Saturday, April 3
Bethlehem, Pa.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
at
Lehigh
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Bucknell Football Faces Lehigh with Spot in PL Title Game on Line
4/1/2021 4:05:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team travels to Bethlehem, Pa. to face Lehigh on Saturday, April 3 at 12 p.m.
With a victory over the rival Mountain Hawks, the Bison will clinch a spot in April 17's Patriot League Championship Game, which will air on CBS Sports Network at 2 p.m.
The complete media notes can be viewed here.
When: Saturday, April 3 – 12 p.m.
Where: Goodman Stadium – Bethlehem, Pa.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Radio: 100.9 The Valley (WVLY)
Internet Radio: WVLY.com/The__Valley
Live Stats: LehighSports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB
With a victory the Bison would...
• earn a berth in the first-ever Patriot League Championship Game with a 2-0 record in the South Division
• win their first two contests for the first time since 2014, when they started the season 4-0
• snap a two-game losing slide to Lehigh at Goodman Stadium
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell is 1-0 (1-0 PL South) following its 38-13 victory over Lafayette in its season opener on March 27.
• Through games played March 28, the Bison are the FCS leaders in rushing defense (15.0), turnover margin (4.00) and red-zone offense (1.000). In addition, Bucknell ranks in the top five in red-zone defense (t-3rd, .500), passing efficiency (4th, 187.86) and scoring defense (5th, 13.0).
• WR Brandon Sanders leads the FCS in receiving yards per game (179.0) and receptions per game (12.0); he is also tied for third in all-purpose yards per game (179.0) and tied for fourth in scoring (12.0).
• 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.
Inside the Lafayette Box Score
• Powered by strong defensive play, and 179 receiving yards and two touchdown catches from WR Brandon Sanders, Bucknell toppled Lafayette, 38-13, on March 27 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• After allowing the Leopards to score on their first drive of the game, the Bison piled up 38 unanswered points.
• Defensively, Bucknell limited the 2019 Patriot League runners-up to 284 yards of total offense, including only 15 on the ground.
• Sanders's career-high 179 yards came on 12 receptions, two shy of the school record he set against Holy Cross in 2019. His total of receiving yards stands seventh in Bison history and is 57 higher than his previous career-best total set against the Crusaders.
• On the strength of his performance, Sanders was named the Patriot League Offensive Player and Bison Athlete of the Week. He became the first Bison to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week accolades since the 2014 campaign; in the space between RB Matt DelMauro (Nov. 17, 2014) and Sanders's awards, Bucknell had 10 Defensive Players of the Week, nine Rookies of the Week and eight Special Teams Players of the Week.
• QB Logan Bitikofer completed 14 of 22 passes for 183 yards while QB Tarrin Earle went 11 for 13 for 145 yards and added a team-best 25 yards on seven carries. TE Alex Twiford (52) and WR Dominic Lyles (51) rounded out Bucknell's top three in receiving yards, each also catching a touchdown pass.
• Four different Bison intercepted a pass, with LB Blake Leake returning his first career interception 41 yards for a touchdown to put an exclamation mark on his team's commanding victory late in the fourth quarter.
• Bucknell led Lafayette in total offense (415-284), rushing yards (87-15), passing yards (328-269), first downs (21-13) and time of possession (34:04-25:56). Notably, the Bison did not commit a single turnover.
• Bucknell's game was its first in 490 days. It was also the first time the Bison have kicked off a season against a Patriot League opponent.
Lehigh at a Glance
• Lehigh is 0-1 (0-0 PL South). The Mountain Hawks fell to defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross, 20-3, on March 13 in their only game to date.
• In 2019, Lehigh went 4-7 (3-3 PL) and tied for third in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks closed that game on a four-game losing slide.
• Lehigh was picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League in the 2021 spring preseason poll. WR Jorge Portorreal and TE Alex Snyder represented the Mountain Hawks on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Lehigh won back-to-back Patriot League titles in 2017 and 2016. The Mountain Hawks shared their 2017 crown with Colgate. Â
• Like Bucknell, Lehigh has a second-year head coach. Tom Gilmore, who was Holy Cross's head coach from 2004 to 2017, is the 29th head coach in its history.
• Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini was an All-American wide receiver at Lehigh during his playing days in the early 1990s. He spent 13 of his previous 24 seasons as a coach at his alma mater. Most recently, he served as the Mountain Hawks' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2010 to 2013.
 The Bucknell/Lehigh Series
• Lehigh leads the all-time series with Bucknell, 48-32-3, and has won seven of the past 10 meetings.
• The Bison snapped a four-game losing slide to the Mountain Hawks with 2019's 20-10 victory.
• From 1998 to 2012, Lehigh ran together a 15-game winning streak over Bucknell, the longest by either team in the all-time series. The Bison ended that streak with an emphatic 48-10 victory over the then No. 15 Mountain Hawks during their 2013 Homecoming game.
• Bucknell then won the 2014 contest, 45-24, before dropping the 2015 (10-21), 2016 (13-20), 2017 (21-42) and 2018 (17-45) meetings. Â
• In Bucknell's last victory in Bethlehem, on Oct. 11, 2014, QB Trey Lauletta became the first Bison in 20 years to throw for at least 300 yards, completing 15 of 20 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns.
• WR Will Carter became only the fourth Bison to catch three touchdown passes in a single game while also accumulating 246 receiving yards, which ranks second in school history. His touchdown receptions were 69, 78 and 77 yards long.
The Last Meeting with the Mountain Hawks Â
Bucknell 20 – Lehigh 10 (Nov. 9, 2019 – Lewisburg, Pa.)
• A suffocating defensive performance propelled Bucknell to a 20-10 victory over rival Lehigh at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bolstered by seven sacks for a loss of 52 yards, the Bison held the Mountain Hawks to -6 rushing yards.
• Bucknell's linebackers paved the way defensively throughout the game. Rick Mottram, Simeon Page and Gerrit Van Itallie combined for 22 tackles, six tackles for a loss and four sacks; Van Itallie also recovered a fumble forced by DL Joe Schiano to halt Lehigh's final drive of the game.
• QB Logan Bitikofer completed 23 of 39 passes for 190 yards, throwing touchdown passes to WRs Stefone Moore-Green and John McGuire.
• McGuire and Moore-Green's touchdown catches were also career-long receptions. McGuire set a new career high with 73 receiving yards.
• RBs Chad Freshnock and Jared Cooper combined for 108 yards on 24 carries.
• K Tyler Keiser, a senior walk-on who graduated from nearby Southern Columbia High School, booted the first two field goals of his collegiate career.
• Up just 10-3, the Bison made a goal-line stand early in the second half. Van Itallie and DL Grayson Cherubino teamed for a sack on 1st and goal while S Brent Jackson came up with a sack for a loss of nine yards on 3rd and goal. Lehigh ultimately had a 31-yard field goal bid go wide left.
• Page became the fifth Bison to post at least 20 career sacks, joining Dave Hibbard (25.5, 1978-80), Ed Burman (25.5, 1993-95), Joe Massey (22.5, 1999-2002) and Pete Mauritz (22, 1978-80). He finished the game with 21.5.
• Overall, Bucknell held advantages in total offense (305-209), first downs (19-15) and time of possession (32:02-27:58).
• With their victory, the Bison snapped a four-game losing streak to Lehigh. They also halted an eight-game home losing slide. Their last victory at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was on Nov. 11, 2017, a 12-0 Senior Day shutout of Georgetown.
Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on offense have made a combined 142 starts.
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on defense have made a combined 173 starts.
• On offense, five seniors, four juniors and two freshmen 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 (31), Mellado (29), Twiford (28), Page (24) and S Brandon Benson (22). Unachukwu will join that group with a start at Lehigh.
• Barr (31), Mellado (29) and Twiford (22) boast starting streaks of at least 15 games. Mottram will join that group with a start at Lehigh.
• Two seniors, Barr and Mellado, have appeared in all 34 of the Bison's games since they arrived in Lewisburg. Cherubino, the only junior who saw action in his class's first 22 games, missed the 2021 spring opener to injury.
• Beyond the five seniors with at least 20 career starts, four other Bison have made at least 15: Unachukwu (19), Cherubino (17), Mottram (15) and WR Brandon Sanders (15). QB Logan Bitikofer and S Conner Romango will join that group with a start at Lehigh.
