Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Rucker, Thomas Earn Major Awards, 10 Bison Earn All-Patriot League Football Honors
11/26/2024 1:01:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell football team's return to Patriot League championship contention resulted in an impressive awards haul as the league announced its 2024 postseason honors on Tuesday. Most notably, senior quarterback Ralph Rucker IV became the first Bison in 30 years to be selected as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, and freshman running back Tariq Thomas became the first Bison in 14 years to be named Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
Rucker and Thomas were also two of the 10 Bucknell representatives on the All-Patriot League teams. Rucker, junior wide receiver Eric Weatherly, sophomore return specialist TJ Cadden, and sophomore special teams standout Sam Milligan were all First Team selections. Thomas, junior offensive lineman John Ohnegian, senior defensive lineman Aneesh Vyas, senior linebacker Brad Jamison, sophomore linebacker Gavin Willis, and junior punter Matt Schearer were all named to the Second Team.
The 10 all-league selections are Bucknell's most since it had 11 in the COVID-modified spring season in 2021, and it is the most in a normal fall season since claiming 10 in 2015.
It was also announced on Tuesday that Rucker was one of 35 players from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to be selected as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented by Stats Perform to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year.
It's been a banner season for Rucker, a Lucas, Texas native who transferred to Bucknell from Oklahoma before the 2023 campaign. Rucker earned five Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week citations this fall, including the last four in a row, and he is Bucknell's first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year since Hall-of-Famer Rich Lemon in 1994. Lemon, who is Bucknell's all-time leading rusher, had been the only Bison to earn the league's top offensive honor since its inception in 1986. Rucker is also Bucknell's first First Team All-PL quarterback since Daris Wilson in 2004.
Rucker capped off a record-setting season with one of the best performances of his career in Saturday's 48-34 win over Colgate. He finished 31-for-45 for 457 yards and five touchdown passes. Bucknell had never had a 400-yard passer in any game in team history. Rucker set the previous mark of 387 against Colgate last season, giving him 824 yards in two career games against the Raiders.
It was Rucker's second straight five-touchdown game, tying the school record, and that helped him blow by the team records for TD passes in a season (25) and career (46). Scott Auchenbach had held the Bucknell career mark of 42 touchdown passes since 1989. Rucker also broke the Bucknell single-season record for passing yards with 2,826 and his career total of 5,363 in just two seasons ranks second all-time.
Rucker threw for 300+ yards four times this season, and his .672 completion percentage set a new school record, just above the previous mark of .671 by Marcello Trigg in 2008, and that was the fifth-best mark in Patriot League history. He led the Patriot League in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing efficiency, as he finished the year with 25 TD passes and only seven interceptions.
Rucker's favorite target this season was Weatherly, who earned his first All-Patriot League honor after hauling in a school-record 75 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. The 865 yards are sixth-most in a season in team history, and the eight TD catches are tied for fifth most.
Weatherly ranked second in the Patriot League in both receptions and receiving yards, and his eight receiving TDs are the most in the league.
Weatherly had three 100-yard receiving games this season, capped by a sensational performance against Colgate last week in which he logged 11 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. One game earlier against Holy Cross, he collected 10 balls for 129 yards and two scores. In two seasons at Bucknell after transferring from Duke, Weatherly has 15 receiving touchdowns, which are tied for fifth-most on the team's career chart.
Cadden and Milligan are also big parts of Bucknell's deep arsenal of receivers, and both were honored for their special teams work.
Cadden wrote headlines early in the season with three return touchdowns in a span of four weeks in September. He returned punts for touchdowns in wins over VMI and Marist, and his electrifying 100-yard kickoff return was one of the biggest plays in Bucknell's double-overtime win at Lehigh. Cadden became the first Bison ever to have three return touchdowns in one season, and he joined A.J. Kizekai (2008 vs. Lafayette) as the only Bucknell players with a 100-yard return.
Cadden, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Lafayette game on Nov. 2, also had three receiving touchdowns, coming against VMI, Marist, and Cornell. He caught 27 passes for 278 yards.
