Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Hosts Lafayette for 2021 Spring Opener
3/16/2021 12:35:00 PM | Football
The Bison are scheduled to take the field for the first time in 483 days. Saturday's contest against the Leopards will also be the first time they have kicked off a season against a Patriot League opponent.
Up to four family members of Bucknell student-athletes and coaches, as well as Bucknell students, staff and faculty who are participating in on-campus COVID-19 testing, will be permitted to attend football games. No tickets are required for the 2021 spring season. The gates will open 90 minutes before kickoff. Family members of Bison players must enter through the main stadium gate while Bucknell students, faculty and staff should enter through the southeast gate at the top of Christy Mathewson Drive. View Bucknell's complete spectator policy, which details facility restrictions and COVID-19 guidelines, here.
The complete media notes can be viewed here.
When: Saturday, March 20 – 4 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: Eagle107.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB
With a victory the Bison would...
• move to 93-41-1 all-time in season openers
• improve to 98-35-1 in home openers
• move to 19-16 in Patriot League openers
• improve to 5-2 against the Leopards in their past seven meetings
Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison went 3-8 (3-3 PL) during the 2019 campaign. They tied for third in the Patriot League, their highest placement since they were the 2014 runners-up.
• Bucknell's 2019 Patriot League victories came over defending champion Colgate (32-14), rival Lehigh (20-10) and Georgetown (20-17); two of the Bison's three league losses came by a touchdown or less.
• Bucknell is in its second campaign under head coach Dave Cecchini, who spent the previous five seasons at Valparaiso.
• The Bison returned a total of 44 letterwinners, a group that includes 22 seniors, 12 juniors and 10 sophomores. Eight seniors are three-time letterwinners: OL P.J. Barr, S Brandon Benson, DL Roger Mellado, LB Rick Mottram, LB Simeon Page, P/K Ethan Torres, TE Alex Twiford and LB Gerrit Van Itallie.
• Barr, Benson, Mottram and Page are serving as team captains.
Lafayette at a Glance
• Though Saturday's game will be Bucknell's season opener, Lafayette kicked off its 2021 spring campaign on March 13. The Leopards toppled Colgate, 24-10.
• Lafayette was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League in the 2021 spring preseason poll, receiving one first-place vote.
• Six Leopards made the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, headlined by DL Malik Hamm, the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• Hamm was previously named the 2019 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and the 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
• In 2019, Lafayette went 4-8 (4-2 PL). The Leopards rebounded from an 0-7 start to place second in the Patriot League with their 4-2 record; they sealed their runner-up showing by knocking off rival Lehigh, 17-16, on a last-minute field goal in their season finale.
The Bucknell/Lafayette Series
• Bucknell played Lafayette in its first ever game on Nov. 30, 1883, a 59-0 loss.
• Lafayette leads the all-time series, 54-37-6, but Bucknell has won five of the past nine meetings between the teams. Â
• The Bison and Leopards have met every season since 1945, a stretch that will reach 76-consecutive seasons with the 2021 spring contest.
• In 2018 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lafayette snapped a four-game losing skid to Bucknell with its 29-27 win. The Leopards then took the 2019 meeting at Fisher Stadium by another slim margin.
• The Bison had won the 2017 (13-7 OT), 2016 (42-17), 2015 (35-24) and 2014 (27-24 OT) tilts; they previously enjoyed four winning streaks against Lafayette of equal or greater length: from 1929 to 1945 (6), 1968 to 1972 (5) and 1949 to 1952 (4).
The Last Meeting with the Leopards Â
Bucknell 17 – Lafayette 21 (Oct. 26, 2019 – Easton, Pa.)
• Lafayette scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to down Bucknell, 21-17, on Oct. 26, 2019 at Fisher Stadium.
• After QB Keegan Shoemaker found WR Nick Pearson for a 43-yard touchdown, the Leopards forced a turnover on the Bison's very next drive. Four plays later, RB Selwyn Simpson rushed for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
• For the Bison, QB Logan Bitikofer completed two touchdown throws to WR Brandon Sanders while RB 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. For his efforts, the LB captured his first Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week nod and was tabbed by STATS as an Honorable Mention FCS Defensive Player of the Week.
• During the first half, Bucknell missed two field goals; the Bison also failed to take advantage of Mottram's 11-yard interception return, which gave them the ball in Lafayette territory early in the fourth quarter.
• The Leopards finished with advantages in total offense (369-287), first downs (20-18) and time of possession (33:48-26:12).
• Sanders became the sixth Bison to catch at least 50 passes in a single season, joining WRs Will Carter (2x), Dave Kucera (2x), Tom Mitchell (2x), Jim Horan and Shaun Pasternak.
• Mottram and LB Gerrit Van Itallie each made the 100th tackle of his career; Van Itallie also became the third Bison to reach the 50-tackle plateau in 2019, joining Mottram and S Conner Romango.
Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on offense have made a combined 143 starts.
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on defense have made a combined 163 starts.
