Saturday, November 20
Lewisburg, Pa.
1 p.m.
Bucknell University
1-9 , 0-6
6
vs
45
Holy Cross
9-2 , 6-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Holy Cross
14
17
7
7
45
Bucknell
0
0
6
0
6
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Bucknell Football Falls to Patriot League Champion Holy Cross
11/20/2021 4:08:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team fell to three-peat Patriot League champion Holy Cross, 45-6, on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex.
The Crusaders (9-2, 6-0 PL) took advantage of stout defensive play and turnovers to run their road winning streak over the Bison (1-10, 0-6 PL) to seven games. They also set a new school record by winning their sixth Patriot League game of the season; the 2021 team joined the 1990 (5-0) and 1991 (5-0) squads as the only Holy Cross teams to go unbeaten in Patriot League action.
The Crusaders built a 31-0 halftime lead, notably holding Bucknell to just 26 yards of total offense and six first downs through the first two quarters. They set the tone for the game in the first quarter, turning their first drive into a 17-play, 69-yard scoring march that chewed 6:25 off of the game clock and saw them convert on one fourth down and two third downs. They then recovered a fumble during the resulting kickoff; they ultimately capitalized on their short, 26-yard field, scoring their second touchdown in less than three minutes.
Holy Cross netted 17 more points in the second quarter, with one touchdown coming on a 45-yard pick six by Kamyrn Molton. The Bison got on the board at the third quarter's 2:09 mark, with Mason Muir hauling in his second career touchdown reception from Nick Semptimphelter, a 23-yard score.
For Bucknell, Semptimphelter and Ethan Grady combined to complete 13 passes for 88 yards. In addition to catching a touchdown pass, Muir led all Bison receivers with a career-best 50 yards on five catches. Marques Owens recorded a career-high 128 all-purpose yards on a career-best 111 kickoff return yards and 17 receiving yards.
The Bison defense had four players reach the double digits in tackles: Blake Leake (16), John Schlendorf (14), Ben Allen (10) and Brent Jackson (10). Leake, Schlendorf and Jackson's totals each represented a new career high, with Leake's being the most registered by a Bison in 2021.
In addition, Bucknell posted four sacks, with Allen, Leake and Connor Carretta each logging one individually and Carretta teaming with Quentin Lemon for the fourth. This performance doubled the Bison's home sack total, bringing it to eight in 2021.Â
Alex Smith Jr. broke up a career-best two passes while Jack Barnes blocked a punt, which was recovered by Brad Jamison. Barnes became the second Bison in three games to block a punt, as Danny Meuser previously did so against Lehigh on Nov. 6.
For the Crusaders, Marco Siderman completed eight passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Jonathan Abrams paced all players with 80 rushing yards while Peter Oliver and Jordan Fuller accounted for Holy Cross's touchdowns on the ground.
Asante Ayir had four receptions for a game-best 81 yards while Justin Shorter caught two touchdown passes. Jacob Dobbs led Holy Cross with eight tackles while Benton Whitley recorded a game-high three tackles for a loss of 16 yards and forced a fumble.
The Crusaders held advantages in total offense (512-87), first downs (28-10) and time of possession (38:32-21:28). They generated four turnovers during the contest, with two coming on interceptions and two coming on fumble recoveries. They also held Bucknell to 3-of-11 on third downs while going 7-of-14 themselves. Most notably, they didn't allow a single yard on the ground, keeping the Bison at -1 for the contest's duration.
This was Bucknell's 2021 finale. Before the game, the Bison honored their graduating seniors: DL Grayson Cherubino, RB Jared Cooper, CB Sterling Deary, CB Micah Dennis, QB Tarrin Earle, DL Luke Hamper, OL Michael Killiri, WR Renn Lints, WR Dominic Lyles, LB Cole McCabe, OL Noah Sansalone and OL Jacob Russ.
The Crusaders (9-2, 6-0 PL) took advantage of stout defensive play and turnovers to run their road winning streak over the Bison (1-10, 0-6 PL) to seven games. They also set a new school record by winning their sixth Patriot League game of the season; the 2021 team joined the 1990 (5-0) and 1991 (5-0) squads as the only Holy Cross teams to go unbeaten in Patriot League action.