Milligan made the All-Patriot League First Team as a non-return special teams player. He was outstanding in kick coverage all season, and he was impactful as a receiver with 19 catches for 281 yards and five touchdowns. In the season's final two weeks against Holy Cross and Colgate, Milligan caught 10 balls for 124 yards and three scores.
Thomas and Ohnegian are Bucknell's offensive representatives on the All-Patriot League Second Team. Thomas burst onto the collegiate scene this fall to become one of the league's top running backs. On Monday he was picked as one of 25 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the FCS Rookie of the Year. He is Bucknell's first Patriot League Rookie of the Year since quarterback Brandon Wesley in 2010. The team's only other Rookie of the Year honorees were Lemon in 1993 and wide receiver Mike Guerrini in 1987.
Thomas had back-to-back 100-yard games against Georgetown (136) and Lafayette (141), and he had two-touchdown games against Georgetown and Penn. Thomas finished the season with 783 yards and a 4.7 yards-per-carry average.
Thomas was a four-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, and he ranks fifth in the Patriot League in rushing yards despite missing one game due to injury and playing through the injury in the last two weeks.
Bucknell led the Patriot League in total offense (387.6) and ranked second in points per game (28.8), and the blocking of Ohnegian was a big reason why. Elected team captain as a junior, Ohnegian started all 12 games this season, 11 at center and one at left tackle.
Jamison, Vyas, and Willis were reliable standouts on the defensive side of the ball all season long. Of Bucknell's 10 All-Patriot League selections, Jamison is the only repeat honoree as he was also a Second Team All-PL pick in 2023.
Jamison tallied 60 tackles and three sacks this season, and he also forced a key fumble in the Lehigh win. He made a season-high eight tackles against Georgetown and finished his career with 176 tackles and six sacks in 43 games.
Willis backed up a strong freshman season with a monster sophomore campaign. He started all 12 games at linebacker and tallied 129 tackles, which is tied for the ninth-highest total in team history. He ranks fourth in FCS in tackles per game (10.8) and leads all NCAA divisions with five fumble recoveries. He also collected 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, five pass breakups, and two blocked kicks this season.
Willis was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after his performance in the win over Fordham. In that game he made 13 tackles, including four for loss, and he recovered two fumbles, one of which he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Willis recorded double-digit tackles seven times, with a high of 19 against Cornell, and he was a three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Vyas played in all 12 games and started 10 on the defensive line, and he finished his senior season with 25 tackles and three pass deflections. He made a season-high six tackles at Georgetown.
Schearer was a busy man this fall, as he handled all of Bucknell's punting and placekicking duties. In his first season as the team's punter, Schearer averaged 39.3 yards on 52 attempts with a long of 63 yards. He had 10 punts of 50 yards or better, and 21 of his 52 attempts were downed inside the 20. Schearer also made six field goals and went 45-for-46 on extra points this season. The 45 PATs set a Bucknell record, and his 63 points were tied for the third-most by a kicker in team history. Schearer made his final 33 PAT attempts of the season, which was two shy of the school record for consecutive conversions in a season.
It was an exciting turnaround season for the Bison football squad. One year after finishing in last place in the Patriot League, Bucknell went 6-6 overall and 4-2 in league play. The Bison were still alive for the league championship in the final week of the season and finished in third place, one game behind Lehigh and Holy Cross.
2024 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year – Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr.
Rookie of the Year – Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr., RB
Dick Biddle Coach of the Year – Kevin Cahill, Lehigh
2024 All-Patriot League Football First Team
First-Team Offense (13)
QB: Ralph Rucker, Bucknell, Sr.
RB: Julius Loughridge, Fordham, Sr.
RB: Jayden Clerveaux, Holy Cross, So.
RB: Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Eric Weatherly, Bucknell, Jr.
WR: Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Jr.
WR: Max Mosey, Holy Cross, Jr.
TE: Jacob Petersen, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Bardhyl Gashi, Colgate, 5th
OL: Christo Kelly, Holy Cross, 5th
OL: Cam McNair, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: George Padezanin, Lehigh, Gr.
OL: Langston Jones, Lehigh, Jr.
First-Team Defense (12)
DL: Andrew Taddeo, Colgate, Sr.
DL: Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr.
DL: Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Jr.
DL: TJ Burke, Lehigh, Jr.