• On offense, five seniors, five juniors and one freshman (OL Casey Stephenson) are expected to start.
• On defense, eight seniors, two juniors and one sophomore (CB Gavin Pringle) are projected to start.
• In 2019, three Bison started every game on offense: OL P.J. Barr, WR John McGuire and TE Alex Twiford. On defense, seven Bison did the same: DL Grayson Cherubino, DL John Hunt, DL Roger Mellado, LB Rick Mottram, LB Simeon Page, S Conner Romango and DL Nnamdi Unachukwu. Of that group, all but Hunt returned for the 2021 spring campaign.
• Five Bison have at least 20 career starts: Barr (30), Mellado (28), Twiford (27), Page (23) and S Brandon Benson (21).
• Barr (30), Mellado (28), Twiford (21), Mottram (13) and Unachukwu (12) boast starting streaks that span multiple seasons. By starting every 2019 game, Cherubino, McGuire, Page and Romango also have starting streaks in the double digits.
• Two seniors, Barr and Mellado, have appeared in all 33 of the Bison's games since they arrived in Lewisburg. Only one junior, Cherubino, has seen action in all 22 of Bucknell's games during his time in the orange and blue.
• Beyond the five seniors with at least 20 career starts, 14 other Bison entered the 2021 spring season in the double digits: Unachukwu (18), Cherubino (17), Mottram (14), WR Brandon Sanders (14), QB Logan Bitikofer (13), RB Jared Cooper (13), Romango (13), McGuire (12), OL Justis Peppers (12), LB Gerrit Van Itallie (12), OL Alex Bolinger (10), CB Micah Dennis (10), OL Michael Killiri (10) and OL Simon Krizak (10).
• Of Bucknell's players who have at least 10 career starts, 14 are seniors and five are juniors. Cherubino is the only junior with more than 15 starts under his belt.
Milestones Met at Fordham (2019 Finale)
• S Brandon Benson: Reached 100 career solo tackles; currently has 101
• LB Rick Mottram: Reached 100 tackles on the 2019 campaign; became the first Bison to reach the triple digits in a single season since 2014, finishing with 102 Â
• WR Brandon Sanders: Became the 10th Bison to reach the century mark in career receptions; currently stands tied for ninth with 102
Milestone Watch
• S Brandon Benson: Needs 12 tackles to reach 200 in his career
• QB Logan Bitikofer: Needs eight passing attempts to reach 500 in his career
• QB Logan Bitikofer: Needs 22 completions to reach 300 in his career
• DL Roger Mellado: Needs 20 tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• LB Rick Mottram: Needs seven solo tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• LB Simeon Page: Needs three sacks to match Bucknell's career school record with 25.5
• LB Simeon Page: Needs nine solo tackles to reach 100 in his career
• S Conner Romango: Needs 13 tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• WR Brandon Sanders: Needs four receptions to move to eighth in school history with 106 in career; needs 20 to vault to seventh with 122
School Record Holders on the 2021 Spring Roster
• LB Simeon Page: Single Game Sacks (4.0, 11/18/17), Rookie Season Sacks (9.0, 2017)
• WR Brandon Sanders: Single Game Receptions (14, 10/5/19)
Bison Award Winners
• The Bison returned four All-Patriot League players in OL P.J. Barr (2nd in '19), LB Simeon Page (1st in '19 & 18, 2nd in '17), CB Gavin Pringle (2nd in '19) and WR Brandon Sanders (1st in '19). All four represented Bucknell on the 2021 Spring Preseason All-Patriot League Team; they were joined on that squad by DL Nnamdi Unachukwu.
• This spring, Page has the opportunity to become the fifth Bison to make four All-Patriot League squads. If he accomplishes the feat, he will join RB Rich Lemon (1993-96), OL Julién Davenport (2013-16), DL Abdullah Anderson (2014-17) and P Alex Pechin (2015, 2017-19).
• In 2019, Sanders became Bucknell's first offensive player to make the All-Patriot League First Team since Davenport in 2016; he also became the first offensive skill-position player to do so since WR Will Carter in 2014.
• LB Rick Mottram was voted to the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. He was the 25th Bison football player to be tabbed as an Academic All-American and the fourth to be recognized in the 2010s, joining LB Travis Nissley (2010), LB Tim Bolte (2011) and RB Matt DelMauro (2015).
• Mottram was joined on the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 Team by DL Grayson Cherubino. At least one Bison has received this distinction 17 of the 20 seasons since 2000, including the past six in a row.
• Mottram was named a semifinalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, commonly referred to as the "Academic Heisman." Only Bucknell and Dayton have had a Campbell Trophy semifinalist each of the past 15 years.
• The Bison lost two-year captain Pechin to graduation following the 2019 campaign. Over the course of his career, Pechin was selected to a staggering 15 All-America squads; most notably, he became the Patriot League's 14th consensus All-American based on his 2019 efforts. He also excelled in the classroom, earning a record three Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year citations and becoming the first Patriot League student-athlete to capture the STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, which is presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels not only in the classroom but in the community and beyond.