• Four freshmen started Bucknell's 2021 spring opener: RB Coleman Bennett, DL Mike Bright Jr., OL Ethan Pitzel and OL Casey Stephenson. In addition, DL Clay Myers, a senior, made his first collegiate start. Â
• Beyond the four starters, a total of 15 freshmen saw action in their very first game as Bison: P/K Ruben Anderson (as a punter), LB Tyler Alston, S Sam Barus, QB Tyler Beverett, DL Connor Carretta, DL Nathaniel Carson, TE Colby Grames, LB Blake Leake, S Quentin Lemon, RB Danny Meuser, WR Andrew Passero, P/K Ben Popko (as a holder), OL Sean Quarterman, QB Nick Semptimphelter and WR Christian Tait.
Milestones Met Against Lafayette
• QB Logan Bitikofer: Attempted his 500th career pass; now has 514 passing attempts
• WR Brandon Sanders: Moved to eighth in school history in career receptions; now has 114
Milestone Watch
• S Brandon Benson: Needs eight tackles to reach 200 in his career
• QB Logan Bitikofer: Needs eight completions to reach 300 in his career
• DL Roger Mellado: Needs 19 tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• LB Rick Mottram: Needs five solo tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• LB Simeon Page: Needs two sacks to match Bucknell's career school record with 25.5
• LB Simeon Page: Needs six solo tackles to reach 100 in his career
• S Conner Romango: Needs 10 tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• WR Brandon Sanders: Needs eight receptions to move to seventh in school history with 122 in career; needs 15 to vault to fifth with 129; needs 30 to reach fourth with 144
• WR Brandon Sanders: Needs 383 receiving yards to crack Bucknell's top 10 with 1,608 in career
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.
• 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. Only Bucknell and Dayton have had a Campbell Trophy semifinalist each of the past 15 years.
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.
• 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.
How to Follow the Bison
• All of Bucknell's games will be broadcast on 100.9 The Valley (WVLY). The broadcast will also be available on WVLY.com/The__Valley and BucknellBison.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 will make up their postponed March 13 contest against Fordham on Saturday, April 10 at 1 p.m.
With a victory over the rival Mountain Hawks, the Bison will clinch a spot in April 17's Patriot League Championship Game, which will air on CBS Sports Network at 2 p.m.
The complete media notes can be viewed here.
When: Saturday, April 3 – 12 p.m.
Where: Goodman Stadium – Bethlehem, Pa.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Radio: 100.9 The Valley (WVLY)
Internet Radio: WVLY.com/The__Valley
Live Stats: LehighSports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB
With a victory the Bison would...
• earn a berth in the first-ever Patriot League Championship Game with a 2-0 record in the South Division
• win their first two contests for the first time since 2014, when they started the season 4-0
• snap a two-game losing slide to Lehigh at Goodman Stadium
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell is 1-0 (1-0 PL South) following its 38-13 victory over Lafayette in its season opener on March 27.
• Through games played March 28, the Bison are the FCS leaders in rushing defense (15.0), turnover margin (4.00) and red-zone offense (1.000). In addition, Bucknell ranks in the top five in red-zone defense (t-3rd, .500), passing efficiency (4th, 187.86) and scoring defense (5th, 13.0).
• WR Brandon Sanders leads the FCS in receiving yards per game (179.0) and receptions per game (12.0); he is also tied for third in all-purpose yards per game (179.0) and tied for fourth in scoring (12.0).
• 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.
Inside the Lafayette Box Score
• Powered by strong defensive play, and 179 receiving yards and two touchdown catches from WR Brandon Sanders, Bucknell toppled Lafayette, 38-13, on March 27 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• After allowing the Leopards to score on their first drive of the game, the Bison piled up 38 unanswered points.
• Defensively, Bucknell limited the 2019 Patriot League runners-up to 284 yards of total offense, including only 15 on the ground.
• Sanders's career-high 179 yards came on 12 receptions, two shy of the school record he set against Holy Cross in 2019. His total of receiving yards stands seventh in Bison history and is 57 higher than his previous career-best total set against the Crusaders.
• On the strength of his performance, Sanders was named the Patriot League Offensive Player and Bison Athlete of the Week. He became the first Bison to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week accolades since the 2014 campaign; in the space between RB Matt DelMauro (Nov. 17, 2014) and Sanders's awards, Bucknell had 10 Defensive Players of the Week, nine Rookies of the Week and eight Special Teams Players of the Week.
