Oct. 27, 2015
THE OPENING KICK
MATCH-UP: The Leopards play three times in the final four weeks of the season, next hosting Bucknell (3-4, 0-2) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The teams have split the last four meetings and both are searching for their first conference wins of the season.
HALLOWEEN MATCHUPS: Lafayette and Bucknell have met three times on Halloween, with the Leopards holding a 1-1-1 record in those contests. The first Halloween meeting was 1908, a 6-6 tie in Easton. The second was in 1942, a 13-7 Bucknell win in Lewisburg, Pa. The most recent contest came in 2009, a 35-14 Leopard victory in Easton.
LAST TIME OUT: Holy Cross quarterback Peter Pujals threw for six touchdowns as the Crusaders topped Lafayette 42-0 in Patriot League action. Pujals completed 27-of-36 for 358 yards, including four touchdown passes to Brendan Flaherty.
BRYANT IN THE NATION: Sophomore LB Brandon Bryant is fifth in the nation in solo tackles, making 6.8 solo stops per outing. Bryant had seven solo stops at Holy Cross. He ranks 13th in the nation in total tackles (11.1 tpg) and had a 16-tackle effort vs. Fordham, including 10 solo efforts. He made a career-high 18 stops at Delaware and garnered Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors, seven days removed from 13 tackles vs. William & Mary.
LIMITING PENALTIES: The Leopards have limited penalties, ranking second in the nation in penalties per game (4.00) and penalty yards per game (34) while resting sixth in total penalty yards (272).
SERIES NOTES: Lafayette has won 11 of the last 13 meetings with Bucknell, but has split the last four meetings with the Bison. Lafayette's overtime loss in 2014 was the first loss in Lewisburg, Pa. since Oct. 14, 2000. Lafayette leads the all-time series 52-34-6, winning 31-7 in 2013 and 20-14 in 2012 while losing 39-13 on Oct. 29, 2011. That decision snapped a series-long nine-game winning streak.
SHUT OUT: On Oct. 17, Lafayette was shut out for the first time in more than a decade (Sept. 22, 2001 vs. Penn, 37-0) against No. 18 Harvard and then again at Holy Cross (for the first time since 1971). Lafayette has not been shut out in three straight games since 1952. The last time Lafayette shut out an opponent, another Ivy League foe was involved when the Leopards beat Columbia 29-0 on Oct. 6, 2007 at Fisher Stadium.
COSTLY INJURY: In the first half at Holy Cross, Lafayette's top receiver, sophomore Matt Mrazek, went up for a ball in the end zone between two defenders. The Leopards' playmaker broke his clavicle and will miss the rest of the season. Mrazek leads the team with 44 catches for 495 yards (more than a quarter of Lafayette's receiving yards) and two touchdowns. He owns one of Lafayette's two 100-yard receiving games this season and had started all but one game in 2015 after starting six of the final seven games in 2014.
REED MOVING UP: With 215 passing yards against Harvard, junior QB Drew Reed eclipsed the 4000-yard plateau for career passing yards, now having thrown for 4,227 yards and now holding down eighth place in the Lafayette record books. He also ranks eighth in career completions with 383, needing three to move into the seventh spot.
Reed is the school record holder for single-season completion percentage (72.5% in 2013) and is second in career completion percentage (65.8%).
ABOUT BUCKNELL: Bucknell comes into the weekend with a 3-4 overall mark, 0-2 in conference play. The Bison have lost three straight games by a combined 26 points, falling 17-9 to Georgetown on Oct. 24, 21-14 at Army and 21-10 vs. Lehigh. Wins have come over Marist, Cornell and VMI.
• The Bison had a break-through 8-3 season in 2014 when they finished second in the Patriot League at 4-2. Bucknell returns six starters on offense and seven starters on defense while welcoming back 32 lettermen.
• Juniors R.J. Nitti and C.J. Williams are featured on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback Nitti has completed 127-of-239 for 1,442 yards with six TD's and seven interceptions. Nitti also leads his team with five rushing touchdowns. The tailback Williams has logged 513 rushing yards (103 yards per game), despite missing two games, and ranks 10th on Bucknell's career rushing yards list.
• Nitti's favorite target has been WR Will Carter who has 32 catches for 292 yards and three TDs in four games played.
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in scoring defense, allowing 17.3 points per game. Sophomore LB's Ben Richard and Mark Pyles have combined for 123 stops
• Bucknell is coached by Joe Susan (Delaware '78) who is in his sixth season as head coach of the Bison, posting a 27-35 record with the school.
