Saturday, October 30
Hamilton, N.Y.
1 p.m.
Bucknell University
1-7 , 0-4
10
at
33
Colgate
3-6 , 3-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Bucknell
0
3
0
7
10
Colgate
0
7
13
13
33
Photo by: John Rooney
Colgate Downs Bucknell Football Behind Strong Second Half
10/30/2021 4:06:00 PM | Football
HAMILTON, N.Y. – The Bucknell football team was downed by Colgate, 33-10, on Saturday at Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
The Raiders (3-6, 3-1 PL) broke open the game in the second half, scoring four unanswered touchdowns and outgaining the Bison (1-7, 0-4 PL) by a 260-113 margin.
"Today was a battle of attrition, with players going down on both sides," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "We found ourselves putting young players out there who probably weren't ready for this caliber of play yet in their careers. I'm okay with freshman mistakes. That's going to happen, but our guys never quit. They were chomping at the bit in the locker room at halftime. Moving forward, we need to make plays on the offensive side and get stops defensively."
Freshman quarterback Michael Brescia led Colgate's offensive charge, completing 13 of 15 passes for 162 yards and running for a game-best 75 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
The first half proved to be a defensive battle, with the Raiders carrying a slim 7-3 advantage into the locker room.
The Bison opened the game's scoring on their second possession, which began at the first quarter's 6:02 mark and ended with a 24-yard Ryan Schatzel field goal three seconds into the second frame. That 11-play, 47-yard drive, which represented the first time this season that they put points on the board first, was extended by a face mask penalty that kept them from going a quick three and out. Two plays after the penalty, Jared Cooper broke free for a 14-yard gain that brought them within a single yard of the red zone.
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With 4:27 remaining before the break, Colgate took the lead on a 28-yard quarterback keeper score by Brescia, his first of the game.
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Bucknell responded with a march to the Raiders' 24-yard line, with Danny Meuser picking up a first down on a 4th and 2 with a five-yard rush and Ethan Grady finding fellow freshman Mason Muir for a 26-yard gain on back-to-back plays. The Colgate defense ultimately held fast, bringing up a 4th and eight. Bucknell again went for it, but a pass fell beyond the receivers' reach. Â
At halftime, the Raiders led in total offense (146-134) while the Bison held edges in both first downs (8-6) and time of possession (17:55-12:04). Colgate began to distance itself from Bucknell in the third quarter, scoring two unanswered touchdowns to build a 20-3 lead. The Raiders also held the Bison to just 34 yards of total offense during that frame; Bucknell notably ceded four yards on the ground.
Colgate first found the end zone at the third quarter's 12:18 mark, with a 19-yard John Cox run finishing off a quick four-play, 59-yard drive highlighted by a 27-yard catch by Garrett Oakey. The Raiders then put together an eight-play, 64-yard scoring drive that was completed by a one-yard Brescia touchdown rush. That score was set up by a diving 22-yard catch by Oakey that came up one yard shy of the end zone.
Colgate added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which came at the 11:35 and 5:06 marks. Both were short rushes that capped lengthy marches, with each draining at least five minutes off of the clock. The first of the two drives notably covered 92 yards in 13 plays.
Bucknell completed the game's scoring with 54 seconds remaining in regulation. Nick Semptimphelter, who relieved Grady, orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard scoring march; he found Muir for his first collegiate touchdown catch, an acrobatic four-yard grab in the corner of the end zone.
For the Bison, Grady completed 10 passes for 118 yards while Semptimphelter posted 66 yards and one touchdown on five for seven passing. Owens (69), Bennett (34) and Muir (30) were Bucknell's top three receivers, with Owens and Muir each setting a new career high total in yards.Â
Jonathan Searcy made a career-best 10 tackles; this was the second-straight game that he set a new career-high total in tackles, as he logged nine against Georgetown last Saturday. Mike Bright Jr. picked up a sack for the second tilt in a row.
For the Raiders, Cox ran for two touchdowns and finished second to Brescia with 50 yards on nine carries. Oakey led all players with 84 yards on five receptions while Milton Braasch II logged game-best totals in tackles (11) and tackles for a loss (3).
Colgate finished with advantages in total offense (406-247), first downs (24-14) and time of possession (30:01-29:58). The Raiders held the Bison to just 64 rushing yards while racking up 235 of their own. Neither team turned over the ball, with Bucknell also not giving up a sack.
The Bison return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex for a 1 p.m. game against Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 6.
The Raiders (3-6, 3-1 PL) broke open the game in the second half, scoring four unanswered touchdowns and outgaining the Bison (1-7, 0-4 PL) by a 260-113 margin.
"Today was a battle of attrition, with players going down on both sides," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "We found ourselves putting young players out there who probably weren't ready for this caliber of play yet in their careers. I'm okay with freshman mistakes. That's going to happen, but our guys never quit. They were chomping at the bit in the locker room at halftime. Moving forward, we need to make plays on the offensive side and get stops defensively."
