Bucknell University
Lehigh
Football Visits Patriot League Rival Lehigh Saturday
10/19/2022 9:22:00 AM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell visits long-time rival Lehigh on Saturday for its second-to-last road game. It's the 86th meeting between the Bison and the Mountain Hawks, who first faced back in 1888. The Patriot League foes are both fighting to get back in the win column.
It's a homecoming for Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini, who graduated from Lehigh in 1995 after setting Patriot League records in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions as a wide receiver. He later helped coach the Mountain Hawks in various roles, including offensive coordinator.
Cecchini's Bison are 2-1 against Lehigh since he arrived in Lewisburg, and they're looking to grab their first league victory since beating the Mountain Hawks 6-0 in the spring of 2021.
Media Notes & Game Program:
When: Saturday, Oct. 22 – 12 p.m.
Where: Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, Pa.
Watch: 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 Bucknell would...
• improve to 34-49-3 in the all-time series with Lehigh
• snap a 13-game losing skid that dates back to last season
• win its first Patriot League game since April 3, 2021
• collect its first road win since April 3, 2021
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell (0-6, 0-2 PL) is looking to snap its losing skid after dropping 13 consecutive games. It's one of three Patriot League teams looking for their first league victory of the season.
• Bucknell wraps up a three-game road swing on Saturday and will play three of its final four contests in the confines of Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• Bucknell, while falling 29-9 to Yale last weekend, saw several standout performances. Both S Brent Jackson and RB Rushawn Baker received honorable mentions for Patriot League weekly awards. Jackson grabbed his first career interception and matched his career high with 12 tackles, leading a defensive unit that forced five turnovers against the Bulldogs. Baker became the Bison's first 100-yard rusher since 2019 and scored his third touchdown of the season.
• Bucknell was picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League based on a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors ahead of the 2022 season.
• The Bison finished 1-10 overall in the 2021 season and went 0-6 against league opponents. They were picked in the same spot prior to the shortened 2021 spring season before capturing the Patriot League South Division title and earning a spot in the first-ever Patriot League Championship. Bucknell eventually fell to Holy Cross in the title game that spring, and the Crusaders were picked to win the league again in 2022 as the three-time defending champions.
• Senior DB Gavin Pringle was voted to the 2022 Preseason All-Patriot League Team for a third time in his career. Pringle is a two-time All-Patriot League selection and tied for the team lead in pass breakups last year despite missing more than half the season with injury.
• The Bison returned a staggering 51 letterwinners in 2022, as dozens of underclassmen gained playing experience during an injury-plagued season last fall. The young group of returning lettermen include 18 sophomores, 23 juniors and 10 seniors. Five seniors are three-time letterwinners: Pringle, DB Jonathan Searcy, LB Ben Allen, Jackson and DL Cooper Kim.
• Bucknell's lone victory during the 2021 campaign came at home in week 4 against Cornell. The Bison scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter and generated four turnovers during Homecoming Weekend. Quarterback Nick Semptimphelter connected with tight end Christian Spugnardi for the go-ahead touchdown. Semptimphelter later ran for a two-yard touchdown.
• Bucknell is in its fourth season under head coach Dave Cecchini, who spent the previous five years at Valparaiso. For leading the Bison to a spot in the Patriot League Championship Game during the 2021 spring season, he was voted as the Patriot League Dick Biddle Coach of the Year.
• Searcy, Allen, Jackson and junior OL Ethan Pitzel were selected as team captains for the 2022 season.
Inside the Yale Box Score
• The Bison collected five takeaways, which were the most turnovers the team has forced since 2018, but the offense mustered just nine points as the Bison fell 29-9 to the Bulldogs.
• The five turnovers were forced by five different Bison. S Brent Jackson, S Alex Smith Jr., S Jonathan Searcy and CB Gavin Pringle all grabbed interceptions. S John Schlendorf forced a fumble for the Bison as well. None of the turnovers led to points.
• Jackson, who remains the FCS leader in solo tackles this season, matched his career high with 12 total tackles for a third time this season.
• RB Rushawn Baker ran for a career-high 113 yards on 20 carries. His 75-yard run in the first quarter was Bucknell's longest since 2017. Baker also scored his second rushing touchdown and third touchdown overall this season with a 15-yard run in the third quarter.
• Bison QB Ethan Grady finished the game 13 of 26 with 102 yards passing. His longest completion of the day (16 yards) went to WR Damian Harris, who led the team with four receptions for 38 yards.
• The Bulldogs posted 433 yards of total offense, gaining 224 on the ground and 209 through the air. QB Noland Grooms rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing for a score. Grooms completed 19 of 33 passes for 209 yards, but he also gave up all five turnovers and was sacked three times.
• The Bulldogs also collected two points with a safety, as Bucknell was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone.
• Bucknell trailed by just seven points heading into the fourth quarter.
Lehigh at a Glance
• Lehigh (1-6, 1-1 PL) has lost five games in a row, including last weekend's 19-15 loss at Cornell. The Mountain Hawks' lone victory was over Georgetown on Sept. 10.
• The Mountain Hawks were picked fifth in the 2022 Patriot League Preseason Poll after going 3-8 (3-3 PL) during the 2021 campaign.
• Three members of the Lehigh defense were named Preseason All-Patriot League players: DL Mikhari Sibblis, DB TyGee Leach, DB LaTreil Wimberly. Meanwhile, LB Mike DeNucci currently leads the Patriot League in sacks (8).
• Lehigh is averaging 15.9 points per game and is allowing 31 points per game on defense.
• Mountain Hawk head coach Tom Gilmore and Bison head coach Dave Cecchini were both coordinators at Lehigh in the early 2000s.
