Bucknell

Bucknell’s losing woes continued this past weekend as the Bison dropped to 0-4 after a 21-12 loss to Cornell. Despite giving away four turnovers, The Big Red (1-2) exploited Bucknell’s porous run defense for three touchdowns and 123 rushing yards.

On the other side of the ball, the Bison were unable to convert on Cornell’s turnovers and several trips into Big Red territory. The inability to score was definitely not due to a lack of effort, as Bison true-freshman quarterback Brandon Wesley had a career day both through the air and on the ground. Wesley completed 25 out of 45 passing attempts for 267 yards, all of which were career highs. Wesley also scrambled for his first career touchdown on top of gaining a team-high 49 rushing yards.

Wesley was not the only diamond in the rough in Bucknell’s losing effort. Junior defensive lineman Josh Eden compiled four tackles and a sack, forced a fumble, and reeled in an interception in a very impressive outing. Eden leads the team this season with 15 tackles and three sacks.

Bucknell will host UPenn on Saturday, Oct. 9. In order to capture its first victory of the season, Bucknell will need Wesley, the team’s leading passer and rusher, to capitalize on scoring drives and the defense to put out a much stronger outing.

Lehigh

Two Saturdays ago, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (2-2) visited the offensively potent University of New Hampshire Wildcats (2-3) only to suffer their second loss of the season. The Wildcat offense was too much to handle for the Mountain Hawks, as they allowed New Hampshire to amass over 500 yards of total offense.

Leading the Wildcat attack was senior quarterback R.J. Toman, who threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, single-handedly grounding the Mountain Hawks.

The Mountain Hawks’ troubles can’t be attributed to the defense alone. Sophomore corner back Bryan Andrews recovered a fumble and was on the receiving end of one of Toman’s two picks on the day. Despite the three turnovers by the Wildcats, the Mountain Hawk offense was almost completely neutralized.

Lehigh gained only 129 yards of total offense on the day, headed by first time starting sophomore quarterback Mike Colvin. Colvin led the near-stagnant Mountain Hawk offense with 69 yards passing and three interceptions. Senior running back Jay Campbell punched in Lehigh’s only touchdown on the day with an 11-yard rush, highlighting a disappointing day for the Mountain Hawk offense.

Lehigh will play host to Fordham on Oct. 9, greatly in need of some offensive consistency.

Lafayette

The Lafayette Leopards lost 35-10 to the Harvard Crimson last Saturday. They were dominated by Harvard’s rushing attack, as Harvard amassed 311 rushing yards. Lafayette surrendered over 400 yards of total offense, and its only touchdown was thrown by sophomore Andrew Shoop.

The Leopards were set back by numerous penalties, including a block in the back that nullified a 94-yard touchdown on a kickoff return. They were penalized 10 times for 109 yards. The Leopards are now 0-4 and off to their worst start since 1998. They are in last place in the Patriot League.

Fordham

The Fordham Rams dropped to 2-3 on the season after losing to Holy Cross, 36-31. The Rams do not have to worry about their conference record, however, because it doesn’t exist. At the beginning of the year, Fordham forfeited a chance at the Patriot League title when it announced that it would begin awarding athletic scholarships to its incoming freshman class.

In Saturday’s loss, sophomore quarterback Blake Wayne made a case for a scholarship when he became the first Fordham quarterback to rush for 100 yards in a game, carrying the pigskin 20 times for 108 yards. Wayne also added 242 yards through the air on 19-for-30 passing, notching two touchdowns.

Holy Cross

A week after falling to the Hoyas, the Crusaders righted the ship by defeating Fordham at Holy Cross’ own homecoming, improving to 2-3 on the season while staying at 0-1 in the Patriot League.

Senior quarterback Ryan Taggert had a career game, completing 27 of 37 pass attempts for a career-high 289 yards, plus a touchdown. Taggert also added 75 yards and another touchdown on the ground, as the Crusaders compiled 500 yards of total offense. Holy Cross compiled 173 yards on the ground in total, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns one week after managing just seven points against Georgetown.

Wagner (Northeast Conference)

This past weekend the Wagner Seahawks (2-2) defeated the Bryant Bulldogs 29-21 for their second win of the season. The Seahawks were led by sophomore quarterback Nick Doscher, who threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Doscher spread the ball around, as he connected with seven different receivers, including junior David Crawford, who caught three balls for 107 yards.

The Seahawks had to overcome an early deficit after going down 7-0 early in the first quarter. They battled back with several big offensive plays, and by halftime they were ahead 22-13.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks went on a drive that lasted seven minutes and 51 seconds. Bryant was not left with much time on the clock, and Wagner sealed the deal when they recovered a fumble with 38 seconds remaining.

Wagner visits the Hilltop next Saturday.

– Compiled by Kyle Franco,

Nick Fedyk and Michael Palmer