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Bucknell’s football team lost its Patriot League opener on the road at Lafayette, 56-22, on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Bison to 1-3 overall.
Lafayette held a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and used a 28-point second quarter to pull away en route to a 42-12 half-time lead.
The Bison posted 333 yards through the air, with Ralph Rucker throwing for 282 on 28-of-44 passing. Nick Semptimphelter entered the game late in the fourth quarter and threw for 51 yards and a touchdown. Lafayette finished the game with seven sacks compared to Bucknell’s one.
Lafayette had four plays go for 30 or more yards, including two runs for over 50 yards and a 63-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Quarterback Dean DeNobile threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns for the Leopards. Running back Jamar Curtis rushed 10 times for 106 yards and a score.
Lafayette capitalized on a number of Bucknell mistakes early, including blocking a field goal early in the first quarter. The Bison had a punt blocked on the on the first play of the second quarter, setting the Leopards up at the Bucknell 42-yard line. Lafayette went on to score on a 30-yard rush later that drive. Rucker was intercepted on the following Bucknell drive, leading to a seven-play, 20-yard touchdown drive that made it 28-0.
It was on the ensuing drive that the Bison finally made their way onto the scoreboard. With 10 minutes to go in the first half, Rucker hit Eric Weatherly on a 32-yard pass that set the Bison up in Lafayette territory. Four plays later Coleman Bennett scored on a three-yard rush up the middle for his first touchdown of the season.