Saturday, September 11
Villanova, Pa.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
0-2
3
at
55
#11/12 Villanova
2-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Bucknell
0
0
0
3
3
Villanova
21
24
7
3
55
Photo by: Max Bunzel
No. 11/12 Villanova Downs Bucknell Football
9/11/2021 8:59:00 PM | Football
VILLANOVA, Pa. – No. 11/12 Villanova downed the Bucknell football team, 55-3, on Saturday night at Villanova Stadium.
The Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 CAA) scored early and often en route to their ninth-straight victory over the Bison (0-2, 0-0 PL). Their high-powered offense logged 378 yards while their stingy defense only allowed 89 over the course of the contest.Â
Bucknell got on the board with 12:17 remaining in regulation, snapping a scoreless streak of 107:43 to open its 2021 campaign. Ryan Schatzel's 35-yard field goal, the first of his collegiate career, capped a 12-play, 58-yard scoring drive orchestrated by Tyler Beverett. During that drive, Beverett passed for 32 yards and added 13 on the ground; the highlight was a 17-yard throw to fellow sophomore Christian Tait.
At halftime, Villanova held a 45-0 advantage. The Wildcats built sizable edges in total offense (240-3) and first downs (13-4) during the first two stanzas, notably preventing the Bison from advancing past midfield for their duration.
Villanova's longest scoring drive in the first half took just 3:15 off of the clock. Four of the six were shorter than two minutes, including the first which came following an interception and the third which came after a failed fake punt. Christian Benford logged two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 19-yard touchdown.Â
In the second half, the Wildcats tacked on a five-yard touchdown rush that capped a 14-play, 78-yard drive and a 26-yard field goal that completed an 11-play, 51-yard march. Both of those drives took more than six minutes off of the clock, with the former draining 9:08.
Bucknell's youth movement continued on Saturday. Sophomores Nick Semptimphelter, a quarterback, and Jack Wall, an offensive lineman, started in the place of injured captains Tarrin Earle and Jacob Russ respectively; their fellow captains Grayson Cherubino and Dominic Lyles also missed their second-consecutive game. As in the 2021 opener at Sacred Heart, only five of the 22 Bison who started had at least five career starts under their belt entering the game.
For Bucknell, freshmen Jack Barnes (7) and John Schlendorf (6) led the way in tackles. Beverett posted 36 yards through the air and 16 on the ground in relief of Semptimphelter, who threw for 32 yards. Damian Harris logged a team-best 31 receiving yards while Beverett's 16 rushing yards paced the Bison.
For Villanova, Daniel Smith, who was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List, threw for three touchdowns. Jalen Jackson (70), T.D. Ayo-Durojaiye (65) and Justin Covington (59) all exceed 50 rushing yards while Rayoun Pringle caught three passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wildcats finished with overall advantages in total offense (378-89), first downs (21-11) and time of possession (30:53-29:07). They went 6-for-6 on their trips to the red zone compared to Bucknell's 1-for-1.
This was the Bison's 11th-straight loss to a nationally ranked opponent and 13th-straight downing by a current member of the CAA.Â
Bucknell next welcomes Penn to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex on Saturday, Sept. 18 for a 6 p.m. game. Multiple promotions are scheduled for the Bison's home opener, including post-game fireworks. They will also hold their First Responder & Hero Appreciation Night and their Vs. Cancer Game.
The Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 CAA) scored early and often en route to their ninth-straight victory over the Bison (0-2, 0-0 PL). Their high-powered offense logged 378 yards while their stingy defense only allowed 89 over the course of the contest.Â
Bucknell got on the board with 12:17 remaining in regulation, snapping a scoreless streak of 107:43 to open its 2021 campaign. Ryan Schatzel's 35-yard field goal, the first of his collegiate career, capped a 12-play, 58-yard scoring drive orchestrated by Tyler Beverett. During that drive, Beverett passed for 32 yards and added 13 on the ground; the highlight was a 17-yard throw to fellow sophomore Christian Tait.
At halftime, Villanova held a 45-0 advantage. The Wildcats built sizable edges in total offense (240-3) and first downs (13-4) during the first two stanzas, notably preventing the Bison from advancing past midfield for their duration.