Freshman quarterback Michael Brescia led Colgate's offensive charge, completing 13 of 15 passes for 162 yards and running for a game-best 75 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
The first half proved to be a defensive battle, with the Raiders carrying a slim 7-3 advantage into the locker room.
The Bison opened the game's scoring on their second possession, which began at the first quarter's 6:02 mark and ended with a 24-yard Ryan Schatzel field goal three seconds into the second frame. That 11-play, 47-yard drive, which represented the first time this season that they put points on the board first, was extended by a face mask penalty that kept them from going a quick three and out. Two plays after the penalty, Jared Cooper broke free for a 14-yard gain that brought them within a single yard of the red zone.
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With 4:27 remaining before the break, Colgate took the lead on a 28-yard quarterback keeper score by Brescia, his first of the game.
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Bucknell responded with a march to the Raiders' 24-yard line, with Danny Meuser picking up a first down on a 4th and 2 with a five-yard rush and Ethan Grady finding fellow freshman Mason Muir for a 26-yard gain on back-to-back plays. The Colgate defense ultimately held fast, bringing up a 4th and eight. Bucknell again went for it, but a pass fell beyond the receivers' reach. Â
At halftime, the Raiders led in total offense (146-134) while the Bison held edges in both first downs (8-6) and time of possession (17:55-12:04). Colgate began to distance itself from Bucknell in the third quarter, scoring two unanswered touchdowns to build a 20-3 lead. The Raiders also held the Bison to just 34 yards of total offense during that frame; Bucknell notably ceded four yards on the ground.
Colgate first found the end zone at the third quarter's 12:18 mark, with a 19-yard John Cox run finishing off a quick four-play, 59-yard drive highlighted by a 27-yard catch by Garrett Oakey. The Raiders then put together an eight-play, 64-yard scoring drive that was completed by a one-yard Brescia touchdown rush. That score was set up by a diving 22-yard catch by Oakey that came up one yard shy of the end zone.
Colgate added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which came at the 11:35 and 5:06 marks. Both were short rushes that capped lengthy marches, with each draining at least five minutes off of the clock. The first of the two drives notably covered 92 yards in 13 plays.
Bucknell completed the game's scoring with 54 seconds remaining in regulation. Nick Semptimphelter, who relieved Grady, orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard scoring march; he found Muir for his first collegiate touchdown catch, an acrobatic four-yard grab in the corner of the end zone.
For the Bison, Grady completed 10 passes for 118 yards while Semptimphelter posted 66 yards and one touchdown on five for seven passing. Owens (69), Bennett (34) and Muir (30) were Bucknell's top three receivers, with Owens and Muir each setting a new career high total in yards.Â
Jonathan Searcy made a career-best 10 tackles; this was the second-straight game that he set a new career-high total in tackles, as he logged nine against Georgetown last Saturday. Mike Bright Jr. picked up a sack for the second tilt in a row.
For the Raiders, Cox ran for two touchdowns and finished second to Brescia with 50 yards on nine carries. Oakey led all players with 84 yards on five receptions while Milton Braasch II logged game-best totals in tackles (11) and tackles for a loss (3).
Colgate finished with advantages in total offense (406-247), first downs (24-14) and time of possession (30:01-29:58). The Raiders held the Bison to just 64 rushing yards while racking up 235 of their own. Neither team turned over the ball, with Bucknell also not giving up a sack.
The Bison return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex for a 1 p.m. game against Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Team Stats
BUC
COL
Total Yards
247
406
Pass Yards
183
171
Rushing Yards
64
235
Penalty Yards
51
50
1st Downs
14
24
3rd Downs
3
3
4th Downs
3
0
TOP
29:58
30:01
2nd Quarter
BUC 3, COL 0
BUC - Schatzel,Ryan 24 yd field goal 11 plays, 47 yards, TOP 06:04
BUC 3, COL 7
COL - Brescia,Michael 28 yd run (Biscoe,Spencer kick), 5 plays, 58 yards, TOP 02:10
3rd Quarter
BUC 3, COL 14
COL - Cox,John 19 yd run (Biscoe,Spencer kick), 4 plays, 59 yards, TOP 01:34
BUC 3, COL 20
COL - Brescia,Michael 1 yd run (), 8 plays, 64 yards, TOP 03:38
4th Quarter
BUC 3, COL 26
COL - Cox,John 4 yd run (), 13 plays, 92 yards, TOP 06:40
BUC 3, COL 33
COL - Malachi West,Ethan 2 yd run (Biscoe,Spencer kick), 11 plays, 54 yards, TOP 05:11
BUC 10, COL 33
BUC - Muir,Mason 4 yd pass from Semptimphelter,Nick (Schatzel,Ryan kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:12
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballRB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
S
/ FootballQB
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