
Bucknell Football Makes 2023 Home Debut Saturday vs. VMI
9/5/2023 2:49:00 PM | Football
Notes: Kickoff for the Bucknell football team's Saturday, Sept. 9 game against VMI, originally scheduled for 6 p.m., has been moved up to 3 p.m. due to the impending weather forecast. Click here for more information.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell plays its first home game of the 2023 season on Saturday against VMI. There will be an abundance of exciting events and fan activities in and around Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, as the team seeks its first victory in front of an Orange & Blue Bison crowd.
It's the second season in a row the Bison have faced the Keydets in week two. Bucknell is looking to improve to 1-1 on the season after falling on the road at FBS opponent James Madison last Saturday. The Bison hung in there against the reigning Sun Belt East Division Champions and showed plenty on promise on both sides of the ball.
VMI comes to Lewisburg in search of its first 2-0 start since the spring 2021 campaign. The Keydets rattled off five straight wins to open that shortened season. VMI defeated Davidson in its opener last weekend but will face a Bucknell team hungry for victory on Saturday. The Bison and the Keydets are meeting for the seventh time since 1978 and for the sixth time since 2013.
Media Notes:
Events & Game Promotions
• First Responder and Hero Appreciation Night (free admission for all first responders and active/retired military)
• Hall of Fame Weekend (halftime recognition of the HOF class of 2023) and Football Alumni Weekend
When: Saturday, Sept. 9 – 3 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Tickets: Bucknell Campus Box Office OR call 570-577-1000
Internet Video: ESPN+
Radio: 100.9 The Valley (WVLY)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_FB
With a victory the Bison would...
• move to 1-1 on the season
• move to 99-37-1 all-time in first home games
• improve to 4-3 in all-time meetings with VMI
• defeat VMI for the first time since 2015
• improve to 2-3 in home openers under Cecchini
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell is 0-1 (0-0 PL) following its season-opening 38-3 loss at FBS opponent James Madison on Sept. 2.
• The Bison were picked to finish in a tie for sixth in the Patriot League based on a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors ahead of the 2023 season.
• Bucknell went 3-8 (2-4 PL) during the 2022 campaign, finishing in a tie for fourth. The Bison, who were picked to finish last in that season's Patriot League preseason poll, earned league wins over Lehigh (19-17) and Georgetown (24-21, OT) before ending the year with a victory over Marist (24-13). The Bison won three of their final five games.
• Bucknell is in its fifth season under head coach Dave Cecchini, who spent the previous five as head coach at Valparaiso. Cecchini was honored as the Patriot League Dick Biddle Coach of the Year during the four-game spring 2021 campaign.
• Bucknell returned a total of 56 letterwinners in 2023, a group that includes 23 seniors, 20 juniors and 13 sophomores. 12 seniors are three-time letterwinners.
• RB Coleman Bennett, LB Blake Leake, QB Nick Semptimphelter and OL Casey Stephenson are serving as 2023 team captains, as voted on by their teammates.
• Bucknell welcomed a host of new faces to the staff this season, including new offensive coordinator John Bear. Wide receivers coach Braelon Roberts, offensive line coach Sean Pearson, defensive backs coach Pat Clark and safeties coach McNeil Parker are all new assistants on the staff as well.
Inside the James Madison Box Score
• Bucknell trailed JMU 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 entering the fourth quarter before ultimately falling 38-3. Bucknell held a 204-187 advantage in total offense at halftime and led in time possession by more than four minutes by the end of the game.
• Both teams turned the ball over on their opening possessions. Ethan Robinson intercepted a pass for Bucknell's first turnover of the season.
• The Dukes began six of their 13 drives in Bucknell territory and were stopped on three of those. The Bucknell defense stopped JMU on two fourth-and-goal attempts, including on one drive that began at the Bison 17-yard line.
• Bucknell limited JMU to just 30 passing yards over the first three quarters. The Dukes made a quarterback change in the third quarter and ended up throwing for 145 yards in the fourth. The Dukes found most of their success in the run game, racking up 261 yards.
• Bucknell's three points came on a 49-yard field goal by Matt Schearer as time expired in the first half. It capped a seven-play, 43-yard drive that ate up the remaining 2:02 of the quarter. Schearer is now 4-for-4 on field goals over 40 yards over the last two seasons, including three makes from 48 and beyond.
• Damian Harris grabbed three receptions for a career-high 61 yards. 32 of his yards came on a deep ball down the sideline.
