Bucknell Football Hosts Towson for 2022 Season Opener

Saturday, September 3

Lewisburg, Pa.

6 p.m.

Bucknell University

Towson

Photo by: Lianne Garrahan

Bucknell Football Hosts Towson for 2022 Season Opener

8/31/2022 6:48:00 AM | Football

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team opens its 2022 season at home on Saturday, Sept. 3 when the Towson Tigers visit Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff. It marks the 137th season of Bucknell football.

Bucknell and Towson, which used to meet annually when the Tigers competed as members of the Patriot League from 1997-2003, will match up for just the second time in 19 years. Both teams are poised for bounce-back seasons and seeking a fresh start to the new campaign.

Media Notes & Game Program:

When: Saturday, Sept. 3 – 6 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: 100.9 The Valley (WVLY)
Internet Radio: WVLY.com/The__Valley
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB

Game Promotions:
• Hero Appreciation/First Responder Night (Complimentary tickets for all veterans, active duty military, Gold-Star families, first responders, doctors & nurses, and one guest)
• Geisinger T-Shirt Giveaway (First 500 fans)
• Vs. Cancer Night
• Postgame Fireworks, presented by Weis Markets and Football Alumni (Approximately 10 minutes after the conclusion of the game)

With a victory the Bison would...
• move to 94-42-1 all-time in season openers
• improve to 100-36-1 in home openers
• move to 2-2 all-time in openers under Coach Cecchini
• even the all-time series with Towson at 9-9
• collect their first win over the CAA since 1980

Bucknell at a Glance
• 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.

Towson at a Glance
• Towson was picked to finish 11th out of 13 teams in the 2022 CAA preseason poll after going 4-7 overall and 3-5 in conference play last season. The Tigers collected wins over Morgan State, Stony Brook, Rhode Island and UAlbany.
• DL Jesus Gibbs was named to the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List, while FB Luke Hamilton and KR/PR D'Ago Hunter were chosen as Preseason All-CAA selections. FB/TE Luke Hamilton was a Second Team All-CAA selection last fall.
• 60 Towson players are in either their freshman year or are first-year transfers.
• The Tigers finished the 2021 season ranked 12th in red zone offense (.714) and 27th in kickoff returns (22.02).
• Towson enters the 2022 season without last year's leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler.
• The Tigers are led by head coach Rob Ambrose, who possesses a 73-78 career record over his 13-year career at Towson. Ambrose has guided the Tigers to six winning seasons, two CAA championships, three playoff appearances and a trip to the 2013 FCS National Championship game. Bucknell is 0-1 when facing Ambrose.

The Bucknell/Towson Series
• Towson holds a slight 9-8 edge in the all-time series with Bucknell, which dates back to 1982. The Tigers won 56-7 in the most recent meeting in 2019, but Bucknell is 6-4 over the last 10.
• Bucknell's last win over the Tigers was in 2003. The Tim Landis-led Bison captured a 14-10 victory during Homecoming on Oct. 18. Blamah Sarnor rushed for 107 yards and both Bucknell touchdowns, as the Bison overcame a 10-0 deficit and an injury to starting quarterback Daris Wilson.
• Bucknell is 6-3 when playing Towson at home and has won each of the last two meetings in Lewisburg.
• The Bison own the series' longest winning streak, taking five in a row from 1994 to
1998.
• Twelve of Bucknell's tilts with the Tigers came consecutively between 1992 and
2003; the two teams also squared off in 1989 and 1990.
• From 1997 to 2003, Towson was an associate member of the Patriot League. The
Tigers, who played the next two seasons in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference, joined
the CAA in 2007.