• QB Logan Bitikofer completed 14 of 22 passes for 183 yards while QB Tarrin Earle went 11 for 13 for 145 yards and added a team-best 25 yards on seven carries. TE Alex Twiford (52) and WR Dominic Lyles (51) rounded out Bucknell's top three in receiving yards, each also catching a touchdown pass.
• Four different Bison intercepted a pass, with LB Blake Leake returning his first career interception 41 yards for a touchdown to put an exclamation mark on his team's commanding victory late in the fourth quarter.
• Bucknell led Lafayette in total offense (415-284), rushing yards (87-15), passing yards (328-269), first downs (21-13) and time of possession (34:04-25:56). Notably, the Bison did not commit a single turnover.
• Bucknell's game was its first in 490 days. It was also the first time the Bison have kicked off a season against a Patriot League opponent.
Lehigh at a Glance
• Lehigh is 0-1 (0-0 PL South). The Mountain Hawks fell to defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross, 20-3, on March 13 in their only game to date.
• In 2019, Lehigh went 4-7 (3-3 PL) and tied for third in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks closed that game on a four-game losing slide.
• Lehigh was picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League in the 2021 spring preseason poll. WR Jorge Portorreal and TE Alex Snyder represented the Mountain Hawks on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Lehigh won back-to-back Patriot League titles in 2017 and 2016. The Mountain Hawks shared their 2017 crown with Colgate. Â
• Like Bucknell, Lehigh has a second-year head coach. Tom Gilmore, who was Holy Cross's head coach from 2004 to 2017, is the 29th head coach in its history.
• Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini was an All-American wide receiver at Lehigh during his playing days in the early 1990s. He spent 13 of his previous 24 seasons as a coach at his alma mater. Most recently, he served as the Mountain Hawks' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2010 to 2013.
 The Bucknell/Lehigh Series
• Lehigh leads the all-time series with Bucknell, 48-32-3, and has won seven of the past 10 meetings.
• The Bison snapped a four-game losing slide to the Mountain Hawks with 2019's 20-10 victory.
• From 1998 to 2012, Lehigh ran together a 15-game winning streak over Bucknell, the longest by either team in the all-time series. The Bison ended that streak with an emphatic 48-10 victory over the then No. 15 Mountain Hawks during their 2013 Homecoming game.
• Bucknell then won the 2014 contest, 45-24, before dropping the 2015 (10-21), 2016 (13-20), 2017 (21-42) and 2018 (17-45) meetings. Â
• In Bucknell's last victory in Bethlehem, on Oct. 11, 2014, QB Trey Lauletta became the first Bison in 20 years to throw for at least 300 yards, completing 15 of 20 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns.
• WR Will Carter became only the fourth Bison to catch three touchdown passes in a single game while also accumulating 246 receiving yards, which ranks second in school history. His touchdown receptions were 69, 78 and 77 yards long.
The Last Meeting with the Mountain Hawks Â
Bucknell 20 – Lehigh 10 (Nov. 9, 2019 – Lewisburg, Pa.)
• A suffocating defensive performance propelled Bucknell to a 20-10 victory over rival Lehigh at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bolstered by seven sacks for a loss of 52 yards, the Bison held the Mountain Hawks to -6 rushing yards.
• Bucknell's linebackers paved the way defensively throughout the game. Rick Mottram, Simeon Page and Gerrit Van Itallie combined for 22 tackles, six tackles for a loss and four sacks; Van Itallie also recovered a fumble forced by DL Joe Schiano to halt Lehigh's final drive of the game.
• QB Logan Bitikofer completed 23 of 39 passes for 190 yards, throwing touchdown passes to WRs Stefone Moore-Green and John McGuire.
• McGuire and Moore-Green's touchdown catches were also career-long receptions. McGuire set a new career high with 73 receiving yards.
• RBs Chad Freshnock and Jared Cooper combined for 108 yards on 24 carries.
• K Tyler Keiser, a senior walk-on who graduated from nearby Southern Columbia High School, booted the first two field goals of his collegiate career.
