Bucknell University
2-2 , 0-1
#10/10 Lehigh
4-0 , 2-0
Rucker Becomes All-Time Passing Leader in Loss to No. 10/10 Lehigh
9/20/2025 9:07:00 PM | Football
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Ralph Rucker IV broke Bucknell's all-time passing yards record with 291 on the day, putting him at 6,421 for his career, in Bucknell's loss to #10/10 Lehigh. Despite scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it a two-score game with just over six minutes remaining, the Bison (2-2, 0-1 PL) fell to the Mountain Hawks (4-0, 2-0 PL) by a score of 41-24.
Rucker surpassed Brandon Wesley '13 and his 6,277 career passing yards to become Bucknell's all-time passing yards leader. He went 23-for-34 for 291 yards and two touchdowns in the game to get the record. Rucker also rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown to be the Bison's leading rusher of the night.
Sam Milligan led the Bison receivers with 109 yards on five receptions. Nick Hoying and Deuce Geter led the Bison in tackles with six tackles each.
"They are a good football team," said head coach Dave Cecchini. "They showed why they were preseason favorites and why they are ranked 10th in the country. When that happens, you just have to be your best. They showed that today at least, they were the better football team."
Bucknell struggled at the start with its first two offensive possessions going unsuccessful, while Lehigh put 10 points on the board in their first two offensive possessions. The Bison opened with the ball, and on the first snap, Rucker threw an interception at the Bucknell 25-yard line. Lehigh then got the ball in a good position, but the Bison defense was able to limit the damage to a field goal. Bucknell's second offensive drive was a quick three-and-out, and Lehigh capitalized once again, but this time in the form of a seven-play, 28-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a 12-yard rush by Jaden Green.
After going down by ten with 7:03 left in the first quarter, the Bison's offense started making progress with a Ty Stauffer 10-yard rush and a Sam Miligan 59-yard reception to set Matt Schearer up for a 29-yard field goal, which put Bucknell on the board.
On Lehigh's next offensive drive, the Mountain Hawks began with a deep pass downfield, but England Allen came up big with the breakup for Bucknell. Lehigh ended up going three-and-out and the defense held up their end of the bargain as the Mountain Hawks then forced the Bison to punt on the next drive.
Lehigh ended the pause in scoring with an 11-play, 98-yard touchdown drive after Schearer punted the ball to the Lehigh two-yard line. On their drive, the Mountain Hawks went for it on 4th and 1 with a quarterback rush by Hayden Johnson. Green rushed for 14 yards to make it to the one-yard line, and Luke Yoder punched it in for the touchdown to give Lehigh a 17-3 lead, which wouldn't hold for long as the Bison would score on the next drive.
Bucknell's offense hit its stride as it put together a 12-play 85-yard touchdown drive with 4:29 left in the first half to make it a one-score game. The drive began with a TJ Cadden 22-yard catch and ended with Rucker keeping the ball and using a hesitation tactic to draw away the defender and rush five yards to the end zone. Schearer would make the extra point to cut Lehigh's lead to seven. The final four and a half minutes would go scoreless, and the Mountain Hawks went into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
Lehigh dominated the third quarter with back-to-back Green rushing touchdowns and defensive three-and-outs to extend the lead to 31-10 with 7:30 left in the period. The Mountain Hawks would add one more touchdown to end the third quarter up 38-10, this time on a pass to Mason Humphrey.
The Bison stayed competitive and put together back-to-back touchdown drives. The first was a 12-play 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown reception for Nate Anderson, his first of the season. Josh Gary had two 10+ yard receptions that were instrumental in the drive. The second came from an 11-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a three-yard receiving touchdown for TJ Cadden, making it a two-score game with 6:09 remaining.
The Mountain Hawks would land one last punch with a field goal late in the fourth quarter to make the final score 41-24.
The Bison will remain at home for their senior night game against Saint Francis on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. as they look to get back in the win column.
Team Stats
LEH 3, BUC 0
LEH - Garrido,Nick 24 yd field goal 7 plays, 28 yards, TOP 03:04
LEH 10, BUC 0
LEH - Green,Jaden 12 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 5 plays, 55 yards, TOP 02:37
LEH 10, BUC 3
BUC - Schearer,Matt 29 yd field goal 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:08
LEH 17, BUC 3
LEH - Yoder,Luke 1 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 11 plays, 98 yards, TOP 05:11
LEH 17, BUC 10
BUC - Rucker IV,Ralph 5 yd run (Schearer,Matt kick), 12 plays, 85 yards, TOP 05:39
LEH 24, BUC 10
LEH - Green,Jaden 23 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:06
LEH 31, BUC 10
LEH - Green,Jaden 6 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 4 plays, 30 yards, TOP 02:14
LEH 38, BUC 10
LEH - Humphrey,Mason 17 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 04:01
LEH 38, BUC 17
BUC - Anderson,Nate 10 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:48
LEH 38, BUC 24
BUC - Cadden,TJ 3 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 11 plays, 86 yards, TOP 03:38
LEH 41, BUC 24
LEH - Garrido,Nick 23 yd field goal 9 plays, 39 yards, TOP 04:19
