Football Set for Saturday Evening Home Game vs. Marist

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell is looking to rebound as it enters its fourth game of the season with a 1-2 record. After a challenging start with losses to FBS opponent Navy and a formidable Merrimack squad as well as a road win at VMI, the Bison are back at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for a second Saturday in a row with a chance to get back to .500.

The Bison have shown flashes of excellence in all three games and are on the brink of putting together a full 60-minute performance. They currently rank among the top 30 teams in the FCS in both passing offense and passing defense. Marist, meanwhile has struggled to an 0-2 start with losses to Lafayette and Georgetown. The Red Foxes now face their third Patriot League team to begin the season.

The Bison and Red Foxes now meet for the 16th time since the series began in 2005, and Bucknell is looking to make it 10 consecutive victories over the visitors from New York.

Media Notes:

When: Saturday, Sept. 21 – 6 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Radio: 1070 AM (WKOK)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on X: @Bucknell_FB
Media Notes: Bucknell | Marist
Digital Program

Game Promotions
• Postgame Fireworks Show, presented by Weis Markets & select Bucknell Football alumni
• CMMS 100th Anniversary Season T-Shirt Giveaway, while supplies last
• Bucknell Football Magnet Schedule and Keychain Giveaway, presented by Kost Tire and Auto

With a Victory the Bison would…
• improve to 2-2 on the season
• move to 1-1 at home
• win its first home game since Sept. 9, 2023
• win a 10th consecutive game over the Red Foxes
• improve to 15-1 in the all-time series with the Red Foxes

Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell is 1-2 through the first three weeks of the season and is back at home for a second straight Saturday with a chance to even its record at .500 when Marist visits Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• Bucknell's losses are to FBS foe Navy and a strong Merrimack team, while the Bison earned their win on the road at VMI. A win on Saturday would help Bucknell draw closer to three Patriot League teams that are currently 2-1.
• As a team, Bucknell currently ranks top 30 in the FCS in passing offense (25th, 236.7/game) and passing defense (19th, 162/game).
• Several Bison also rank top 30 in individual stats. TJ Cadden is 15th in all-purpose yards per game (124.3), Ralph Rucker IV is 17th in passing touchdowns (5) and 26th in passing yards (603), Gavin Willis is 20th in tackles per game (9.7), and Matt Schearer is fourth in punting average (46.9).
• 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.
• 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.
• The Bison welcomed a host of new faces to the staff during the offseason: special teams coordinator/linebackers coach Brad Jarman, running backs coach Jalen Banks, defensive line coach Codey Cole, assistant offensive line coach/run game analyst Ashley Cornwell, defensive quality control/cornerbacks coach Roger Wright-Lester, and video coordinator Kiem LeGrant.
• 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.

Inside the Merrimack Box Score
• Bucknell and Merrimack traded leads four times in the first half, but the visiting Warriors took the lead for good with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter and scored 21 unanswered points to build a 31-14 lead by the middle of the third.
• Merrimack eclipsed 400 yards of offense, including 258 rushing yards. Running back Jermaine Corbett accounted for 166 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
• The Warriors also added a defensive score on a sack-fumble returned for a touchdown in the third quarter.
• Bucknell snapped its scoring drought with a touchdown pass in the final minute of the game to cut the final deficit to 31-21.
• Ralph Rucker led two touchdown drives in the first half. He threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gary to cap a 9-play, 73-yard drive in the first quarter. In the second, Rucker ran 11 yards for a score to cap a 5-play, 65-yard drive. He finished the game with 141 passing yards on 16 completions.
• The Merrimack defense sacked Rucker seven times in the contest and intercepted two passes.
• Nick Hoying led the Bucknell defense with 10 tackles. Alex Smith Jr. recorded seven tackles, including two tackles for loss.
• TJ Cadden posted a 37-yard punt return for yet another splash play on special teams.
• It was Bucknell's first-ever meeting with the Warriors, who faced two FBS teams to open the season.

Marist at a Glance
• Marist, which faced Patriot League opponents in its first two games of the season, fell to 0-2 with a 56-14 loss at Lafayette last Saturday. The Red Foxes opened the year with a 31-10 loss to Georgetown, making it three consecutive losses to Patriot League teams including last year's season-finale loss to Bucknell.
• Marist has totaled just 380 yards of offense combined over its first two games while giving up 847 total yards to its two opponents. Running back Carter James has accounted for Marist's lone rushing touchdown, and wide receiver Mohamed Diawara has caught two touchdowns through the air. The Red Foxes have also played two different quarterbacks, with redshirt sophomore Sonny Mannino finishing out the most recent outing.
• Marist return specialist Tristan Shannon was the team's lone Preseason All-Conference pick, and the Red Foxes came in at eighth out of 11 in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches' Poll. Marist finished the 2023 campaign 4-7 (4-4 PFL).
• Marist is under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Willis, who previously served as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator at Princeton. At 32 years old, Willis is the third-youngest head coach in the FCS.

