Saint Mary's Looks For First Win Over Bucknell on Saturday
9/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2001
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Previewing the Game:
Saint Mary's will hit the road for the first time in three weeks when it travels to Lewisburg, PA to battle Bucknell. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Pacific at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Gaels enter the game with a 2-1 record, their best start since a 4-1 start to the 1996 season, following a 35-23 win over Central Washington. Bucknell is 1-1, on the young season, following a 23-20 overtime victory over Columbia on Saturday. Bucknell lost its opening game of the season to Kent State (38-17) back on September 8.
Radio Coverage:
All Saint Mary's football games for the 2001 season can be heard on KSMC 89.5 FM and on the internet at www.SMCGaels.com. Denny Bulcao and Kristie Sinigiani will call the game action against Bucknell.
Fans can access the game through the Saint Mary's website by clicking on the KSMC logo in the features section of the home page. If you don't have the real player needed to listen to the game, you can get a free download through the KSMC link.
Saint Mary's on the Web:
Gael fans can access all the latest news and notes about Saint Mary's athletics on the web at www.SMCGaels.com. The official website offers the most up to date information and results of the Gaels' 15 intercollegiate sports plus much more.
Scouting Bucknell:
Bucknell enters this week's game with a 1-1 record following a 23-20 overtime victory over Columbia last week. The Bison trailed 20-10 late in the third quarter and scored the last 13 points of the game to earn their first victory of the season.
As a team the Bison is averaging 20.0 points and 416.5 yards of total offense per game. Bucknell is racking up 184.0 yards on the ground and 232.5 yards through the air. The leading man on the ground is senior tailback Jabu Powell who is averaging 112.0 yards rushing per game. Powell had 27 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown against Columbia. Quarterback Todd Wenrich has completed 47-of-92 (51.1 percent) passes for 465 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. He's coming off a 22-for-41, 286-yards performance against Columbia. Leading the defense for the Bison is sophomore middle linebacker Vic Cole. Cole has 11.5 tackles in two games with two tackles for a loss. Nose guard Adam Lord has two sacks and six tackles for a loss of 18 yards on the season.
Tom Gadd (UC Riverside, 1970) is 43-25 in seven years as the head coach of Bucknell and has garnered more wins in six years than any other Bison head coach. Gadd led the Bison to a 10-1 record in 1997, the best season in Bucknell school history. Before his head coaching duties at BU, Gadd served as the Defensive Coordinator at a number of colleges including Long Beach State, Utah (two different stints), South Carolina, Minnesota and San Jose State. Gadd is 2-0 in his career against Saint Mary's.
The Series:
The Bison currently hold a 2-0 advantage in the series following a 30-14 victory at Bucknell during the 1998 season. In the first game between the two schools Bucknell defeated Saint Mary's 45-38 in Moraga.
Last Meeting:
Bucknell 30 - Saint Mary's 14
Saint Mary's struggled against Bucknell as they managed just 264 yards of total offense against the Bison. Bucknell passed for 273 yards with 266 of those yards coming from the arm of Lucas Phillips. Phillips replaced Don McDowell who left the game with a sprained knee in the first quarter.
Trailing 14-0 early in the second quarter, Gael linebacker Brian Gardner recovered a fumble on the Bucknell 2-yard line to set up a Brandin Young touchdown run. The Bison built a 20-7 lead before a 6-yard touchdown pass from Chad Thomas to Peter Sousa which cut the lead to 20-14. But that was all Saint Mary's could muster against a stingy Bison defense in the 30-14 loss.
The delayed emergence of the Saint Mary's running attack appeared as junior tailback Brandin Young rushed for 134 yards on 19 carries. Chad Thomas was 13-of-21 for 139 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Toriano Towns led the defense with 13 tackles and one pass break up.
Last Game Recap:
Saint Mary's 35 - Central Washington 23
Andre Coleman rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns to lead Saint Mary's to a 35-23 victory over Central Washington at Saint Mary's Stadium. Saint Mary's rushed for a total of 492 yards and gained 91 yards in the air, totalling 583 yards on the day.
Central Washington quarterback Dale Chase threw a 23-yard strike to Jake Roberts that pulled the Wildcats within 28-23 with nine minutes left in the game. That was the last score the Gaels gave up, retaliating with a score of their own to preserve the victory.
Coleman's 181-yard rushing effort is the fifth best performance by a Gael running back in school history. Coleman also recorded two touchdowns, with runs of eight and 52 yards. Coleman also caught one pass for 13 yards. Quarterback Chris Kobe rushed for 170 yards on 18 carries in his first game as a starter. Kobe completed six of 14 passes, totaling 91 yards and one interception. Kobe's rushing performance earned him the ninth best performance all-time by a Gael. Clint Wilson also had a great performance on the ground racking up 113 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown.
A Look Inside Landis:
Tim Landis (Randolph-Macon, 1986) is 8-6 in his second season at the helm of the Saint Mary's football program. Landis is 43-42-1 (.500) in eight years of coaching at the Division I-AA level. In his first season with the Gaels, Landis guided Saint Mary's to a 6-5 record, reviving past winning traditions. Landis, who became the 16th head coach on March 10, 2000, brings enthusiasm and a unique perspective to the field, while providing excitement to Gael football. Prior to Saint Mary's, Landis served a seven-year stint as the head coach at Davidson College where he accumulated a 35-36-1 record. In his last two years with the Wildcats, he guided the team to historical season, posting an 8-2 mark in 1998 and an 8-3 record in 1999 - matching the school's highest win total in the 102-year history of the program.
