Bucknell University
2-1 , 0-0
VMI
1-2 , 0-0
Rucker-to-Milligan Combo Leads Football to 35-28 Win over VMI
9/13/2025 7:13:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Sam Milligan's team-record fourth touchdown reception came with 1:49 remaining in the game, sending the Bucknell football team to a thrilling 35-28 win over VMI in the home opener on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Ralph Rucker IV tied the school record with five touchdown passes, four of them going to Milligan, as the Bison won their second straight game to improve to 2-1 on the season.Â
Rucker completed 21 of 28 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns. There have now been four five-touchdown passing games in team history, and Rucker has three of them. The 405 passing yards were second-most in a game in school history, trailing only Rucker's 437 in last season's win over Colgate.Â
Milligan had three touchdown grabs in the first half alone, as Bucknell raced to a 21-7 lead at intermission. Milligan sat out most of the third quarter due to a minor injury, but he returned in the fourth quarter and made the biggest play of the day. After VMI rallied to tie the game at 28-28, Milligan outmuscled a defender for a spectacular 37-yard catch in the front left corner of the end zone with less than two minutes to go.Â
"I felt very calm today out there," said Milligan. "I wasn't thinking much when I made that catch. I was relaxed and that's something that I haven't felt a ton of and feeling that today was really cool and really exciting."
VMI was set back by a holding penalty and a bad snap on its final drive, and the Keydets came up short on a 4th-and-31 play. A first-down run by Logan Bush sent the Bison into victory formation.Â
Milligan finished with seven catches for 192 yards. Six Bison previously caught three touchdown passes in a game: Carl Probst (1971), Ken Jenkins (1980), Mike Morrow (1986), Will Carter (2014), Jake Hartman (2014), and Dominic Lyles (2021). Milligan's 192 receiving yards were sixth-most in a game in team history, and the most since Carter went for 246 at Lehigh in 2014.Â
Outside of breaking his touchdowns in single-game records, the junior broke his career receptions record with seven and his career reception yards record with 192. TJ Cadden also broke his career receiving yards record with 123 in this game.Â
Down by just one score with nine minutes remaining, the Keydets strung together a nine-play, 52-yard drive that culminated with a 14-yard receiving touchdown for Owen Sweeney to tie the game at 28 with just over five minutes left to play. The Keydets found the end zone the play before as well, but it was taken away due to an ineligible player downfield penalty. Ben Shrewsbury made the extra point to officially tie the game.
With just under two minutes left in the game, the Bucknell offense was faced with a 28-28 scoreline and a 3rd-and-1 situation. Rucker kept the ball and battled through the defensive line of VMI to give the Bison a fresh set of downs and a chance to make a game-winning play. Rucker threw a deep ball to the end zone and found Milligan, who toe-tapped it in for the game-winner and record breaker.
Â
How about a fourth touchdown for Milligan and the lead late in the fourth!!! Milligan's four touchdowns is the new program record, and Rucker matches his own single-game record of five touchdown passes! #rayBucknell
— Bucknell Football (@Bucknell_FB) September 13, 2025
Q4 1:49 | Bucknell 35, VMI 28 pic.twitter.com/2lNN44yxTj
"I have to earn the right for the football. If Ralph is willing to throw me the football, I need to go get it," said Milligan. "Every time the ball is in the air that's him putting his faith in me. The five lineman are blocking and they are doing all this just so I can catch the football. It is a team effort and when you have those opportunities to capitalize on what everyone else on the team is doing, you have to go make a play. That's one of those things that helps me relax."
The Bison came out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first half, but VMI was able to stay in the game and put up a comeback in the final quarter of play to make it come down to a two-minute drill to decide a winner.
The defenses came up big to start off the game as the first two offensive drives for both Bucknell and VMI were three and outs.
The Bison then broke the scoring drought with a one play, eight second, 45-yard touchdown pass from Rucker to Milligan, after the VMI punt landed on their own 45-yard line.Â
The Keydets responded with a touchdown drive of their own. VMI scored on a 12-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with Sweeney catching an 18-yard touchdown pass from Collin Shannon.Â
Both teams then ended drives with a punt and the second quarter began with an even 7-7 scoreline.