• Up just 10-3, the Bison made a goal-line stand early in the second half. Van Itallie and DL Grayson Cherubino teamed for a sack on 1st and goal while S Brent Jackson came up with a sack for a loss of nine yards on 3rd and goal. Lehigh ultimately had a 31-yard field goal bid go wide left.
• Page became the fifth Bison to post at least 20 career sacks, joining Dave Hibbard (25.5, 1978-80), Ed Burman (25.5, 1993-95), Joe Massey (22.5, 1999-2002) and Pete Mauritz (22, 1978-80). He finished the game with 21.5.
• Overall, Bucknell held advantages in total offense (305-209), first downs (19-15) and time of possession (32:02-27:58).
• With their victory, the Bison snapped a four-game losing streak to Lehigh. They also halted an eight-game home losing slide. Their last victory at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was on Nov. 11, 2017, a 12-0 Senior Day shutout of Georgetown.
Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on offense have made a combined 142 starts.
• Bucknell's 11 projected starters on defense have made a combined 173 starts.
• On offense, five seniors, four juniors and two freshmen 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 (31), Mellado (29), Twiford (28), Page (24) and S Brandon Benson (22). Unachukwu will join that group with a start at Lehigh.
• Barr (31), Mellado (29) and Twiford (22) boast starting streaks of at least 15 games. Mottram will join that group with a start at Lehigh.
• Two seniors, Barr and Mellado, have appeared in all 34 of the Bison's games since they arrived in Lewisburg. Cherubino, the only junior who saw action in his class's first 22 games, missed the 2021 spring opener to injury.
• Beyond the five seniors with at least 20 career starts, four other Bison have made at least 15: Unachukwu (19), Cherubino (17), Mottram (15) and WR Brandon Sanders (15). QB Logan Bitikofer and S Conner Romango will join that group with a start at Lehigh.
• Four freshmen started Bucknell's 2021 spring opener: RB Coleman Bennett, DL Mike Bright Jr., OL Ethan Pitzel and OL Casey Stephenson. In addition, DL Clay Myers, a senior, made his first collegiate start. Â
• Beyond the four starters, a total of 15 freshmen saw action in their very first game as Bison: P/K Ruben Anderson (as a punter), LB Tyler Alston, S Sam Barus, QB Tyler Beverett, DL Connor Carretta, DL Nathaniel Carson, TE Colby Grames, LB Blake Leake, S Quentin Lemon, RB Danny Meuser, WR Andrew Passero, P/K Ben Popko (as a holder), OL Sean Quarterman, QB Nick Semptimphelter and WR Christian Tait.
Milestones Met Against Lafayette
• QB Logan Bitikofer: Attempted his 500th career pass; now has 514 passing attempts
• WR Brandon Sanders: Moved to eighth in school history in career receptions; now has 114
Milestone Watch
• S Brandon Benson: Needs eight tackles to reach 200 in his career
• QB Logan Bitikofer: Needs eight completions to reach 300 in his career
• DL Roger Mellado: Needs 19 tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• LB Rick Mottram: Needs five solo tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• LB Simeon Page: Needs two sacks to match Bucknell's career school record with 25.5
• LB Simeon Page: Needs six solo tackles to reach 100 in his career
• S Conner Romango: Needs 10 tackles to reach 100 in his career Â
• WR Brandon Sanders: Needs eight receptions to move to seventh in school history with 122 in career; needs 15 to vault to fifth with 129; needs 30 to reach fourth with 144
• WR Brandon Sanders: Needs 383 receiving yards to crack Bucknell's top 10 with 1,608 in career
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.
• 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. Only Bucknell and Dayton have had a Campbell Trophy semifinalist each of the past 15 years.
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.
• 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.
How to Follow the Bison
• All of Bucknell's games will be broadcast on 100.9 The Valley (WVLY). The broadcast will also be available on WVLY.com/The__Valley and BucknellBison.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 will make up their postponed March 13 contest against Fordham on Saturday, April 10 at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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P/K
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QB
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QB
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DL
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DL
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DL
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RB
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QB
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TE
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S
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P/K
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LB
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S
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WR
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WR
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DL
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RB
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LB
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DL
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LB
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WR
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OL
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CB
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OL
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S
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WR
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QB
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OL
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WR
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P/K
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TE
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