Head Coach Dave Cecchini
• Dave Cecchini, one of the all-time great wide receivers in Patriot League history who has since gone on to achieve tremendous success in the coaching ranks, was named the 27th Bob Odell Head Football Coach at Bucknell University on February 6, 2019.
• In his first season at the helm, Cecchini led the Bison to a third-place finish in the Patriot League, their highest placement since they were the 2014 runners-up. Their Patriot League victories came over defending champion Colgate (32-14), rival Lehigh (20-10) and Georgetown (20-17); two of their three league losses came by a touchdown or less.
• The head coach at Valparaiso from 2014 to 2018, Cecchini has a long track record of building explosive offenses at elite academic institutions. Previously the offensive coordinator at Lehigh, The Citadel and Harvard, his offenses have shattered school records at his every stop, propelling his teams to a combined seven conference championships.
• An All-American wide receiver at Lehigh during his playing days in the early 1990s, Cecchini spent 13 of his previous 24 seasons as a coach at his alma mater.
• In 2017, Cecchini was a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association's FCS National Coach of the Year and the STATS FCS Coach of the Year awards; he was also voted as the Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year and the AFCA FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year.
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Inside the 2021 Spring Schedule
• This is the 135th season of football at Bucknell. The Bison played their first game in 1883 and have played continuously since 1887.
• This will be the first time Bucknell has competed during the spring. Its fall season was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
• Previously, the latest date the Bison played a football game was January 1, 1935; that contest, a 26-0 Orange Bowl victory over the University of Miami, put an exclamation mark on their legendary 1934 campaign. They closed their season on November 30 six times: in 1893, 1899, 1905, 1911, 1916 and 1922; they also played their first-ever game on November 30, 1883.
• For the 2021 spring season, the six competing Patriot League football teams are split into two three-team divisions. Bucknell, Lafayette and Lehigh comprise the South Division. Colgate, Fordham and Holy Cross make up the North Division.
• The Bison are set to begin their season with a Patriot League game for the first time in program history.
• Bucknell has played Pennsylvania rivals Lafayette and Lehigh a combined 180 times, which accounts for almost 15 percent of its games in program history. The Bison and Mountain Hawks are set to meet for the 84th time while Bucknell's game against the Leopards will be their 98th.
How to Follow the Bison
• All of Bucknell's games will be broadcast on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3). The broadcast will also be available on Eagle107.com.
• All of Bucknell's games will air on ESPN+, which became home to the Patriot League Network ahead of the 2020-21 school year.
• The Bison are active on Twitter (@Bucknell_FB) and Instagram (Bucknell_FB). Interact with the team using the hashtags #ACT and #rayBucknell.
Up Next
• The Bison hit the road to face Lehigh on Saturday, March 27 at noon.
SEASON OUTLOOK
The Bucknell football team is ready to tackle its first ever spring campaign. While the 135th season of Bison football will certainly look different, second-year head coach Dave Cecchini is confident that his team is prepared to meet the challenges ahead.
"A spring college football season in itself is unique," Cecchini said. "It was different for everyone to show up for football camp at the end of January instead of at the beginning of August. Taking the field in sub-freezing temperatures instead of the 90-degree days of August was very different. From day one, we needed a different approach. With all of the COVID-19 restrictions, that just took it to another level."
Practicing and weight training during the COVID-19 public threat has been challenging. Cecchini is proud of how the Bison adapted, noting that staying healthy will be of paramount importance if they're to have on-field success.
"If there's one thing you can learn from the NFL and FBS games that occurred this fall, the team that is the healthiest will win the football game in many cases," Cecchini said. "I anticipate that will continue at the FCS level this spring. The team that has the best discipline in terms of social distancing, wearing masks and following the regulations will have the most success. It might be the single biggest predictor of victory when you're playing in a conference that has parity like the Patriot League. There's not one team that's clearly the favorite, and there's not one team that's clearly in the basement. It's going to be a very competitive season, and every edge we can find will be critical."
One edge that Bucknell has is its veteran leadership. The Bison lost only one starter following the 2019 campaign; notably, they return four of their five All-Patriot League honorees from that season. At the same time, Bucknell was able to practice in the fall of 2020. This allowed Cecchini and his staff to introduce the program's 31 newcomers to the rigors of the FCS game.
"In the Patriot League, the team with the strongest senior class typically wins the championship," Cecchini said. "Not always, but usually that's the case. Our seniors are good football players with a lot of experience, and having them is a huge help. We also had our freshmen on campus during the fall, which was great. We were able to expose them to our offense, defense and special teams. They've already started adjusting to the speed of the college game and the college lifestyle, and that's another advantage. We feel good because we have a lot of veterans back and all of our newcomers are more experienced than many other FCS freshmen who weren't on campus during the fall."
POSITION PREVIEWS
Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Linebacker
Defensive Back
Specialist