LB: Cole Kozlowski, Colgate, Jr.
LB: James Conway, Fordham, Sr.
LB: Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr.
LB: Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Gr.
DB: Nahil Perkins, Fordham, Gr.
DB: Saiku White, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Gabe DuBois, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr.
First-Team Special Teams (6)*
PK: Luke Vogeler, Colgate, So.
P: Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Sr.
P: Will Haslett, Fordham, Jr.
Return Specialist (RS): TJ Cadden, Bucknell, So.
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS): Sam Milligan, Bucknell, So.
Long Snapper (LS): Sebastian Alonso, Georgetown, Sr.
2024 All-Patriot League Football Second Team
Second-Team Offense (14)*
QB: Joe Pesansky, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Jaden Green, Lehigh, Fy.
RB: Luke Yoder, Lehigh, So.
RB: Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr.
WR: Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, Jr.
WR: Justin Shorter, Holy Cross, Sr.
WR: Elijah Steward, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, Jr.
TE: Dallas Holmes, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr.
OL: Cody Johnson, Fordham, Gr.
OL: Cam Nolan, Holy Cross, Jr.
OL: Ryder Langsdale, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Aidan Palmer, Lehigh, Jr.
Second-Team Defense (14)*
DL: Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell, Sr.
DL: Claudy Robinson, Fordham, Jr.
DL: Cooper Blomstrom, Georgetown, So.
DL: Tyree Morris, Lafayette, Jr.
LB: Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Sr.
LB: Gavin Willis, Bucknell, So.
LB: GianCarlo Rufo, Georgetown, So.
LB: David Ealey III, Georgetown, Gr.
LB: Mike Courtney, Fordham, Gr.
DB: Zeraun Daniel, Georgetown, So.
DB: Preston Murray, Georgetown, Gr.
DB: Curtis Harris-Lopez, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Jake Jarmolowich, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Cam Jones, Holy Cross, So.
Second-Team Special Teams (6)*
PK: Patrick Ryan, Georgetown, Sr.
P: Matt Schearer, Bucknell, Jr.
RS: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr.
STNS: Kenneth Borders, Georgetown, Sr.
LS: Walker Adkinson, Fordham, Jr.
LS: Dylan Aguilera, Lafayette, Jr.
*Additional players added due to ties in voting
Rucker and Thomas were also two of the 10 Bucknell representatives on the All-Patriot League teams. Rucker, junior wide receiver Eric Weatherly, sophomore return specialist TJ Cadden, and sophomore special teams standout Sam Milligan were all First Team selections. Thomas, junior offensive lineman John Ohnegian, senior defensive lineman Aneesh Vyas, senior linebacker Brad Jamison, sophomore linebacker Gavin Willis, and junior punter Matt Schearer were all named to the Second Team.
The 10 all-league selections are Bucknell's most since it had 11 in the COVID-modified spring season in 2021, and it is the most in a normal fall season since claiming 10 in 2015.
It was also announced on Tuesday that Rucker was one of 35 players from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to be selected as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented by Stats Perform to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year.
It's been a banner season for Rucker, a Lucas, Texas native who transferred to Bucknell from Oklahoma before the 2023 campaign. Rucker earned five Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week citations this fall, including the last four in a row, and he is Bucknell's first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year since Hall-of-Famer Rich Lemon in 1994. Lemon, who is Bucknell's all-time leading rusher, had been the only Bison to earn the league's top offensive honor since its inception in 1986. Rucker is also Bucknell's first First Team All-PL quarterback since Daris Wilson in 2004.
Rucker capped off a record-setting season with one of the best performances of his career in Saturday's 48-34 win over Colgate. He finished 31-for-45 for 457 yards and five touchdown passes. Bucknell had never had a 400-yard passer in any game in team history. Rucker set the previous mark of 387 against Colgate last season, giving him 824 yards in two career games against the Raiders.
It was Rucker's second straight five-touchdown game, tying the school record, and that helped him blow by the team records for TD passes in a season (25) and career (46). Scott Auchenbach had held the Bucknell career mark of 42 touchdown passes since 1989. Rucker also broke the Bucknell single-season record for passing yards with 2,826 and his career total of 5,363 in just two seasons ranks second all-time.
