Bison137
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10-12-19 06:37 PM - Post#288528
Bison went to Hamilton today and beat the preseason favorite Colgate 32 to 14. Colgate has been disappointing this year, but they had the preseason picks for both DPOY and OPOY. Last year they went undefeated in PL play.
Congrats to the team and Coach Cecchini and staff. Hopefully more wins ahead. Next week they play nationally ranked Towson, as they conclude what is one of the toughest OOC schedules in modern Bison history.
https://bucknellbison.com/news/2019/10/12/buckn ell...
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Bison137
Professor
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10-12-19 07:04 PM - Post#288529
In response to Bison137
Simeon Page, who is one of the better LB's ever to wear a Bison uniform, had six tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss of 22 yards, two sacks for a loss of 14 yards and two pass breakups; Page also returned a fumble for a touchdown to finish off the win.
Like many Bison players, Page has had to adjust to a different role, as offensive and defensive schemes have changed this year. Today was a very impressive performance.
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
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10-12-19 08:06 PM - Post#288530
In response to Bison137
Towson played Florida at this year and they couldn’t execute in the red zone and lost by 35. Despite that the game was closer the final score indicated competitively.
Good win for the Bison and it also begs the question: what happened to Colgate?
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Bison137
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10-12-19 10:19 PM - Post#288531
In response to HuskyColonial
Good win for the Bison and it also begs the question: what happened to Colgate?
Don't know, but they have greatly underperformed after being a unanimous pick for 1st place in the PL preseason poll - receiving 12 out of a possible 12 first place votes. Colgate returned a fair number of players from a team that last year went 10-2, with their only losses being to a strong Army team in a fairly close game and then to FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in the second round of the FCS championships.
This year - like the Bison - they had a very tough OOC schedule early, playing Villanova, Air Force, William & Mary, and #12 Maine in their first four games. They played pretty well, but lost all of them - but then seem to have fallen apart. One issue is that their starting QB, who was the preseason POY, got hurt early vs William & Mary and missed the next two games. However he has played the whole game the last two weeks. Against the Bison today, he completed 17-28 passes and had 13 true rushing attempts.
Fwiw, Colgate had ten players on the preseason PL poll - the most of any team - and all ten played today against the Bison.
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Bison137
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10-12-19 10:25 PM - Post#288532
In response to Bison137
One cause for optimism for the Bison is that only one of today's 22 starters is a senior. They've lost a lot of regulars to injury - and a disproportionate number have been seniors.
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JDBison2010
Masters Student
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Loc: Charleston, SC
Reg: 11-23-10
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10-12-19 10:42 PM - Post#288533
In response to Bison137
Biti looked like a different QB out there today. Made some really nice throws and I can only remember one instance where he held the ball too long and got sacked. No picks and even ran the back effectively. Exciting to see Sanders, Lyles, and Cooper (all sophomores) carry the load offensively
Back to back weeks we’ve jumped out to 14-0 leads. Really hoping last week doesn’t come back to bite us. After beating the unanimous pre season #1, no reason to believe we can’t compete for the league title. Sounds odd to say at 1-5 but it’s a real possibility
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Bison137
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Football: Bucknell 32 Colgate 14
10-12-19 11:06 PM - Post#288534
In response to JDBison2010
I wasn't able to watch the game. Hope to watch the replay later tonight. I saw that Chad Freshnock was listed as a starter in a Bison tweet just prior to the game and then apparently did not play. Any idea what happened?
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JDBison2010
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Loc: Charleston, SC
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10-13-19 07:05 AM - Post#288535
In response to Bison137
I’m thinking (and hoping] it was just precautionary. Freshnock actually did get into the game for one play late in the 4th alongside Tarrin Earle. Play ended up being nullified by a penalty but it made me feel better that he was out there. Just seemed like an odd time to throw him into the mix if you were trying to be cautious
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jkrun80
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10-13-19 07:43 AM - Post#288536
In response to JDBison2010
Biti looked like a different QB out there today. Made some really nice throws and I can only remember one instance where he held the ball too long and got sacked. No picks and even ran the back effectively. Exciting to see Sanders, Lyles, and Cooper (all sophomores) carry the load offensively
Back to back weeks we’ve jumped out to 14-0 leads. Really hoping last week doesn’t come back to bite us. After beating the unanimous pre season #1, no reason to believe we can’t compete for the league title. Sounds odd to say at 1-5 but it’s a real possibility
I was optimistic last year after beating a good Holy Cross team on the road. And we all know how that ended. I'm reserving judgment for now. If they avoid a blowout loss to Towson and beat (currently winless) Lafayette on the road, I'll start to have some hope.
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Bison137
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10-13-19 11:11 AM - Post#288538
In response to jkrun80
Bison opponents from earlier in the year generally are doing very well:
- Temple is 5-2, with a 24-2 win over Georgia Tech and a win yesterday over #23 Memphis.
- Villanova is 6-1 after a tough road loss to JMU yesterday. Have beaten Maine, Towson, and W&M. Top ten in Massey rankings.
- Princeton is 4-0 after beating Lafayette 28-3 yesterday. They are top ten in the Massey rankings.
- Holy Cross won yesterday to go to 3-3. They have good wins against UNH and Yale, and two of their losses were at Navy and at Syracuse. Right now they look like the top PL team.
- Sacred Heart is 3-3 after a road loss to Penn. Another loss was at a good Maine team.
