Football Wraps up 2024 Regular Season with Senior Day Game vs. Colgate

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The 2024 regular season comes to a close on Saturday when Bucknell hosts Colgate on Senior Day at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison are looking to bounce back from a gut-wrenching 40-38 loss at Holy Cross in a first-place battle last week in Worcester, and beyond finishing with a win over longtime rival Colgate, Bucknell has plenty to play for on Saturday.

First and foremost, the Bison still have a chance to be Patriot League co-champions. At 3-2 in the Patriot League, they sit one game behind Holy Cross and Lehigh. So a win over Colgate combined with losses by Lehigh (vs. Lafayette) and Holy Cross (at Georgetown) would create a three-way tie for the title. In that case, every tiebreaker would be a wash, and the Patriot League's representative in the FCS Playoffs would be decided by a vote of the four non-affected athletic directors.

Bucknell is also seeking six overall wins and a winning Patriot League record for the first time since 2014. To do so, they will have to defeat Colgate at home for the first time since 2006. The Raiders have won the last seven meetings at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, although the Bison have won three times in Hamilton since then, including a 49-34 win last season.

Close games have been the norm for the Bison in Patriot League play this season. Their three wins have come by a field goal in double overtime at Lehigh, by seven points against Lafayette, and by one point against Fordham. The losses were a one-point decision at Georgetown and a two-point verdict at Holy Cross.

Colgate comes in at 2-9 overall and 1-4 in the Patriot League, and the Raiders are looking to break a four-game losing streak and finish the season on a positive note. Prior to the game, Bucknell will honor 22 seniors who will be playing their final games in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Senior Day festivities will begin at 12:35 p.m., in advance of the 1 p.m. kickoff.

When: Saturday, Nov. 23, 1 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Radio: 1070 AM (WKOK)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
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Media Notes: Bucknell | Colgate

With a Victory, Bucknell Would ...
• ... finish 4-2 in Patriot League play, its best league record since 2014.
• ... win six total games in a season for the first time since 2014 (8-3).
• ... earn a share of the Patriot League title if Lafayette defeats Lehigh and Georgetown defeats Holy Cross.
• ... snap a seven-game home losing streak to Colgate and beat the Raiders at home for the first time since 2006.
• ... beat the Raiders in consecutive seasons for just the third time (1962-1963 & 1995-1996).

Rucker's Records
• QB Ralph Rucker IV continues to splash his name all over the Bucknell record book. The Oklahoma transfer is in his second season with the Bison, and in just 20 games he has become one of the most prolific passers in team history.
• Rucker has four Patriot League Player of the Week awards this season, including each of the last three. Last week at Holy Cross, he tied the Bucknell record with five TD passes, and he broke his own team mark for completions in a season with 213.
• Rucker needs one more touchdown pass this week against Colgate to hit Bucknell's single-season and career records. Hall-of-Famer Scott Auchenbach's career mark of 42 touchdown passes has been in the books since 1989, and Rucker now has 41 in just two seasons with the Bison. His 20 TD tosses this season are also one shy of the school record. Rucker threw 21 TD passes last season, and Todd Hatajik also had 21 in 1990.

Bucknell Career Passing Yards Leaders
1. Brandon Wesley (2010-13) 6277
2. Scott Auchenbach (1986-89)   5256
3. R.J. Nitti (2013-16) 5171
4. Ralph Rucker IV (2023-24) 4926
5. Jim Given (1985-87) 4790

Bucknell Career Passing Touchdown Leaders
1. Scott Auchenbach (1986-89) 42
2. Ralph Rucker IV (2023-24) 41
3. R.J. Nitti (2013-16)   34
4. Marcello Trigg (2006-09)    31
5. Bob Gibbon (1983-84) 30

Bucknell Single-Season Passing Touchdown Leaders
1. Ralph Rucker IV (2023) 21
   Todd Hatajik (1990) 21
3. Ralph Rucker IV (2024) 20
4. Scott Auchenbach (1989) 19
5.  Scott Auchenbach (1988) 17

Bucknell Single-Season Passing Yards Leaders
1. Ralph Rucker IV (2023) 2537
2. R.J. Nitti (2015) 2477
3. Ralph Rucker IV (2024) 2389
4. Scott Auchenbach (1989) 2385
5. Todd Wenrich (2001) 2327

Bucknell Career Passing Completion Leaders
1. Brandon Wesley (2010-13) 571
2. Ralph Rucker IV (2023-24) 424
3. Scott Auchenbach (1986-89)   418
4. Jim Given (1985-87) 417
5. R.J. Nitti (2013-16) 416

Bucknell Single-Season Passing Completion Leaders
1. Ralph Rucker IV (2024) 213
2. Ralph Rucker IV (2023) 211
3. Todd Wenrich (2001) 209
4. R.J. Nitti (2015) 205
5. Jim Fox (1995) 192

Bucknell Career Completion Percentage Leaders
1. Ralph Rucker IV (2023-24)   .644
2. Daris Wilson (2001-04) .631
3. Bob Gibbon (1983-84) .604
4. Todd Hatajik (1987-90) .589
5. Matt Muh (2014-17) .588

Bucknell Single-Season Completion Percentage Leaders
1. Marcello Trigg (2008) .671
2. Ralph Rucker IV (2024) .670
3. Daris Wilson (2004) .660
4. Travis Kopp (1992) .657
5. Bob Gibbon (1983) .629

Willis Named National Player of Week Amid Breakout Season
• Sophomore LB Gavin Willis has stacked up impressive performances throughout the season, most notably a monster effort in the win over Fordham, which landed him the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week award.
• Willis made 13 tackles against Fordham, and he recorded his national-best fourth and fifth fumble recoveries of the season. The first of those he returned 79 yards for the game's first touchdown, and the other recovery came at the Bucknell 4-yard line with the Bison protecting a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter. Willis also recorded a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry that led to an interception.
• The Louisville, Ky., native has 117 tackles (66 solo) in 11 games this season His 10.6 tackles per game rank third in FCS behind only Blake Gotcher of Northwestern State (13.3) and Cole Kozlowski of Colgate (11.0).
• Willis' five fumble recoveries are tied for the most in all of college football, including the FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III levels. The only other players with five are Sam Howard of Tulane and Andrew Esmay of Division III Martin Luther.
• Willis found a new way to impact the game last week at Holy Cross when he blocked two kicks (one field goal, one PAT).