To open the second quarter, the Bison strung together a long 16-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that lasted 8:03. On the drive, Tariq Thomas rushed for 20 yards, TJ Cadden rushed for 48 yards, Nate Anderson had 20 receiving yards and Milligan found the 18-yard touchdown reception for his second score of the game.Â
Bucknell's defense then came out with pressure and forced VMI to punt the ball with just over three minutes left in the first half. The offense took the field looking to make it a two-score game before heading into the locker room and would be successful with Milligan's third of the game, a record tying touchdown for the junior. The 34-yard one-handed touchdown reception was the culmination of a 10-play, 85-yard drive, which put the Bison up 21-7 at halftime.
VMI opened the second half with the ball and Sweeney caught a pass from Shannon for a 27-yard reception, however the Keydets would be unable to use their fresh set of downs to make a move as Drew Cormier, Aaron Davis and Zachary Corna made quick stops.
The Bison offense took the field and drove to the VMI 46, but EJ Wilborne got the jump on Rucker's pass and picked it off to give the Keydets offense the ball at their own 46-yard line. VMI ran the ball twice for four yards before Noah Grevious found an opening and recorded a 73-yard touchdown reception to make it a one score game.
The Bison went three and out on the next drive and the Keydets drove to the Bucknell 45-yard line to attempt a field goal. Shrewsbury's 54-yard attempt went wide left.Â
Bucknell's offense took the field and TJ Cadden, who had a 40-yard punt return touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the Bison's win over VMI last season, haunted the Keydets again as he caught a pass from Rucker, spun out of a tackle and sprinted 59 yard receiving to make it a 28-14 game at the end of the third quarter.
VMI's offense immediately responded with a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that featured a 39-yard catch by Julio Carrecter and a three-yard rush from Nana Utsey to secure the touchdown. Shrewsbury made the extra point to make it a one-score game seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Bison then had a quick three and out. VMI's offense took the field and Boehling rushed three times in a row to get a first down, but Bucknell's defense came out in full force on the second set of downs as Jack Goheen sacked Shannon. After VMI was tagged with an offensive pass interference penalty, Boehling rushed the ball on 3rd and 33 for nine yards, which wouldn't be enough and would force a punt with under 10 minutes left in the game. Bucknell wouldn't be able to capitalize with two incomplete passes back-to-back creating a second quick three and out for the Bison.Â
This led to the final two big drives of the game which saw a Keydet and Bison touchdown back-to-back and ended with the final two-minute touchdown drive by Bucknell for the victory at home.Â
Bucknell will remain home next week for its Family Weekend game against Lehigh. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
VMI 0, BUC 7
BUC - Milligan,Sam 45 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 1 plays, 45 yards, TOP 00:08
VMI 7, BUC 7
VMI - Sweeney,Owen 18 yd pass from Shannon,Collin (Shrewsbury,Ben kick) 12 plays, 69 yards, TOP 05:23
VMI 7, BUC 14
BUC - Milligan,Sam 18 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 15 plays, 94 yards, TOP 08:03
VMI 7, BUC 21
BUC - Milligan,Sam 34 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 10 plays, 85 yards, TOP 02:54
VMI 14, BUC 21
VMI - Grevious,Noah 73 yd pass from Shannon,Collin (Shrewsbury,Ben kick) 3 plays, 77 yards, TOP 01:29
VMI 14, BUC 28
BUC - Cadden,TJ 59 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 3 plays, 63 yards, TOP 01:13
VMI 21, BUC 28
VMI - Utsey,Nana 3 yd run (Shrewsbury,Ben kick), 6 plays, 70 yards, TOP 02:29
VMI 28, BUC 28
VMI - Sweeney,Owen 14 yd pass from Shannon,Collin (Shrewsbury,Ben kick) 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 03:30
VMI 28, BUC 35
BUC - Milligan,Sam 37 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 8 plays, 88 yards, TOP 03:37
