The Marist Red Foxes welcomed the Bucknell Bison to Tenney Stadium on Saturday, yet could not take their first-half momentum into the second. The Bison topped the Red Foxes by a score of 34-23.
A six-play, just under three-minute drive got Bucknell on the board first. The strong initial attack was led by graduate student quarterback Ralph Rucker IV, who also capped it off with a 15-yard run for six.
Rucker IV was last year’s Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and holds nearly every quarterback record for Bucknell. He finished the day notching 236 yards on 18 throws with only five incompletions.
“He was able to make some spectacular plays through the air,” said head coach Mike Willis. “Ralph Rucker is a terrific quarterback.”
Marist started their second drive hot, but redshirt junior quarterback Sonny Mannino’s first interception thrown this season cut the possession short. Freshman linebacker Logan Busson was in the right place at the right time, snagging the underthrown ball and recording his first interception of the year.
With 8:00 remaining in the first quarter, rain started to fall. This meant an uptick in the running game, which would initially benefit the Red Foxes, as redshirt junior running back Carter James took a fourth-and-one carry for a first down.
A late first-quarter push set up Bucknell with good field position, which was not taken advantage of. True sophomore defensive back Nate Robinson jumped a short pass, picking off Rucker IV for his first interception of the year. Robinson is one of four Marist captains, and his leadership, along with some strong play, propelled him into a starting role.
Just one minute into the second quarter, Mannino let it rip, but to no avail. He was looking for redshirt freshman wideout Jeremy Decaro, but the ball was just overthrown. This would be Marist’s third three-and-out on their first four drives. They finished the contest with 11 failed conversions on third down.
On the following drive, Mannino and company charged down the field. A 16-yard Mannino rush and a 29-yard pass to redshirt senior receiver Reed Shumpert set Marist up inside the five. Graduate student running back and week one hero Tristan Shannon got into the endzone on second down, making the score 10-7.
Bucknell would answer with a nine-play 80-yard drive, which would see superstar sophomore running back Tariq Thomas score a touchdown, putting the Bison back up by 10. The former Patriot League Rookie of the Year would finish the day with 77 yards on 15 carries with two rushing touchdowns.
With 3:58 left in the first half, Mannino took a designed roll-out and delivered a laser on the sideline to redshirt freshman Lance Martinez. However, the Marist signal-caller would go down on the play. He was tended to by trainers and came back into the game on the very next play, picking up six yards on a designed QB run.
“Your quarterback’s choice to be a tough leader of his team is always recognized by his peers,” said Willis. “He is as tough as they come between the white lines. Very proud to be his coach, and I think he deserves credit for his mindset.”
Willis dug deep into the playbook on a crucial fourth-and-goal. Mannino took the snap as usual, stepped up into his line, forced the linebackers up—opening up graduate student Connor Hulstein in the back of the endzone. Hulstein hauled it in and brought the Red Foxes within three, 17-14.
“To have calculated aggression [it’s huge],” said Willis. “There are things you carry for very particular situations in the game, and I thought Coach Weyl did a really nice job of sequencing that in the red zone.”
Coming out of the half, both teams would go three-and-out, but when the Bison got the ball back, they went backwards two times; both thanks to graduate student linebacker Garret Carter. He finished the game with six tackles, taking his season total to 14. The drive ended with a field goal, putting Bucknell up by six.
Marist’s next possession, Mannino showed off some arm talent with a 46-yard touch-pass to Martinez, bringing the Red Foxes into the red zone. Marist would use this to put three on the board, as freshman kicker Samer Layous made the score 20-17.
Bucknell would come out firing to close the third quarter, with the big blow coming on a 46-yard toss to junior wideout TJ Cadden. Cadden played a big role in the Bison receiving game, tallying 104 yards. On the very next play, Thomas paved his way into the endzone, putting Bucknell up 27-17 with 14:56 on the clock.
On the next Red Fox possession, Tenney Stadium got loud, but the Bison defense was not intimidated. Marist chipped off some short-yardage QB runs, but Mannino was sacked on fourth down, giving the ball back to Bucknell, who were up 10 with just 10 minutes to go. This would prove to be a crucial failure, as the Red Foxes would fail to contain the Bison offense on the ensuing drive. Sophomore running back Michael Cadden Bucknell scored to give Bucknell a dominant 34-17 lead.
Marist yanked their starters on their final drive, giving true freshman running back Ja’Cyion Cox a chance in the backfield. He scored a touchdown on his first career carry, taking the score to 34-23. With no time left to mount a comeback, Bucknell drained the clock and secured their second win of the season.
The Bison will start a program-record four-game home stretch next Saturday against Virginia Military Institute. Marist will look to get back into the win column Saturday, September 13th, on Staten Island, as they take on Wagner. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Edited by August Lieberman
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo Credit: Jaylen Rizzo
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