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Bucknellbisonfan21
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10-13-19 11:12 AM - Post#288539
In response to jkrun80
I know freshnock got hurt and left the game last week in the second half with some sort of leg injury. He must not have felt 100% in warmups yesterday.
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bison63
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10-13-19 02:28 PM - Post#288542
In response to JDBison2010
Back to back weeks we’ve jumped out to 14-0 leads. Really hoping last week doesn’t come back to bite us. After beating the unanimous pre season #1, no reason to believe we can’t compete for the league title. Sounds odd to say at 1-5 but it’s a real possibility
Big difference in this weeks 14-0 lead vs last week. Last week, the offense had very little to do with the 14 points (pick six, and a turnover in the red zone). But yesterday the 14 points were provided by two substantial (70 yard +)drives. Both drives were convincing, featuring a mix of run and throw, Furthermore, they kept the pressure on all game.
As an aside, why have they not been using Pechin for FGs all along? Two no doubters, one from 39 yards.
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Bison137
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10-13-19 06:35 PM - Post#288543
In response to bison63
As an aside, why have they not been using Pechin for FGs all along? Two no doubters, one from 39 yards.
I don't know for a fact - but I can give you a possible reason. Two years ago, he missed virtually the entire season with a torn hamstring. Last year he was originally going to kick the FG's as well as handle the punting, but the place-kicking motion put a bit of stress on the hamstring and they decided not to risk it. Apparently at this point, he is feeling OK to pull double duty.
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Bison137
Professor
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10-14-19 02:05 PM - Post#288553
In response to Bison137
Page Defensive POW and Pechin Special Teams POW:
https://bucknellbison.com/news/2019/10/14/footb all...
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
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Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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10-14-19 05:16 PM - Post#288556
In response to Bison137
I am optimistic. First year head coach and a bare cupboard are tough obstacles to overcome.
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jkrun80
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10-14-19 08:23 PM - Post#288564
In response to Bison137
As an aside, why have they not been using Pechin for FGs all along? Two no doubters, one from 39 yards.
I don't know for a fact - but I can give you a possible reason. Two years ago, he missed virtually the entire season with a torn hamstring. Last year he was originally going to kick the FG's as well as handle the punting, but the place-kicking motion put a bit of stress on the hamstring and they decided not to risk it. Apparently at this point, he is feeling OK to pull double duty.
I would add that Pechin has the potential to be drafted by an NFL team. It's understandable he and the coaches might not want to risk a professional career on a secondary role. It's admirable he's willing to take that risk to contribute to the team.
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bison63
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10-14-19 10:19 PM - Post#288568
In response to jkrun80
I’d think the ability to kick FGs only enhances his appeal. I also think he is pretty much a lock to be drafted.
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Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
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Football: Bucknell 32 Colgate 14
10-14-19 10:51 PM - Post#288569
In response to bison63
I’d think the ability to kick FGs only enhances his appeal. I also think he is pretty much a lock to be drafted.
I think he has a reasonable shot - but when it comes to punters, very few are locks. Over the past nine drafts, there have been 16 punters selected, i.e. an average of 1.8 per year. Is Pechin one of the top two senior punters at any level? Very possibly yes - but I don't think it's a sure thing.
Pechin currently has an average of 49.1 yards per punt, which leads FCS and is second among all punters in all divisions. The one punter ahead of him is an Aussie who kicks for Kentucky who is only a junior.
There are a lot of punters with very strong legs, so the difference is often the punter's ability to control distance when kicking inside the 50, to have very good hang time, and to control direction so as to pin the returner close to the sideline without losing distance by having the kick go OB too soon. Imo, Pechin is very good in these categories.
As a tiebreaker, Pechin's ability to kick FG's might have a bit of value, as you say. Similarly, the fact that Pechin was a very good HS QB could also add a slight bit of value, since he is always a threat to run a fake. Also that helps in the NFL since the punter is very often the holder on FG's.
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HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
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10-15-19 11:24 AM - Post#288585
In response to Bison137
Bison 137 that's a great analysis.
Directional punting is hugely important in the NFL. Many guys can boom big kicks but the ability to consistently place a 45 yard punt on the sideline. at the 10 yard line, and with hang time is what separates punting prospects.
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bison63
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Re: Football: Bucknell 32 Colgate 14
10-15-19 03:02 PM - Post#288591
In response to Bison137
I’d think the ability to kick FGs only enhances his appeal. I also think he is pretty much a lock to be drafted.
I think he has a reasonable shot - but when it comes to punters, very few are locks. Over the past nine drafts, there have been 16 punters selected, i.e. an average of 1.8 per year. Is Pechin one of the top two senior punters at any level? Very possibly yes - but I don't think it's a sure thing.
Pechin currently has an average of 49.1 yards per punt, which leads FCS and is second among all punters in all divisions. The one punter ahead of him is an Aussie who kicks for Kentucky who is only a junio
There are a lot of punters with very strong legs, so the difference is often the punter's ability to control distance when kicking inside the 50, to have very good hang time, and to control direction so as to pin the returner close to the sideline without losing distance by having the kick go OB too soon. Imo, Pechin is very good in these categories.
As a tiebreaker, Pechin's ability to kick FG's might have a bit of value, as you say. Similarly, the fact that Pechin was a very good HS QB could also add a slight bit of value, since he is always a threat to run a fake. Also that helps in the NFL since the punter is very often the holder on FG's.
137, I think you just made the case as to why he is sure to be in the NFL next year. Imo
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