2018 College Football Team Previews: Bucknell Bison
Bucknell Bison
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Coach: Joe Susan (37-51)
Stadium: Christy Matthewson-Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 13,100)
CSJ Projections:
5th: Patriot
9th: Pennsylvania
94th: FCS
224th: Division I
2017 In A Sentence: Though Joe Susan’s Bison were able to engineer some dramatic Patriot League wins, a winning season eluded them with a 5-6 record that was oh-so-close to finishing above .500.
Biggest Shoes to Fill: Despite double-teams all year, DT Abdullah Anderson (42 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries) still cast a long shadow over Patriot League offenses all season. This offseason he was signed by the Chicago Bears.
Key Player: RB Chad Freshknock was the team leader last season in rushing yards (525) and all-purpose yards (583), though he was a rotation back. This year he should be more of a feature back in the Bison offense and will look to hit the 1,000 all-purpose yard plateau.
Fearless Prediction: Can the Bison get into the title conversation and finish over .500? To do so they’ll have to navigate a challenging out-of-conference schedule with Penn, Villanova, Monmouth and William and Mary and establish an effective ball-control offense with Freshnock and returning QB John Chiarolanzio. If they can win one of those tough out-of-conference games, that could establish them as title contenders.
Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
Reach him at: this email or click below:
