Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Football Faces No. 9/10 Holy Cross in EBW Classic at Polar Park Saturday
10/5/2022 2:38:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell heads to Worcester, Mass. to take on three-peat Patriot League champion Holy Cross in the EBW Classic at Polar Park this Saturday. Polar Park, the home of the Worcester Red Sox Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, will transform into a gridiron for a second consecutive season to host the Bison and the Crusaders.
Bucknell will challenge nationally ranked No. 10/9 Holy Cross for its second Patriot League game of the season after falling to Lafayette last weekend. The Bison square off with the Crusaders for a 37th consecutive season.
Media Notes & Game Program:
When: Saturday, Oct. 8 – 4 p.m.
Where: Polar Park – Worcester, Mass.
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 100.9 The Valley (WVLY)
Internet Radio: WVLY.com/The__Valley
Live Stats: GoHolyCross.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB
With a victory the Bison would...
• improve to 14-25 in the all-time series with Holy Cross
• snap an 11-game losing skid that dates back to last season
• defeat a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since 2013
• move to 1-1 in Patriot League play
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell is 0-4 (0-1 PL) this season following a 24-14 loss to Lafayette last Saturday.
• 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 defensive back 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, DB Brent 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 Lafayette Box Score
• Rushawn Baker barreled two yards into the end zone to give Bucknell a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter of Saturday's Homecoming game against Lafayette, but the Leopards went on to score 21 unanswered. Coleman Bennett added another Bison touchdown and a two-point conversion late, but it wasn't enough as the Leopards held on for a 24-14 victory at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium last Saturday.
• Baker led the team with 71 yards on 15 carries, including a long of 33. Bennett added 34 yards on the ground on nine rushing attempts.
• Quarterback Ethan Grady took every snap under center for a second time this season and completed a career-high 20 passes on 40 attempts for 199 yards. He also threw three interceptions in the game while also adding the two-point conversion completion.
• Bucknell posted three sacks in the game, including 1.5 for Tyler Alston. Patrick Quinlivan added his third sack of the season as well.
• Bucknell came up with one turnover, a fumble recovery by Caleb Gillen on a punt late in the second quarter that led to the Bison's first touchdown.
• Lafayette QB Rent Montie scored two rushing touchdowns in the game while throwing for 122 yards. His 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter pushed the lead to 17-6.
• Lafayette RB Jamar Curtis posted a team-high 56 rush yards.
• Defensive back A.T. Ntantang grabbed two of the three interceptions for Lafayette. His 80-yard pick six in the fourth quarter extended the deficit to 24-6.
• Bucknell held a 307-259 advantage in total offense, and the Bison made five total trips to the red zone.
Holy Cross at a Glance
• Holy Cross is a perfect 5-0 (1-0 PL) following last week's 30-21 win at Harvard. The Crusaders also have wins over Yale, Colgate, Merrimack and FBS team Buffalo this fall.
• Holy Cross came in at No. 9 on the latest Stats Perform FCS rankings and No. 10 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
• The Crusaders have won 11 straight Patriot League games, dating back to 2019. They finished 6-0 in league play in 2021 before earning their first FCS playoff win over Sacred Heart and eventually falling to Villanova in the second round. Holy Cross was picked as the preseason favorite this fall and has been crowned league champion in three consecutive seasons.
• Holy Cross currently ranks third in FCS in turnover margin (+1.40), 11th in total offense (449.6), seventh in passing efficiency (173.46), 22nd in scoring offense (34.2), 20th in scoring defense (18.6) and 21st in rushing offense (193.2).
• Holy Cross returned 16 All-Patriot League honorees from 2021, and 14 were selected to Preseason All-Patriot League Teams. Most notable among the group is three-time All-Patriot League honoree and 2021 Stats Perform First Team All-American linebacker Jacob Dobbs, who missed the Crusaders' last game at Harvard.
• Holy Cross junior quarterback Matthew Sluka, who was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a Second Team All-League selection last season, has thrown for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns this fall while running for 352 yards and five more scores.
• The Crusaders have 14 seniors and six juniors expected to start on offense and defense on Saturday. Nine sophomores and no freshmen appear on the two deep, and just two sophomores are expected to start.
• Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney is in his fifth season with the program and is 30-16 in Worcester. He previously spent five seasons at Assumption College and three seasons at Salve Regina University. Chesney is 97-41 overall in his coaching career and is a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year.
The Bucknell/Holy Cross Series
• Saturday will be the 39th all-time meeting between the Bison and the Crusaders. The series began on Oct. 31, 1925, and the two teams have met annually since 1986.
• Between 1925 and 1986, Bucknell and Holy Cross met only once: in 1953.
• The Crusaders lead the all-time series 25-13 and are 13-6 when the games are played in Worcester.
• Bucknell is 3-7 over the last 10 meetings, and Holy Cross has taken each of the last three: 2021 (45-6), Spring 2021 (33-10), 2019 (21-14). The Spring 2021 game was for the Patriot League title.
• Bucknell's last win over the Crusaders was a 19-16 decision in Worcester on Sept. 29, 2018. The Bison built a 19-7 lead during the fourth quarter before the Crusaders responded with a safety and a touchdown to draw within a field goal with under seven minutes to play, but Bucknell's defense held on and Holy Cross missed a late 43-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game.
The Last Meeting with the Crusaders
• Holy Cross won 45-6 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on Nov. 20, 2021.
• 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.
• 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. In addition to catching a touchdown pass, Muir led all Bison receivers with a career-best 50 yards on five catches.
• Blake Leake led the Bison defensively in the game, recording a career-high 16 tackles and one sack.
• 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.
EBW Classic at Polar Park
• Holy Cross and the Worcester Red Sox baseball team, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, are teaming up for a second consecutive season to host the 2022 EBW Classic at Polar Park. It was a sellout crowd of 9,508 fans during the first-ever football game played at Polar Park in 2021.
• The contest is named the EBW Classic in honor of prominent Holy Cross alum Edward Bennett Williams, who was a high-profile trial attorney who owned several professional sports teams.
• Holy Cross defeated Colgate 42-10 on oct. 23, 2021 in the first EBW Classic last season.
Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's projected starters on offense have made a combined 106 starts. All 11 projected offensive starters have made at least one start.
• Bucknell's projected starters on defense have made a combined 139 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 17 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 (20).
• 14 Bison currently have at least 10 career starts: DB Gavin Pringle (20), OL Ethan Pitzel (17), DB Brent Jackson (16), LB Ben Allen (15), OL R.J. Mehan (15), DL Mike Bright Jr. (14), OL Zack Tarburton (14), RB Coleman Bennett (14), DL Connor Carretta (14), WR Damian Harris (14), ILB Blake Leake (13), DB Jonathan Searcy (14) and DL Tyler Alston (11) and DB Ethan Robinson (10). Of that group, five are seniors, eight are juniors and one is a sophomore.
• 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.
• Five Bison currently boast starting streaks in the double digits: Allen (15), Jackson (15), Carretta (12), Leake (11) and Robinson (10).
• Only two seniors have played in all 30 of Bucknell's games during their time in Lewisburg to date: Allen and Searcy.
• Two juniors have played in all 19 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
• DB Gavin Pringle made the 20th start of his career
• LB Blake Leake made the 100th tackle of his career
Milestone Watch
• S Jonathan Searcy needs seven tackles to reach 100 for his career
• RB Rushawn Baker needs 47 rush yards to reach 500 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 heads to New Haven, Conn. to face Yale on Saturday, Oct. 15. It's the fourth of five non-conference opponents the Bison have on the schedule this season.
