Bucknell Wins First Game of the Year in Dramatic Fashion Against Lehigh

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Alec Eskin | October 23, 2022

Both the Bucknell Bison and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks came into today’s game in desperate need of a win. Bucknell was 0-6 while Lehigh was 1-6 on the year. This was a close game all the way until the end. With 2:05 left in the fourth quarter, Rushawn Baker got a one-yard touchdown to make the score 17-16. However, Lehigh was able to block the extra point attempt and have a one-point lead. But then, Bucknell recovered the onside kick in Lehigh territory and drove all the way to the Lehigh two-yard line which then allowed Matt Schearer to kick a 19-yard game winning field goal to give the Bison their first win of the year. As great of a win as it is for Bucknell, it’s a stunning and heartbreaking loss for Lehigh. Lets go into a recap of each team’s day…

Bucknell had a rough go on offense through the first three quarter of this game. But, in the fourth quarter, they were able to open some holes and gaps in the Lehigh defense to put up nine points on the board to win them the game. However, overall it was not pretty. The Bison were only able to get 215 yards overall and had a turnover in there as well. It was never easy for Bucknell to drive down the field, but they are playing a very good Lehigh defense.

On defense, that was what kept the Bison in the game. The Mountain Hawks got good field position inside Bucknell territory but were rarely able to take adv_ack in and 160 yards on 34 passing attempts with an interception. On the ground, the Mountain Hawks were able to get only 71 yards on 29 attempts. The leading rusher was Gaige Garcia with 41 yards and a touchdown, Lehigh’s only offensive touchdown of the game. They are going to have to work on a lot to get more points on the board.

On defense, they looked really good once again. They held Bucknell to only 19 points and keep the Mountain Hawks in the game. They were able to force a turnover which was a fumble in the fourth quarter and set up the Mountain Hawks offense in Bucknell territory. However, they allowed some big chunk plays which allowed Bucknell back into the game and they were able to drive twice in the fourth quarter to win the game. They were able to stop the Bison from driving for the vast majority of the game. They were able to create opportunities for this Mountain Hawk team. The defense has been a strong suit for Lehigh throughout the entire year.

The Mountain Hawks are on bye next week but will play at Holy Cross on November 5th at 12:00 PM. They drop to 1-7 and 1-2 in Patriot League play. The Bison move to 1-6 on the year and 1-2 in conference play. They will play on Saturday next week at home versus Colgate at 1:00 PM. Again, this should be an interesting week of FCS football.

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