• Rushawn Baker gashed the JMU defense on a 30-yard run on the same drive as Harris' 32-yard reception. The Bison made it to the JMU 23-yard line but failed to convert on a fourth down.
• Ralph Rucker completed 13-of-19 attempts (68.4%) for 140 yards and ran for 17 more.
• Blake Leake led the Bison defense with nine tackles, and Robinson and Roman Pearson both posted two pass breakups.
VMI at a Glance
• VMI won its season opener 12-7 at home over Davidson on Saturday. The Keydets fell behind 7-6 in the third quarter but scored with 51 seconds to go in the game on a 25-yard pass from QB Collin Ironside to WR VJ Johnson, capping a 12-play, 85-yard drive.
• Although they scored just 12 points, the Keydets racked up 412 yards of offense (239 passing, 173 rushing) in the opener. They turned it over twice and punted five times.
• VMI was picked to finish ninth in both the Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll and the Media Poll. The Keydets finished the 2022 season 1-10 (0-8 SoCon).
• Four Keydets were named to Preseason All-Southern Conference Teams: DB Alex Oliver (1st Team), P Jack Culbreath (1st Team) OL Tyriq Poindexter (2nd Team), and LB Evan Eller (2nd Team).
• Oliver was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week this week after totaling six tackles and an interception against Davidson.
• Overall, 11 starters returned to VMI from last season.
• VMI is under the direction of new head coach Danny Rocco, who carries a 122-65 career record. Rocco has served as head coach for Liberty, Richmond and Delaware. Most recently, Rocco served as a Defensive Senior Analyst for Penn State.
The Bucknell/VMI Series
• The all-time series between Bucknell and VMI, which began in 1978, is tied at 3-3. Bucknell is 1-1 when hosting the Keydets and 2-2 when facing them on the road.
• VMI has won the last two meetings, defeating the Bison 24-14 in Lexington last September and 23-17 in triple overtime in Lewisburg in 2016. Two of the last three meetings have gone beyond regulation.
• Bucknell last defeated VMI in 2015, winning 28-22 in overtime on the road.
• All six games in the series have been decided by 12 points or fewer. The Bison also won by a narrow 42-38 margin in Lewisburg in 2014.
• Bucknell is 7-5 in all-time meetings with current member of the Southern Conference, having faced The Citadel (0-2), Furman (4-0) and VMI (3-3).
The Last Meeting with the Keydets
Bucknell 14 – VMI 24 (Sept. 10, 2022 – Lexington, Va.)
• In last year's meeting, the Bison responded to a 21-0 halftime deficit and a 24-0 deficit int he third quarter with 14 unanswered points, but it was too little too late.
• The Keydets led 326 to 183 in total offense, posting 195 on the ground. Bucknell won the turnover battle by recovering two VMI fumbles and intercepting one pass.
• Bucknell saw a number of chunk plays on offense in last year's meeting, including a 34-yard reception by Okeyo Ayungo, a 21-yard reception by Damian Harris, a 19-yard completion to Charlie Kreinbucher, and a 15-yard run by Rushawn Baker.
• Nick Semptimphelter entered the game in the second half and threw two touchdown passes along with a two-point conversion.
• Blake Leake logged seven tackles, and Patrick Quinlivan posted two sacks and a forced fumble.
Bison in First Home Games
• Bucknell is 98-37-1 (.726) all-time in its first home game of the season
• The Bison are 5-5 in their past 10 home openers. Over that span, they have faced Towson, Penn, Lafayette, Villanova, William & Mary, Marist (three times), Cornell, and VMI.
Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's projected starters on offense have made a combined 92 starts.
• Bucknell's projected starters on defense have made a combined 137 starts.
• On offense, four seniors, three juniors and four sophomores are expected to start.
• On defense, four seniors, six juniors and one sophomore (CB Roman Pearson) are expected to start.
• Sophomore OL John Ohnegian, sophomore WR Eric Weatherly, junior QB Ralph Rucker, junior LB Brad Jamison, junior CB Roman Pearson and junior OL Mason Jones each made their first career starts in the opener against JMU last weekend.
• 17 Bison have made at least 10 career starts. Four have started 20 games or more: OL Ethan Pitzel (23), WR Damian Harris (22), LB Blake Leake (21), and DL Connor Carretta (21).
• Five Bison have starting streaks of 10 or more games in a row: Leake (19), Robinson (18) Harris (14), S John Schlendorf (12), and DL Tyler Alston (11).
• Five Bison, Harris, Leake, Robinson, Schlendorf and Vyas, started all 11 of Bucknell's games in 2022.