The Last Meeting with the Tigers
Towson 56 – Bucknell 7 (Oct. 19, 2019 – Towson, Md.)
• Ranked No. 20/18 at the time, Towson used record-setting performances by quarterback Tom Flacco and wide receiver Shane Leatherbury to dispatch the Bison. Flacco tossed five touchdown passes to Leatherbury in the first half, and D'Ago Hunter opened the second half with a 92-yard kickoff return.
• Bucknell scored its touchdown at the 8:25 mark in the second quarter on a three-yard scamper by Jared Cooper.
• The Tigers finished the game with edges in total yards (560-161), first downs (28-8) and time of possession (35:27-24:33). They limited the Bison to just six rushing yards over the course of the contest, bolstered by making eight tackles for a loss of 31 yards.
• Also in the game, then-freshman LB Ben Allen registered his first career sack, which went for a loss of eight yards and forced Towson to punt in the first quarter. DB Brent Jackson, who started at free safety, became the fourth freshman to start in 2019, joining WR Connor Holmes, CB Gavin Pringle and OL Zack Tarburton.

Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's projected starters on offense have made a combined 74 starts. TE Colby Grames is the only expected offensive starter looking to make his first start.
• Bucknell's projected starters on defense have made a combined 96 starts. OLB John Schlendorf is the only expected defensive starter looking to make his first start.
• On offense, one senior (OL R.J. Mehan), five juniors and five sophomores are expected to start. Junior LT Ethan Pitzel leads the offensive group with 13 starts under his belt.
• On defense, four seniors, three juniors and four sophomores are expected to start. DB Gavin Pringle leads the entire roster in career starts (16).
• 11 Bison currently have at least 10 career starts: DB Gavin Pringle (16), OL Ethan Pitzel (13), DB Brent Jackson (12), DL Mike Bright Jr. (12), OL Zack Tarburton (12), LB Ben Allen (11), OL R.J. Mehan (11), RB Coleman Bennett (11), DL Connor Carretta (10), WR Damian Harris (10) and DB Jonathan Searcy (10). Of that group, five are seniors and six are juniors.
• With a start against Towson in the 2022 opener, junior LB Blake Leake will reach double digits in 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.
• Two Bison currently boast starting streaks in the double digits: Allen (11) and Jackson (11). Carretta has a starting streak of eight games.
• Entering the 2021 finale, Pitzel was the lone Bison with a starting streak that spanned multiple season. His 11-game starting streak was snapped when he missed that game due to injury.
• Only two seniors have played in all 26 of Bucknell's games during their time in Lewisburg to date: Allen and Searcy.
• Two juniors have played in all 15 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 represents just over 34 percent of that team's roster; two were seniors, four were juniors, 12 were sophomores and 12 were freshmen.
• Multiple players made their first career starts in eight of Bucknell's 11 2021 games, topping out at 10 in its first tilt at Sacred Heart. The Bison had no player make his first career start in their ninth game at Colgate and their finale against Holy Cross.

Milestone Watch
• CB/S Gavin Pringle: Needs four tackles to reach 100 in his career

Bison Award Winners
• The Bison returned one All-Patriot League player in DB Gavin Pringle (1st in '21S, 2nd in '19).
• Pringle has been voted to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team in three consecutive seasons, and RB Coleman Bennett was voted to the 2021 Preseason All-Patriot League Team, representing Bucknell as a return specialist.
• The Bison graduated All-Patriot League honorees RB Jared Cooper and WR Dominic Lyles following the 2021 season.
• DB Brent Jackson was voted to the 2021 Academic All-Patriot League Team, earning the award for the first time in his career.
• Bennett and Jackson were named 2022 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in May. The award recognizes undergraduate students of color who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic fields.

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.

Facility Updates
• Thanks to the support of the Pascucci family, Bucknell's new artificial turf practice field was broken in during preseason camp. Offering additional training and practice space for several men's and women's teams, the new field provides even greater training opportunities for a variety of programs beyond the ones that call Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium home.
• The stadium's new, state-of-the-art video board made its debut last season, greatly heightening the fan experience at home events.
• In recognition of Pascucci's historic commitment to both financial aid and athletics, the area of campus that includes the stadium and the Christy Mathewson Gates has been named the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex.

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 travels south for its first road game of the season at VMI on Saturday, Sept. 10. It's Bucknell's first game against the Keydets since the 2016 triple-overtime battle.