton was ranked No. 23 in this week's AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. The Tigers received votes in the STATS FCS Poll; with 269 points, they were the first team out of the Top 25.
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A year ago, Princeton set an Ivy League record in scoring offense (47.0 points/game) and was ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (2nd), total offense (3rd), turnover margin (4th), rushing offense (6th) and rushing defense (7th). The Tigers, who went an undefeated 10-0 and won the Ivy League title, scored at least 50 points in five games and held eight opponents to 14 or fewer points.
Princeton was Bucknell's second ranked opponent of the 2019 campaign; in their most recent game, the Bison fell to then No. 23/22 Villanova, 45-10, on Sept. 14.
The Bison and Tigers met for the the first time since 2011. Princeton snapped a two-game losing skid to Bucknell to move to 14-3 in the all-time series.
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Quarterback Kevin Davidson had a banner day for the Tigers (2-0), completing 29 of 37 passes for 381 yards and an Ivy League-record seven touchdowns. His favorite target was wide receiver Andrew Griffin, who caught nine passes for 200 yards and a school-record four touchdowns.
Â
For the Bison, quarterback Logan Bitikofer set a new career high with 268 yards on 28-for-42 passing; he threw two touchdown passes and ran for one more over the course of the contest. Wide receivers Dominic Lyles (108) and Connor Holmes (88) each exceeded 80 receiving yards on eight catches, helping Bucknell nearly reach 400 yards of total offense.
"We're a work in progress," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "We are getting better. We've certainly played as tough of a non-conference schedule as anybody so far, and we're not done yet. Despite that, we've continue to play better football, more consistent football. There's a lot to be positive about. We're going to keep moving forward. We may have some temporary setbacks here or there, but we're going to keep our eyes on the prize."
Â
The Bison (0-4) got off to a strong start, holding the high-powered Tigers to just 79 yards of total offense and a single touchdown in the first quarter. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead at that frame's 6:57 mark after stuffing Princeton on a 4th and 1; Roger Mellado and Gerrit Van Itallie combined for the tackle that gave Bucknell the ball at midfield.
Â
Bitikofer then orchestrated a nine-play, 50-yard scoring drive capped by a nine-yard John McGuire touchdown catch; McGuire made a sprawling play, just getting his toes in bounds, to come up with Bitikofer's throw in the right corner of the end zone.
Like the Bison, the Tigers got on the board following a successful fourth-down stop. After taking over at the Bucknell 40, they needed just three plays to even the score. With 2:36 on the clock, Davidson found Andrei Iosivas for a 29-yard touchdown.Oh my goodness, John McGuire! 😱
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) September 28, 2019
His diving touchdown catch gives the Bison an early lead. 🙌#ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/iebCXPWlrx
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The Bison had an opportunity to regain their lead after advancing to the Princeton 22 on their next drive. But Samuel Wright came up with a sack for a loss of nine yards on 3rd and 7, pushing Bucknell back to the Tiger 31. Ultimately, a 48-yard field goal attempt came up short.
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Princeton then took its first lead of the contest, with Davidson finding Andrew Griffin twice in a row for 69 yards. Griffin's 57-yard touchdown catch came down the home sideline at the second quarter's 12:54 mark.
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The Bison regrouped, finding the end zone themselves two drives later. Their second scoring drive was a seven-play, 80-yard march that was capped by a one-yard Bitikofer quarterback keeper; highlights of that drive included a 15-yard catch by Chad Freshnock and a 54-yard rumble by Lyles on back-to-back plays; Lyles shed multiple tackles en route to his big gain, a new career long.
Princeton answered on its next drive, covering 75 yards in nine plays to regain its advantage. From that point, the Tigers took control of the game, scoring six touchdowns to a Bucknell field goal and a touchdown the rest of the way.Don't mind Dominic Lyles.
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) September 28, 2019
He's just makin' guys miss. 💨#ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/vwQuhQL88t
Princeton held advantages in first downs (30-23) and total offense (595-398). The Bison's 398 yards of total offense was their highest number of the 2019 campaign; it came on 127 rushing and 271 passing yards.
"The biggest story for us was lack of getting pressure on the quarterback," Cecchini said. "We weren't able to pressure him enough into bad throws, into sacks, into negative yardage plays. That made a really big difference because they have so many football players at so many positions."
Jared Cooper led Bucknell with 65 rushing yards while Freshnock totaled 48. Cooper added 23 yards on returns to finish with 92 all-purpose yards.
Rick Mottram made a game-high 11 tackles; it was the second time he reached the double digits this season. Van Itallie was next with a career-best 10; he and Clay Myers added tackles for a loss, with Myers's coming on the Bison's lone sack.