Rucker threw for 300+ yards four times this season, and his .672 completion percentage set a new school record, just above the previous mark of .671 by Marcello Trigg in 2008, and that was the fifth-best mark in Patriot League history. He led the Patriot League in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing efficiency, as he finished the year with 25 TD passes and only seven interceptions.
Rucker's favorite target this season was Weatherly, who earned his first All-Patriot League honor after hauling in a school-record 75 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. The 865 yards are sixth-most in a season in team history, and the eight TD catches are tied for fifth most.
Weatherly ranked second in the Patriot League in both receptions and receiving yards, and his eight receiving TDs are the most in the league.
Weatherly had three 100-yard receiving games this season, capped by a sensational performance against Colgate last week in which he logged 11 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. One game earlier against Holy Cross, he collected 10 balls for 129 yards and two scores. In two seasons at Bucknell after transferring from Duke, Weatherly has 15 receiving touchdowns, which are tied for fifth-most on the team's career chart.
Cadden and Milligan are also big parts of Bucknell's deep arsenal of receivers, and both were honored for their special teams work.
Cadden wrote headlines early in the season with three return touchdowns in a span of four weeks in September. He returned punts for touchdowns in wins over VMI and Marist, and his electrifying 100-yard kickoff return was one of the biggest plays in Bucknell's double-overtime win at Lehigh. Cadden became the first Bison ever to have three return touchdowns in one season, and he joined A.J. Kizekai (2008 vs. Lafayette) as the only Bucknell players with a 100-yard return.
Cadden, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Lafayette game on Nov. 2, also had three receiving touchdowns, coming against VMI, Marist, and Cornell. He caught 27 passes for 278 yards.
Milligan made the All-Patriot League First Team as a non-return special teams player. He was outstanding in kick coverage all season, and he was impactful as a receiver with 19 catches for 281 yards and five touchdowns. In the season's final two weeks against Holy Cross and Colgate, Milligan caught 10 balls for 124 yards and three scores.
Thomas and Ohnegian are Bucknell's offensive representatives on the All-Patriot League Second Team. Thomas burst onto the collegiate scene this fall to become one of the league's top running backs. On Monday he was picked as one of 25 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the FCS Rookie of the Year. He is Bucknell's first Patriot League Rookie of the Year since quarterback Brandon Wesley in 2010. The team's only other Rookie of the Year honorees were Lemon in 1993 and wide receiver Mike Guerrini in 1987.
Thomas had back-to-back 100-yard games against Georgetown (136) and Lafayette (141), and he had two-touchdown games against Georgetown and Penn. Thomas finished the season with 783 yards and a 4.7 yards-per-carry average.
Thomas was a four-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, and he ranks fifth in the Patriot League in rushing yards despite missing one game due to injury and playing through the injury in the last two weeks.
Bucknell led the Patriot League in total offense (387.6) and ranked second in points per game (28.8), and the blocking of Ohnegian was a big reason why. Elected team captain as a junior, Ohnegian started all 12 games this season, 11 at center and one at left tackle.
Jamison, Vyas, and Willis were reliable standouts on the defensive side of the ball all season long. Of Bucknell's 10 All-Patriot League selections, Jamison is the only repeat honoree as he was also a Second Team All-PL pick in 2023.
Jamison tallied 60 tackles and three sacks this season, and he also forced a key fumble in the Lehigh win. He made a season-high eight tackles against Georgetown and finished his career with 176 tackles and six sacks in 43 games.
Willis backed up a strong freshman season with a monster sophomore campaign. He started all 12 games at linebacker and tallied 129 tackles, which is tied for the ninth-highest total in team history. He ranks fourth in FCS in tackles per game (10.8) and leads all NCAA divisions with five fumble recoveries. He also collected 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, five pass breakups, and two blocked kicks this season.
Willis was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after his performance in the win over Fordham. In that game he made 13 tackles, including four for loss, and he recovered two fumbles, one of which he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Willis recorded double-digit tackles seven times, with a high of 19 against Cornell, and he was a three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Vyas played in all 12 games and started 10 on the defensive line, and he finished his senior season with 25 tackles and three pass deflections. He made a season-high six tackles at Georgetown.