The Crusaders built a 31-0 halftime lead, notably holding Bucknell to just 26 yards of total offense and six first downs through the first two quarters. They set the tone for the game in the first quarter, turning their first drive into a 17-play, 69-yard scoring march that chewed 6:25 off of the game clock and saw them convert on one fourth down and two third downs. They then recovered a fumble during the resulting kickoff; they ultimately capitalized on their short, 26-yard field, scoring their second touchdown in less than three minutes.
Holy Cross netted 17 more points in the second quarter, with one touchdown coming on a 45-yard pick six by Kamyrn Molton. The Bison got on the board at the third quarter's 2:09 mark, with Mason Muir hauling in his second career touchdown reception from Nick Semptimphelter, a 23-yard score.
For Bucknell, Semptimphelter and Ethan Grady combined to complete 13 passes for 88 yards. In addition to catching a touchdown pass, Muir led all Bison receivers with a career-best 50 yards on five catches. Marques Owens recorded a career-high 128 all-purpose yards on a career-best 111 kickoff return yards and 17 receiving yards.
The Bison defense had four players reach the double digits in tackles: Blake Leake (16), John Schlendorf (14), Ben Allen (10) and Brent Jackson (10). Leake, Schlendorf and Jackson's totals each represented a new career high, with Leake's being the most registered by a Bison in 2021.
In addition, Bucknell posted four sacks, with Allen, Leake and Connor Carretta each logging one individually and Carretta teaming with Quentin Lemon for the fourth. This performance doubled the Bison's home sack total, bringing it to eight in 2021.Â
Alex Smith Jr. broke up a career-best two passes while Jack Barnes blocked a punt, which was recovered by Brad Jamison. Barnes became the second Bison in three games to block a punt, as Danny Meuser previously did so against Lehigh on Nov. 6.
For the Crusaders, Marco Siderman completed eight passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Jonathan Abrams paced all players with 80 rushing yards while Peter Oliver and Jordan Fuller accounted for Holy Cross's touchdowns on the ground.
Asante Ayir had four receptions for a game-best 81 yards while Justin Shorter caught two touchdown passes. Jacob Dobbs led Holy Cross with eight tackles while Benton Whitley recorded a game-high three tackles for a loss of 16 yards and forced a fumble.
The Crusaders held advantages in total offense (512-87), first downs (28-10) and time of possession (38:32-21:28). They generated four turnovers during the contest, with two coming on interceptions and two coming on fumble recoveries. They also held Bucknell to 3-of-11 on third downs while going 7-of-14 themselves. Most notably, they didn't allow a single yard on the ground, keeping the Bison at -1 for the contest's duration.
This was Bucknell's 2021 finale. Before the game, the Bison honored their graduating seniors: DL Grayson Cherubino, RB Jared Cooper, CB Sterling Deary, CB Micah Dennis, QB Tarrin Earle, DL Luke Hamper, OL Michael Killiri, WR Renn Lints, WR Dominic Lyles, LB Cole McCabe, OL Noah Sansalone and OL Jacob Russ.
Team Stats
CRO
BUC
Total Yards
512
87
Pass Yards
211
88
Rushing Yards
301
-1
Penalty Yards
120
30
1st Downs
28
10
3rd Downs
7
3
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
38:32
21:28
1st Quarter
CRO 7, BUC 0
CRO - Oliver,Peter 1 yd run (Ng,Derek kick), 17 plays, 69 yards, TOP 06:25
CRO 14, BUC 0
CRO - Ayeni,Tenio 4 yd pass from Sluka,Matthew (Ng,Derek kick) 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 02:07
2nd Quarter
CRO 21, BUC 0
CRO - Shorter,Justin 36 yd pass from Siderman,Marco (Ng,Derek kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:54
CRO 28, BUC 0
CRO - Molton,Kamryn 45 yd interception (Ng,Derek kick)
CRO 31, BUC 0
CRO - Ng,Derek 39 yd field goal 5 plays, 36 yards, TOP 00:36
3rd Quarter
CRO 38, BUC 0
CRO - Shorter,Justin 7 yd pass from Siderman,Marco (Ng,Derek kick) 8 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:01
CRO 38, BUC 6
BUC - Muir,Mason 23 yd pass from Semptimphelter,Nick () 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 03:19
4th Quarter
CRO 45, BUC 6
CRO - Fuller,Jordan 6 yd run (Ng,Derek kick), 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 04:22
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
8
TD
1
YDS
56
INT
0
CMP
5
TD
0
YDS
32
INT
2
Players Mentioned
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