Football Falls Short in Heartbreaker at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Bucknell football team came up just short in a 40-38 thriller at Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon at Fitton Field. The Bison move to 3-2 and into second place behind Lehigh and Holy Cross in the Patriot League standings. The Bison are still fighting for a share of the Patriot League title pending next Saturday's results.

The Bison led 21-3 with a minute remaining in the second half, but a touchdown in the final minute of the half and in the first minute of the second half swung momentum back in the Crusaders' favor. The Bison answered throughout the second half, but a blocked punt return touchdown and a pick-six by Holy Cross propelled the Crusaders to the comeback victory.

The Bison ran 20 more plays and out-gained the Crusaders by nearly 100 yards, but costly mistakes kept Holy Cross in the game.

Trailing 31-17 late in the third, the Crusaders scored three touchdowns in just eight minutes of play to take a 37-31 lead. It began with a blocked punt in Bison territory, and Holy Cross came away with the touchdown to make it a one-score game.

Bucknell punted away its next possession, and Holy Cross came right down the field with a 75-yard reception to Jacob Peterson to set up a 2-yard rush by Jayden Clerveaux to tie the game 31-31. With the Bison driving down the field on its next drive, Curtis Harris-Lopez picked off Ralph Rucker IV and took it all the way in for the touchdown to give Holy Cross its first lead of the day. The Bison blocked the extra point, almost proving costly for the Crusaders late in the game.

Rucker and the Bison answered right back with an eight-play, 72-yard drive to take the lead back at 38-37. Rucker was 6-for-6 on the drive for 68 yards. Weatherly took a big hit, but held on for the five-yard touchdown reception and his second of the day to complete the drive.

The Bison made a big defensive stand on 4th and 2 to get the ball back with 5:43 remaining, but Holy Cross forced a three-and-out to get the ball back quickly to set up its game-winning drive.

The Crusaders drove down the field quickly, getting the ball to the Bison 5-yard line at the two-minute timeout. Another defensive stand for the Bison forced a Holy Cross field goal with 59 seconds left, giving the Bison a shot to win the game trailing 40-38.

It was Holy Cross that came away with the biggest play of the game. The Crusaders brought pressure immediately on Bucknell's first play as Joseph Townsend came in for the strip-sack to win the game.

Rucker threw for 339 yards and five touchdowns, throwing two each to Sam Milligan and Eric Weatherly. The Crusaders won the turnover battle 3-1, including the pick-six in the fourth quarter and the strip-sack in the final minute of the game.

Rucker is the second quarterback in Bucknell history to throw five touchdown passes in a game and the first since Rob Glus on Sep. 24, 1994 against Colgate. The Oklahoma transfer is now fourth all-time on Bucknell's passing yards list with 4,914 yards, passing Jim Given's '88 mark of 4,790 yards. Rucker's 41 career passing touchdowns puts him just one away from tying all-time passing touchdown leader Scott Auchenbach.

Milligan caught two touchdown passes in the first quarter to help the Bison get out to an early 21-3 lead. Rucker found Milligan on the sideline who bounced off of the initial hit by his defender and walked into the endzone for the first score of the game. The Bison then converted a big 3rd and 10 on its next drive before Milligan caught his second touchdown to put the Bison up 14-0. Milligan lost his defender with a slick route, and Rucker found him for the 15-yard strike. Milligan caught all five of his targets for 68 yards and two touchdowns; all of which are career-highs.

Weatherly came away with the score to put the Bison up 21-3, catching a pass over the middle and fighting his way into the end zone. Weatherly led all receivers with 10 catches for 129 yards and two scores.

Nate Anderson caught all seven of his targets for 68 yards and a score. Anderson made an incredible, acrobatic grab in the back of the end zone with a defender draped all over him to give the Bison a 31-17 lead midway through the third.

Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky was 8-of-16 for 185 yards and a touchdown through the air. The Bison defense held Pesansky and the Crusaders to just two completions and 22 passing yards in the first half. Peterson led the Crusaders with three catches for 90 yards. His 75-yard reception set up the tying score early in the fourth quarter.

Clerveaux rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Holy Cross went for 150 yards on the ground.

Townsend came away with two of the Crusaders' five sacks, including the strip sack to ice the game. Harris-Lopez and Frankie Monte each came up with an interception and Monte recovered the fumble that sealed the win.

Running back Tariq Thomas had 75 yards on the ground on 20 carries. The Bison rushed for 95 yards in the game.

Last week's FCS National Defensive Player of the Week Gavin Willis led the Bison with seven tackles. Willis had two pass breakups to halt Crusader drives and brought pressure up the middle to force a missed field goal in the first half.

The Bison host Colgate in the regular-season finale on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Football Falls Short in Heartbreaker at Holy Cross

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Team Stats

Ralph Rucker IV

Players Mentioned

Nate Anderson

Sam Milligan

Ralph Rucker IV

Tariq Thomas

Eric Weatherly

Gavin Willis