Coaches Corner, "Landis' Lingo"
What are you thoughts heading into the Bucknell game..."Bucknell will be a real good test for us at this point of the season. We're traveling there, playing in their home stadium, there's a lot of adversity we're going to have to battle. Colgate and Towson were big wins for us last year, we're not going to be able to sneak up on these guys."
How will the trip to Bucknell affect the team..."The travel shouldn't affect us that much, it's football. The coaching staff will stay positive with our guys and we'll slowly put ourselves on East Coast time. We ask our players to progressively go to bed 30 minutes earlier each night starting tonight."
Is there anything about this team that's surprised you so far..."Defensively were much better. I wouldn't say it's a surprise, because I knew in the Spring we made improvements and we got much better. It's great to see them play well. Big plays on defense keep happening fairly consistently. We're also very pleased with the way we're kicking the ball. Eziquel and Ben have been pleasant surprises for us this season."
Saint Mary's Runs Better Than the Rest:
Three games into the 2001 season, the Saint Mary's rushing attack is currently ranked number one in I-AA football with 426.3 yards per game. Saint Mary's finished the 2000 campaign as the nation's fourth ranked rushing team. To go along with it's number-one ranking, Saint Mary's is also ranked fifth in the nation in total offense at 500 yards per game.
White Off To Quick Start:
Senior defensive end Travis White (San Pedro, CA), Lindy's magazine I-AA Independent Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 4.5 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss of 16 yards against Central Washington. He now has 4.5 sacks and six tackles for a loss of 25 yards this season. He has 16.5 sacks in his career and moved past Eeron Wilson for sixth place all-time in school history With his six tackles for a loss, he has 32 in his career and has moved into a tie for fifth place all-time with Frank Van Dervort. White needs one sack to equal Bobby Crume for fifth and four tackles for a loss to match Jim Wardy's 36 for fourth all-time.
Coleman Runs into Nations Top-10, Named Independent Offensive POW:
Andre Coleman (Compton, CA) led Saint Mary's to a 35-23 victory over visiting Central Washington as he rushed for 181 yards on 23 carries, with two touchdowns. For his effort he was named the I-AA Independent Offensive Player of the Week. His final touchdown of the day was a 52-yard scamper with nine minutes remaining, which helped preserve the victory for the Gaels. Following the CWU game, Coleman is averaging 141.0 yards rushing per game and ranks ninth in I-AA football in that category.
Kobe Makes Most Out of First Start:
Senior quarterback Chris Kobe (Valencia, CA), who was making his first start as a Gael against Central Washington, led Saint Mary's to a 35-23 victory. Kobe rushed for 170 yards on 16 carries (9.4 ypc) while completing 6-of-14 passes for 91 yards and one interception against CWU. The 170-yard rushing performance by Kobe ranks as the seventh best rushing day for a Gael back.
Papanikolas Misses First Start as a Gael:
Gus Papanikolas (Salt Lake City, UT) did not start for the first time since he joined the Saint Mary's football program in 1999. Papanikolas missed the game against Central Washington due to a separated right shoulder suffered in the game against Humboldt State on September 8. Papanikolas is expected to return against Bucknell.
Gael Players of the Week:
Andre Coleman and Chris Kobe were named Saint Mary's Co-Offensive Players of the Week. Coleman had another stellar game with 194 yards of total offense. Kobe, who made his first collegiate start, had 261 yards of total offense which included 170 yards on the ground and 91 yards passing. Travis White was the team's Defensive Player of the Week following a game when he recorded three tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Punter Ben Antongiovanni (Bakersfield, CA) was named the Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 39.3 yards on six punts. He had a long of 45 yards. Freshman defensive lineman Jon Skog (Visalia, CA) garnered Scout Team Player of the Week honors.
Gaels Riding Six-Game Win Streak at Home:
With the 35-23 win over Central Washington on Saturday, Saint Mary's has won its last six games at home under Tim Landis. The streak includes victories over Central Washington (36-29), in 2000, Menlo College (71-34), Towson (45-33), Drake (45-43) and Humboldt State (49-10). The 2001 win over Central Washington marked the 97th victory, in 28 years, at Saint Mary's Stadium.
Injury Report:
#5 Gus Papanikolas (Shoulder), Probable, #18 Terrance Hudson (Knee), Out, #65 Rocky Lucero (Back), Out, #85 James Blades (Ankle), Out, #90 David Taylor (Ribs), Questionable.
Make-Up Date for Cal Poly Finalized:
The game between Saint Mary's and Cal Poly, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 15, has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 24. Kickoff at Saint Mary's Stadium is scheduled for Noon. Originally, SMC's final scheduled game was November 10 against Dayton, while Cal Poly's original season finale was at Northern Iowa on November 17.
Next Week:
The Gaels will return home for their homecoming game against the UC Davis Aggies. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Saint Mary's Stadium. Following a 55-14 UC Davis victory last season, the Aggies lead the 18 games series 8-10. Saint Mary's will look to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Aggies. UC Davis is currently 3-0 on the season following victories over Western Oregon (43-32), Abilene Christian (41-28) and New Mexico Highlands (51-6).
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