Series History with the Red Foxes
• The Bison and Red Foxes are meeting for the 16th time since the series began in 2005, and the Bison have come out on top in all but one of those meetings. Bucknell has won nine in a row, including last season's 38-21 victory in the season finale in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
• Marist's line win in the series was in 2010 when it pulled out a 14-3 victory at home. The Bison have won all eight matchups in Lewisburg.
• This is the third consecutive season that Bucknell and Marist have played one another. Prior to that, the teams met every season from 2005-17.
• Just four of the 15 games have been decided by a single score. The Bison also pitched back-to-back shutout against Marist in 2014 and 2015.

The Last Time Bucknell and Marist Met
Bucknell 38 – Marist 21 (Nov. 18, 2024 – Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
• Bucknell set a host of single-season and single-game records in its season finale against the Red Foxes. Damian Harris broke the school's single-game receptions record with 15 while piling up 177 yards and a touchdown.
• Ralph Rucker broke the school's single-season passing yards and completions record in the win, and he tied the single-season passing touchdowns record by throwing thee in the win.
• Bucknell jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the second quarter and registered 458 yards of offense.
• Christian Tait and Charlie Kreinbucher added receiving touchdowns, while Rushawn Baker and Eric Weatherly rushed for scores.
• Marist scored twice in the fourth quarter to cut Bucknell's commanding lead to 38-21.
• Tyler Beverett entered the game at quarterback in the second half, and the Bison QBs combined to completed 82% of their pass attempts.
• Marist quarterback Logan Brabham threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns on 51 pass attempts.

Inside the Bucknell Depth Chart
• Bucknell's projected starters on offense have made a combined 124 starts at Bucknell.
• Bucknell's projected starters on defense have made a combined 123 starts at Bucknell.
• On offense, one fifth-year (OL Casey Stephenson), three seniors, six juniors and one sophomore (OL Xavier Allen) are expected to start.
• On defense, eight seniors, two juniors and one sophomore (LB Gavin Willis) are expected to start.
• 16 Bison have made at least 10 starts entering Saturday's game. S John Schlendorf leads the team with 25 career starts. Schlendorf and OL Casey Stephenson are the only two Bison with 20 career starts.
• Two Bison made their first career starts last week: WR TJ Cadden and DL Williams Caneer. 10 Bison in total have made their first starts this season.
• Six Bison have starting streaks of 10 or more games in a row: Schlendorf (25), TE Charlie Kreinbucher (17), S Alex Smith Jr. (14), OL John Ohnegian (14), LB Brad Jamison (14) and Stephenson (12).
• Seniors Schlendorf and Smith Jr. have played in all 36 of the team's games over their three seasons.

Bison Award Winners
• Bucknell has earned two Patriot League Weekly Awards this season. Both came following Bucknell's win at VMI. TJ Cadden was named PL Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 40 yards for a touchdown and totaling 54 punt return yards in the game. He also added six receptions for 87 yards, totaling 141 all-purpose yards. Linebacker Brandon Biagiarelli earned PL Rookie of the Week honors after recording his first career sack along with three tackles at VMI.
• Cadden was an honorable mention for Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the VMI win.
• The Bison returned one All-Patriot League player, LB Brad Jamison.
• K Matt Schearer was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team in July. It was his second time being named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team after earning the honor in 2023 as well.
• Eight Bison were named to the 2024 Phil Steele Patriot League Preseason All-Conference Team: K Schearer (1st Tm), LB Jamison (2nd Tm), QB Ralph Rucker (3rd Tm), WR Eric Weatherly (3rd Tm), OL Xavier Allen (3rd Tm), OL Casey Stephenson (3rd Tm), OL John Ohnegian (3rd Tm) and S John Schlendorf (3rd Tm).
• The Bison lost First Team All-Patriot League CB Ethan Robinson as well as First Team All-Patriot League KR and Second Team All-League RB Coleman Bennett from last season.
• Bucknell returned one of its three Academic All-Patriot League honorees from last season: OL Ohnegian.
• Four current members of the roster have earned Patriot League Weekly Awards during their careers. QB Rucker was named PL Offensive Player of the Week last year (10/30), DL Aneesh Vyas was named PL Special Teams Player of the Week last year (9/25), K Schearer was named PL Rookie of the Week twice in 2022 (10/24 & 11/14), and DL Justin Fisher was named PL Rookie of the Week as well as HIMS National Freshman of the Week in 2021 (9/6).

Milestone Watch
• Eric Weatherly needs 205 receiving yards to reach 1,000 in his Bucknell career.
• Derrick Anderson Jr. needs 32 receiving yards to reach 500 for his career.
• Gavin Willis needs 2 tackle to reach 100 in his career.

Milestones Met Last Week
• Ralph Rucker eclipsed 3,000 career passing yards.

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 24 All-Patriot League First/Second Team awards as well as one First Team All-American.