The Bucknell/Lehigh Series
• The Mountain Hawks are one of Bucknell's oldest rivals, as the series dates back to 1888. Bucknell trails 33-49-3 in all-time matchups with Lehigh.
• The Mountain Hawks have won six of the last 10 meetings.
• Bucknell won both the 2019 (20-10) and Spring 2021 (6-0) games, but Lehigh captured a 38-6 win over the Bison in Lewisburg last fall.
• The Bison have only faced Lafayette (100) more times than Lehigh (85).
The Last Meeting with the Mountain Hawks
• Bucknell was downed by rival Lehigh, 38-6, on Nov. 6, 2021. Turnovers proved costly for the Bison, who had their winning streak over the Mountain Hawks snapped at two games.
• Lehigh limited the Bucknell offense for large chunks of the contest, ceding only 170 yards of total offense and 10 first downs.
• Three of the Mountain Hawks' touchdowns came following interceptions, including on back-to-back drives in the second quarter that helped them build a 21-6 halftime lead.
• For Lehigh, RB Jack DiPietro filled the stat sheet with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and 71 yards on three receptions. LB Nate Norris logged a game-best 10 tackles while LB Mike DeNucci led all players with two sacks.
• K Ryan Schatzel booted field goals of 27 and 45 yards for Bucknell's six points.
• QBs Nick Semptimphelter and Ethan Grady split time, combining for 156 yards. WRs Dominic Lyles (47) and Mason Muir (40) each exceeded 40 receiving yards.
• S Brent Jackson paced the Bison with nine tackles while Mike Bright Jr. registered a sack that went for a loss of 10 yards.
• Playing on special teams, RB Danny Meuser blocked a punt, which S Alex Smith Jr. recovered, and Bucknell came up with one interception.
• Lehigh finished with advantages in total offense (408-170), first downs (22-10) and time of possession (37:01-22:59). The Mountain Hawks held the Bison to just 14 rushing yards over the course of the contest.
Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's projected starters on offense have made a combined 116 starts. All 11 projected offensive starters have made at least one start.
• Bucknell's projected starters on defense have made a combined 161 starts. All 11 projected starters on defense have made at least one start.
• On offense, one senior (OL R.J. Mehan), four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman (WR Okeyo Ayungo) are expected to start. Junior LT Ethan Pitzel leads the offensive group with 19 starts under his belt.
• On defense, four seniors, four juniors and three sophomores are expected to start. DB Gavin Pringle leads the entire roster in career starts (22).
• 17 Bison currently have at least 10 career starts.
• Only Allen and Jackson started all 11 of Bucknell's 2021 games. On the offensive side of the ball, Harris, Pitzel and Mehan each made 10 starts last season.
• 12 Bison have started all six games this season: Allen, Carretta, Harris, Jackson, Leake, Pitzel, Pringle, Robinson, Schlendorf, Searcy, Sturgis and Vyas.
• Five Bison currently boast starting streaks in the double digits: Allen (17), Jackson (17), Carretta (14), Leake (13) and Robinson (12).
• Only two seniors have played in all 32 of Bucknell's games during their time in Lewisburg to date: Allen and Searcy.
• Two juniors have played in all 21 of Bucknell's games during their time in Lewisburg to date: DL Tyler Alston and P/K Ruben Anderson.
• In 2021, a staggering 30 players each made their first career start. The total of 30 represented just over 34 percent of that team's roster; two were seniors, four were juniors, 12 were sophomores and 12 were freshmen.
Milestones Met Last Week
• S Brent Jackson intercepted the first pass of his career
• S John Schlendorf forced the first fumble of his career
• S Jonathan Searcy reached 100 career tackles
• K Matt Schearer made the first field goal of his career
• RB Rushawn Baker reached 500 rushing yards for his career
Milestones to Watch
• CB Gavin Pringle needs one pass breakup to reach 30 for his career
• WR Marques Owens needs one receiving yard to reach 300 for his career
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.
• Cecchini was voted as the 2021 Spring Patriot League Dick Biddle Coach of the Year for guiding the team to a spot in the Patriot League Championship Game. In addition, he was selected as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented by STATS to the FCS Coach of the Year, for the second time in his career.
• 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 while at Valparaiso, 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.
Inside the 2022 Schedule
• This is the 137th season of football at Bucknell. The Bison played their first game in 1883 and have played continuously since 1887.
• Bucknell's challenging 2022 schedule includes trips to FBS program Central Michigan and Ivy League opponent Yale. Central Michigan marks the third FBS team the Bison have scheduled in four seasons.
• Bucknell's 2022 opponents went a combined 58-64 in 2021, with Central Michigan winning its Sun Bowl game and Holy Cross advancing to the FCS playoffs for the third-straight season. VMI earned a spot in the 2021 spring FCS playoffs on the strength of its first conference title since 1977 while Towson, which did not compete during the 2020-21 school year, won seven games in both 2019 and 2018, advancing to the 2018 FCS playoffs.
• Bucknell begins Patriot League action at home against Lafayette on Oct. 1.
• Bucknell's other home contests include on Colgate on Oct. 29, Fordham on Nov. 5, and Pioneer Football League member Marist for Senior Day on Nov. 19 to close out the regular season on 19.
How to Follow the Bison
• All of Bucknell's home games and its road contests at VMI, Yale, Holy Cross, Lehigh and Georgetown will air on ESPN+, which became home of the Patriot League Network ahead of the 2020-21 school year.
• The Bison's game at FBS foe Central Michigan will be broadcast on ESPN3.
• All of the Bison'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.
• Bucknell is active on Twitter (@Bucknell_FB) and Instagram (Bucknell_FB). Interact with the team using the hashtags #ACT and #rayBucknell.
Up Next
• Bucknell returns home to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for the first time since the first of the month to host Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 29.