For Princeton, Collin Eaddy (83) and Ryan Quigley (64) surpassed 50 rushing yards while Jacob Birmelin (68) and Iosivas (55) exceeded 50 receiving yards. T.J. Floyd and James Johnson tied for the team lead with nine tackles while James Stagg and Sultaan Shabazz both picked off passes.
The Bison next open Patriot League play by hosting Holy Cross for its Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m.
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NOTES
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Lyles became the second Bison to record at least 100 receiving yards in a single game this season, joining fellow sophomore Brandon Sanders (115 at Temple). Earlier this year, he came up two yards shy of reaching 100 receiving yards at Sacred Heart.
Bitikofer's total of passing yards was one more than his previous career best, set last year against Lafayette.
Holmes became the first member of the class of 2023 to score an offensive touchdown with his 15-yard touchdown catch from Bitikofer at the fourth quarter's 5:44 mark.
McGuire's touchdown catch was the first of his career. The junior is in his first season as a starting wide receiver.A trip to the end zone for the freshman.
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) September 28, 2019
Connor Holmes with a 15-yard touchdown catch.#ACT | #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/lAS0NSbVcA
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Ethan Torres's 38-yard field goal, which came at the third quarter's 10:06 mark, was a new career long; his previous career long was 37 yards, achieved three times.
Â
The following two players made their first career start: Holmes and center Jacob Russ. Holmes, who started at slot receiver, became just the second freshman to start in 2019, joining offensive lineman Zack Tarburton.
Â
Davidson set a Ivy League and school records with his seven touchdown throws; all seven were of at least 12 yards, with a long of 59.
Â
Princeton was ranked No. 23 in this week's AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. The Tigers received votes in the STATS FCS Poll; with 269 points, they were the first team out of the Top 25.
Â
A year ago, Princeton set an Ivy League record in scoring offense (47.0 points/game) and was ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (2nd), total offense (3rd), turnover margin (4th), rushing offense (6th) and rushing defense (7th). The Tigers, who went an undefeated 10-0 and won the Ivy League title, scored at least 50 points in five games and held eight opponents to 14 or fewer points.
Princeton was Bucknell's second ranked opponent of the 2019 campaign; in their most recent game, the Bison fell to then No. 23/22 Villanova, 45-10, on Sept. 14.
The Bison and Tigers met for the the first time since 2011. Princeton snapped a two-game losing skid to Bucknell to move to 14-3 in the all-time series.
Team Stats
PRIN
BUCKNELL
Total Yards
595
398
Pass Yards
383
271
Rushing Yards
212
127
Penalty Yards
21
45
1st Downs
30
23
3rd Downs
4
6
4th Downs
0
2
TOP
26:49
33:11
1st Quarter
PRIN 0, BUCKNELL 7
BUCKNELL - McGuire, John 9 yd pass from Bitikofer, L. (Torres, Ethan kick) 9 plays, 50 yards, TOP 4:03
PRIN 7, BUCKNELL 7
PRIN - Iosivas, Andrei 29 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 3 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:57
2nd Quarter
PRIN 14, BUCKNELL 7
PRIN - Griffin, Andrew 57 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 2 plays, 69 yards, TOP 0:29
PRIN 14, BUCKNELL 14
BUCKNELL - Bitikofer, L. 1 yd run (Torres, Ethan kick), 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:57
PRIN 21, BUCKNELL 14
PRIN - Griffin, Andrew 27 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:31
PRIN 28, BUCKNELL 14
PRIN - Birmelin, Jacob 12 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 8 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:58
3rd Quarter
PRIN 35, BUCKNELL 14
PRIN - Griffin, Andrew 59 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 2 plays, 65 yards, TOP 0:33
PRIN 35, BUCKNELL 17
BUCKNELL - Torres, Ethan 38 yd field goal 10 plays, 55 yards, TOP 4:21
PRIN 42, BUCKNELL 17
PRIN - Iosivas, Andrei 15 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 2:27
4th Quarter
PRIN 49, BUCKNELL 17
PRIN - Griffin, Andrew 14 yd pass from Davidson, Kevin (Rich, Tavish kick) 14 plays, 89 yards, TOP 6:43
PRIN 56, BUCKNELL 17
PRIN - Keller, Zach 1 yd run (Rich, Tavish kick), 1 plays, 1 yards, TOP 0:05
PRIN 56, BUCKNELL 23
BUCKNELL - Holmes, Connor 15 yd pass from Bitikofer, L. (Pechin, Alex rushfailed) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:25
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
28
TD
2
YDS
268
INT
2
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
3
INT
0
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR/LS
/ Football
DL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
LB
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