Villanova's longest scoring drive in the first half took just 3:15 off of the clock. Four of the six were shorter than two minutes, including the first which came following an interception and the third which came after a failed fake punt. Christian Benford logged two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 19-yard touchdown.Â
In the second half, the Wildcats tacked on a five-yard touchdown rush that capped a 14-play, 78-yard drive and a 26-yard field goal that completed an 11-play, 51-yard march. Both of those drives took more than six minutes off of the clock, with the former draining 9:08.
Bucknell's youth movement continued on Saturday. Sophomores Nick Semptimphelter, a quarterback, and Jack Wall, an offensive lineman, started in the place of injured captains Tarrin Earle and Jacob Russ respectively; their fellow captains Grayson Cherubino and Dominic Lyles also missed their second-consecutive game. As in the 2021 opener at Sacred Heart, only five of the 22 Bison who started had at least five career starts under their belt entering the game.
For Bucknell, freshmen Jack Barnes (7) and John Schlendorf (6) led the way in tackles. Beverett posted 36 yards through the air and 16 on the ground in relief of Semptimphelter, who threw for 32 yards. Damian Harris logged a team-best 31 receiving yards while Beverett's 16 rushing yards paced the Bison.
For Villanova, Daniel Smith, who was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List, threw for three touchdowns. Jalen Jackson (70), T.D. Ayo-Durojaiye (65) and Justin Covington (59) all exceed 50 rushing yards while Rayoun Pringle caught three passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wildcats finished with overall advantages in total offense (378-89), first downs (21-11) and time of possession (30:53-29:07). They went 6-for-6 on their trips to the red zone compared to Bucknell's 1-for-1.
This was the Bison's 11th-straight loss to a nationally ranked opponent and 13th-straight downing by a current member of the CAA.Â
Bucknell next welcomes Penn to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex on Saturday, Sept. 18 for a 6 p.m. game. Multiple promotions are scheduled for the Bison's home opener, including post-game fireworks. They will also hold their First Responder & Hero Appreciation Night and their Vs. Cancer Game.
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
VU
Total Yards
89
378
Pass Yards
68
145
Rushing Yards
21
233
Penalty Yards
5
77
1st Downs
11
21
3rd Downs
3
8
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
29:07
30:53
1st Quarter
BUCKNELL 0, VU 7
VU - Smith, D. 1 yd run (Bartel, W. kick), 2 plays, 28 yards, TOP 1:07
BUCKNELL 0, VU 14
VU - Hayek, J. 21 yd pass from Smith, D. (Bartel, W. kick) 3 plays, 41 yards, TOP 1:09
BUCKNELL 0, VU 21
VU - Allen, J. 10 yd pass from Smith, D. (Bartel, W. kick) 6 plays, 31 yards, TOP 3:13
2nd Quarter
BUCKNELL 0, VU 28
VU - Pringle, R. 9 yd pass from Smith, D. (Bartel, W. kick) 4 plays, 26 yards, TOP 1:39
BUCKNELL 0, VU 31
VU - Bartel, W. 22 yd field goal 8 plays, 30 yards, TOP 3:15
BUCKNELL 0, VU 38
VU - Benford, C. 19 yd interception (Bartel, W. kick)
BUCKNELL 0, VU 45
VU - Pringle, R. 49 yd pass from Watkins, C. (Bartel, W. kick) 4 plays, 58 yards, TOP 1:29
3rd Quarter
BUCKNELL 0, VU 52
VU - Jackson, J. 5 yd run (Bartel, W. kick), 14 plays, 78 yards, TOP 9:08
4th Quarter
BUCKNELL 3, VU 52
BUCKNELL - Schatzel, Ryan 35 yd field goal 12 plays, 58 yards, TOP 6:23
BUCKNELL 3, VU 55
VU - Fondacaro, N. 26 yd field goal 11 plays, 51 yards, TOP 6:18
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
4
TD
0
YDS
36
INT
0
CMP
10
TD
0
YDS
32
INT
2
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ Football
P/K
/ Football
S
/ FootballQB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
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