Schearer was a busy man this fall, as he handled all of Bucknell's punting and placekicking duties. In his first season as the team's punter, Schearer averaged 39.3 yards on 52 attempts with a long of 63 yards. He had 10 punts of 50 yards or better, and 21 of his 52 attempts were downed inside the 20. Schearer also made six field goals and went 45-for-46 on extra points this season. The 45 PATs set a Bucknell record, and his 63 points were tied for the third-most by a kicker in team history. Schearer made his final 33 PAT attempts of the season, which was two shy of the school record for consecutive conversions in a season.
It was an exciting turnaround season for the Bison football squad. One year after finishing in last place in the Patriot League, Bucknell went 6-6 overall and 4-2 in league play. The Bison were still alive for the league championship in the final week of the season and finished in third place, one game behind Lehigh and Holy Cross.
2024 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year – Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr.
Rookie of the Year – Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr., RB
Dick Biddle Coach of the Year – Kevin Cahill, Lehigh
2024 All-Patriot League Football First Team
First-Team Offense (13)
QB: Ralph Rucker, Bucknell, Sr.
RB: Julius Loughridge, Fordham, Sr.
RB: Jayden Clerveaux, Holy Cross, So.
RB: Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Eric Weatherly, Bucknell, Jr.
WR: Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Jr.
WR: Max Mosey, Holy Cross, Jr.
TE: Jacob Petersen, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Bardhyl Gashi, Colgate, 5th
OL: Christo Kelly, Holy Cross, 5th
OL: Cam McNair, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: George Padezanin, Lehigh, Gr.
OL: Langston Jones, Lehigh, Jr.
First-Team Defense (12)
DL: Andrew Taddeo, Colgate, Sr.
DL: Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr.
DL: Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Jr.
DL: TJ Burke, Lehigh, Jr.
LB: Cole Kozlowski, Colgate, Jr.
LB: James Conway, Fordham, Sr.
LB: Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr.
LB: Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Gr.
DB: Nahil Perkins, Fordham, Gr.
DB: Saiku White, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Gabe DuBois, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr.
First-Team Special Teams (6)*
PK: Luke Vogeler, Colgate, So.
P: Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Sr.
P: Will Haslett, Fordham, Jr.
Return Specialist (RS): TJ Cadden, Bucknell, So.
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS): Sam Milligan, Bucknell, So.
Long Snapper (LS): Sebastian Alonso, Georgetown, Sr.
2024 All-Patriot League Football Second Team
Second-Team Offense (14)*
QB: Joe Pesansky, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Jaden Green, Lehigh, Fy.
RB: Luke Yoder, Lehigh, So.
RB: Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr.
WR: Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, Jr.
WR: Justin Shorter, Holy Cross, Sr.
WR: Elijah Steward, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, Jr.
TE: Dallas Holmes, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr.
OL: Cody Johnson, Fordham, Gr.
OL: Cam Nolan, Holy Cross, Jr.
OL: Ryder Langsdale, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Aidan Palmer, Lehigh, Jr.
Second-Team Defense (14)*
DL: Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell, Sr.
DL: Claudy Robinson, Fordham, Jr.
DL: Cooper Blomstrom, Georgetown, So.
DL: Tyree Morris, Lafayette, Jr.
LB: Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Sr.
LB: Gavin Willis, Bucknell, So.
LB: GianCarlo Rufo, Georgetown, So.
LB: David Ealey III, Georgetown, Gr.
LB: Mike Courtney, Fordham, Gr.
DB: Zeraun Daniel, Georgetown, So.
DB: Preston Murray, Georgetown, Gr.
DB: Curtis Harris-Lopez, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Jake Jarmolowich, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Cam Jones, Holy Cross, So.
Second-Team Special Teams (6)*
PK: Patrick Ryan, Georgetown, Sr.
P: Matt Schearer, Bucknell, Jr.
RS: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr.
STNS: Kenneth Borders, Georgetown, Sr.
LS: Walker Adkinson, Fordham, Jr.
LS: Dylan Aguilera, Lafayette, Jr.
*Additional players added due to ties in voting
Players Mentioned
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