• Only seniors P Ruben Anderson and Alston have played in all 27 of Bucknell's games over their four years. Leake has missed just one appearance during his career.
• Of the junior class, Schlendorf, Robinson and S Alex Smith Jr. have played in all 23 of the team's games over three seasons.
• In 2022, seven players each made their first career start. Two were juniors, two were sophomores, and three were freshmen. 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.
Milestone Watch
• Tyler Alston needs 12 tackles to reach 100 for his career
• Coleman Bennett needs 128 kick return yards to reach 1,000 for his career
• Rushawn Baker needs 76 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for his career
• John Schlendorf needs 5 tackles to reach 100 for his career
Milestones Met Last Week
• Damian Harris eclipsed 50 receptions (52) for his career
Bison Award Winners
• The Bison returned one All-Patriot League player, OL Ethan Pitzel (2nd Team in '22). DL Tyler Alston and K Matt Schearer were both voted to the 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Coleman Bennett was a 2021 Preseason All-League honoree as a return specialist.
• The Bison graduated three All-Patriot League players following the 2022 season: LB Ben Allen (2nd Team in '22), S Brent Jackson (2nd Team in '22), and CB Gavin Pringle (2nd Team in '22 and '19, 1st Team in 'S21).
• Bucknell collected five Patriot League weekly awards last season. Schearer was twice named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week, Bennett earned Special Teams Player of the Week recognition, and Jackson was twice named the Defensive Player of the Week.
• In 2022, Bennett was named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The award recognizes undergraduate students of color who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic fields.
• Last week, Bennett was named Bucknell's 2023 nomination for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded by the National Football Foundation to players with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. Bucknell and Dayton are the only schools that have had a Campbell Trophy semifinalist each of the past 17 years.
• Six Bison were named to the 2022 CSC Academic All-District Team: Ben Allen, Connor Carretta, Brent Jackson, Ethan Pitzel, Jonathan Searcy and Aneesh Vyas.
• Bucknell returned two of its three Academic All-Patriot League honorees from the 2022 season: Bennett and Pitzel.
• In March, 50 Bucknell football players were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for achieving a 3.2 GPA or higher. The Bison led all Patriot League teams in the category.
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.
• Since arriving at Bucknell, Cecchini's players have combined to earn 20 All-Patriot League First/Second Team awards as well as one First Team All-American.
Inside the 2023 Schedule
• This is the 138th season of football at Bucknell. The Bison played their first-ever game in 1883 and have played continuously since 1887.
• The Bison opened the 2023 slate against FBS opponent James Madison, which tied for first place in the Sun Belt East Division during its inaugural season in the conference with an 8-3 (6-2 SBC) record.
• After hosting VMI for the home opener on Sept. 9, the Bison remain at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to face Penn, which is coming off its winningest season in more than a decade. It marks the 44th time in the last 45 seasons that Bucknell has had an Ivy League program on the schedule.
• Bucknell's other non-league games include Cornell on Oct. 14 and Marist to close out the regular season on Nov. 18.
• Bucknell opens Patriot League play on the road at Lafayette on Sept. 30. The Bison will play host to reigning league champion Holy Cross, Lehigh and Georgetown.
• Bucknell's 2023 opponents went a combined 58-64 last season.
• Bucknell's 2023 opponents are off to a combined 6-4 record this season.
Facility Upgrades
• Thanks to the support of the Pascucci family, Bucknell's new artificial turf practice field was broken in last 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 in 2021, greatly heightening the fan experience at home events.
• Currently under construction is The Pascucci Team Center which, upon completion, will include a new strength and conditioning center, locker rooms, and a team meeting and event space.
• 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 was named the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex.
• The picturesque Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was dedicated in 1924 and was known originally as Memorial Stadium as a tribute to Bucknell's numerous war veterans. The stadium underwent a major renovation in 1989, and at that time it was rededicated to honor the iconic Christy Mathewson, who was a three-sport star and model student-athlete during his playing days at Bucknell.
• Bucknell is 255-183-10 all-time at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
How to Follow the Bison
• All of Bucknell's games this season, with the exception of the season finale at Marist, will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• All of the Bison's games will be broadcast on 100.9 The Valley (WVLY). The broadcast will also be available for internet streaming on 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 has an early bye next weekend. The Bison play next at home on Saturday, Sept. 23 against Penn. It's Homecoming and Family Weekend at Bucknell as well as the team's Vs. Cancer game.