Thomas in Good Company
• Freshman RB Tariq Thomas recently earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors four times in a six-week stretch, and he was named one of 30 players named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The Jerry Rice Award, which is named after the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver, is presented to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Rookie of the Year.
• Montana's Eli Gillman received the award last season, and past recipients include familiar names such as Shedeur Sanders (Jackson State 2021), Trey Lance (North Dakota State 2019), Chase Edmonds (Fordham 2014), and Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington 2013).
• Thomas has set career rushing highs in three consecutive games. He ran for a career-high 94 yards on nine carries – an average of 10.4 yards per carry — against Cornell; he logged 136 yards and two touchdowns at Georgetown the following week; and he ran for 141 yards on 29 attempts in the win over Lafayette.
• Thomas started eight straight games before missing the Fordham game two weeks agao with an injury. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the Patriot League with 709 rushing yards on the season.

Bison Bits
• As an offensive unit, Bucknell ranks second in the Patriot League in both points (27.1) and yards (372.5) per game. The Bison have the top passing offense in the league at 253.0 yards per game. They also lead the PL in pass completions (246) and completion percentage (.654).
• On Saturday the Bison face a Colgate team that allows the most passing yards in the Patriot League at 252.7 per game.
• Bucknell has three defensive touchdowns this season after Gavin Willis' 79-yard scoop and score two weeks ago against Fordham. Aaron Davis and Alex Smith Jr. have both returned interceptions for TDs.
• Bucknell's defense has been on the field for more than 33 minutes per game, which is the seventh-most in all of FCS.
• Before suffering an injury against Lafayette, TJ Cadden was in the midst of a historic special teams season for the Bison, as he added to his two punt return touchdowns with a 100-yard kickoff return TD at Lehigh. Cadden leads the nation in return TDs.
• Michael Cadden, a freshman, is TJ's younger brother. Both have reached the end zone this season. Michael scored on a 2-yard run in the Navy game on opening day.
• Eric Weatherly and Josh Gary have both surpassed the 1,000 mark in career receiving yards this season. Weatherly is in his second season at Bucknell after transferring from Duke. Weatherly ranks fourth in the Patriot League in receiving yards per game with 62.8 per game this season. Gary is close behind Weatherly, ranking sixth in receiving yards with 51.7 yards per game.
• Weatherly (691), Gary (569), and Nate Anderson (508) have all eclipsed the 500-yard mark in receiving yards this season. The Bison are the only team in the Patriot League with three. That trio has accounted for 14 touchdown catches this season, led by Weatherly with six.
• The Bison were picked to finish seventh in the 2024 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll after finishing the 2023 campaign in a tie for sixth with a 4-7 (1-5 PL) record.
• K Matt Schearer was named to the 2024 Preseason All-Patriot League Team for a second season in a row. The Bison also landed eight on the Phil Steele 2024 Patriot League Preseason All-Conference Team.
• Bucknell is in its sixth season under head coach Dave Cecchini, who was voted as the Patriot League Dick Biddle Coach of the Year during the 2021 spring campaign for leading the Bison to a spot in the first-ever Patriot League Championship Game following the abbreviated season. Cecchini's team is coming off a record-setting campaign in 2023 that saw the offense average 38.8 points per game over the final four contests.
• Bucknell returned a total of 42 letterwinners in 2023, a group that includes two fifth-year seniors, 18 seniors, 14 juniors and eight sophomores. 11 Bison are three-time letterwinners, and fifth-year RB Danny Meuser is a four-time letterwinner. Bucknell lost 32 letterwinners last year.
• Bucknell welcomed 33 newcomers this season, including 27 freshmen. Five newcomers transferred to Bucknell.
• Fifth-year senior OL Casey Stephenson, senior LB Brad Jamison, senior S Alex Smith Jr., and junior OL John Ohnegian were selected by their teammates to serve as team captains for the 2024 season. Stephenson is just the 12th multi-year captain in program history.
• The "CD" stickers Bucknell is wearing on its helmets are to honor fallen teammate Calvin Dickey, who tragically passed away in July.

Milestones to Watch
• Ralph Rucker IV needs one touchdown pass to tie Scott Auchenbach's school record of 42, which has stood since 1989. He also needs one TD pass to equal the Bucknell single-season record.
• Rucker needs 74 passing yards for 5,000 in his career.
• Josh Gary needs five catches to reach 100 in his career.

Football Wraps up 2024 Regular Season with Senior Day Game vs. Colgate

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Players Mentioned

Nate Anderson

Michael Cadden

TJ Cadden

Aaron Davis

Josh Gary

Brad Jamison

Danny Meuser

John Ohnegian

Ralph Rucker IV

Matt Schearer

Alex Smith Jr.

Casey Stephenson

Tariq Thomas

Eric Weatherly

Gavin Willis