Inside the 2024 Schedule
• This is the 139th season of football at Bucknell. The Bison played their first-ever game in 1883 and have played continuously since 1887.
• Bucknell is scheduled to play 12 games for just the third time in program history and for the first time since 2003. The Bison also played 12 games is 1916. Bucknell will host six home games for the first time since 2017.
• The Bison opened the 2024 slate against FBS opponent Navy. It's the fifth FBS team Bucknell has faced under head coach Dave Cecchini and the third time it has faced an FBS foe in the season opener.
• Bucknell went on the road again in week two to face VMI for a third season in a row. The Bison defeated the Keydets for a second straight season.
• Bucknell hosted Merrimack for its home opener on Sept. 14 for what was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Bison host Marist a week later for Family Weekend on Sept. 21 and will look to make it three consecutive wins over the Red Foxes in as many seasons.
• The Bison open Patriot League play on the road at Lehigh on Sept. 28 before hitting the bye week. They return from the bye on Oct. 12 with a trip to Penn for the first of two back-to-back games against Ivy League teams. Bucknell hosts Cornell on Oct. 19 over Homecoming Weekend. It marks the 45th time in the last 46 seasons that Bucknell has had at least one Ivy League program on the schedule.
• A trip to Georgetown rounds out the month of October before the Bison play three of their final four games at home. The Bison and the Hoyas have played overtime games the last two years and have alternated wins over the last six meetings.
• Lafayette visits Lewisburg on Nov. 2, and Fordham comes to town Nov. 9 before Bucknell visits Holy Cross for its final road game. The regular season comes to a close at home against Colgate on Nov. 23.
• Bucknell's 2024 opponents went a combined 63-69 last season.
• Bucknell's 2024 opponents are off to a combined 10-18 record this season.

Facility Upgrades
• The Bison officially opened the doors to the Pascucci Team Center on April 15, 2024, completing a plethora of enhancements in and around Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in recent years that were made possible through the generous support of Michael Pascucci '58, P'81, P'87, G'21, G'22.
• Standing prominently between the turf practice field and the north end zone of the stadium, the new facility is a 16,000-square-foot athletics hub that features a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning facility with an expansive weight room that overlooks the turf practice field. Adjacent to the weight room is a sports medicine center.
• Specifically designed to bridge the practice and game-day fields, the team center's south facade offers sweeping views of Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Inside, a spacious team meeting room and conference room allows teams to review film and gather for off-field training and learning events. A Bison Fuel station ensures convenient access to nutritious snacks, supplements and hydration.
• Earlier phases of the project included the installation of a modern LED video board at the south end zone of Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in 2021 and the completion of a turf practice field in 2022.
• The Bucknell football team's locker room, located within Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, was also redone over the summer and includes brand-new lockers, a player's lounge, and more.

Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium's 100th Anniversary Season
• Bucknell Athletics proudly celebrates Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium's 100th anniversary season in 2024. Over the course of 10 decades, the historic landmark has played host to more than 450 football games along with countless other athletic events and community gatherings. The Bison will celebrate a century of tradition throughout the 2024-25 academic year, and the Oct. 19 home game vs. Cornell will serve as the football team's official Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary Game during Homecoming Weekend.
• 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 256-187-10 all-time at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

How to Follow the Bison
• All of Bucknell's games this season will be broadcast on ESPN+ with the exception of the season opener at Navy, which will be shown on CBS Sports Network.
• 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 X (@Bucknell_FB) and Instagram (Bucknell_FB). Interact with the team using the hashtags #ACT and #rayBucknell.

Bucknell Football Vs. Cancer
*Bucknell Football's official Vs. Cancer Game has been moved to Saturday, Oct. 19 vs. Cornell.
• For a sixth consecutive season, the Bucknell football team is partnering with Vs. Cancer to bring awareness to pediatric cancer and raise funds for the cause.
• The Bison raised over $23,000 in 2023 and have totaled $98,500 since the partnership began in 2018.
• Bucknell's Oct. 19 home game vs. Cornell will serve as the team's official Vs. Cancer Game. Help Bison football reach its fundraising goal and make a difference in the lives of children with cancer by donating to the Bucknell Vs. Cancer Team Page.

Up Next
• Bucknell opens Patriot League play with a trip to Lehigh on Saturday, Sept. 28. Bucknell came away victorious the last time it faced the Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem, Pa., but Lehigh won last year's meeting in Lewisburg. Next Saturday's game precedes Bucknell's bye week.

Football Set for Saturday Evening Home Game vs. Marist

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Players Mentioned

Xavier Allen

Derrick Anderson Jr.

Rushawn Baker

Coleman Bennett

Tyler Beverett

Brandon Biagiarelli

TJ Cadden

Justin Fisher

Josh Gary

Damian Harris

Nick Hoying

Brad Jamison

Charlie Kreinbucher

Danny Meuser

John Ohnegian

Ethan Robinson

Ralph Rucker IV

Matt Schearer

John Schlendorf

Alex Smith Jr.

Casey Stephenson

Christian Tait

Aneesh Vyas

Eric Weatherly

Gavin Willis