’26 Patriot League Football Preview: Bucknell

Predicted Order of Finish: 9th

New head coach Jeff Behrman comes to Lewisburg from D-III John Carroll, where he guided the Blue Streaks to a 29-7 record over his three years as their head coach and a colossal upset last season in the D-III playoffs over Mount Union in double overtime, 10-7.

He seems like an intriguing choice to lead Bucknell, who was never able to get over the hump under former head coach Dave Cecchini.

“We believe that tough people win, and I believe that today, our team was physically, mentally, and emotionally tougher when they needed to be,” Behrman said after that game, and it seems fair to say that it looks like he will try to infuse that same attitude in the Bison.

It’s an attitude that seems to have been infectious to the team in spring workouts going into fall camp, something evident on the Patriot League Media Day event and the Patriot League’s own program on ESPN+.

That could go a long way for a team who went 1-5 down the stretch last season after a 5-2 start.  But that doesn’t mean Behrman’s rebuild will be easy, or instant.

Bucknell’s biggest departure to graduation is QB Ralph Rucker IV, who only played seven games for the Bison last year but was a huge presence when he was there, with 1,588 yards passing, 11 TDs, and 4 INTs. The Behrman era thus will begin with a question at quaterback.

Last season QB Christopher Dietrich took over after Rucker’s injury and had a rocky go, but he did have a tremendous game against Fordham in a 37-19 win.  He’s probably the presumed starter, but the Bison do have two freshmen and two sophomores in the program that could challenge in camp, notably sophomore QB Nicholas Penuvchev, who also had some action last season after Rucker got hurt.

Less noticed, but also important was Bucknell’s loss of RB Tariq Thomas in the transfer portal to Fresno State (602 yards, 3 TDs). That leaves RB Michael Cadden (286 yards rushing, 175 yards receiving,, 5 TDs) as the most productive returning running back on the roster. Bucknell brought in no other RBs through the transfer portal, so their rushing atack will likely come from within.

The Bison return two top pass catchers in WR TJ Cadden (693 yards, 6 TDs) and WR Sam Milligan (975 yards, 10 TDs) that could be a bona-fide problem for defensive coordinators with the right quarterback and decent protection.. (Michael and TJ are brothers.) Two or Bucknell’s transfers come in on the offensive line, so the trenches seem to be a priority for the coaching staff.

Behrman’s time at John Carroll seems to have centered around a very stingy defense. He takes over a Bucknell defense that gave up more than 34 points a game and only forced 12 turnovers all season. How fast can he get them turned around?

LB Brandon Biagiarelli (104 tackles, 8 TFL) and DL Nick Hoying (7 TFL, 3 sacks) provide a solid foundation, despite their struggles last season. One of Bucknell’s four transfers, DL Jason Morbitzer (Eastern Michigan), will aim to help rebuild Bucknell’s front seven into a top Patriot League unit – again indicating the trenches are going to be a big point of emphasis.

On special teams, P/K Matt Schearer graduated, so the Bison will also be breaking in a new punter and kicker, while it remains to be seen whether Cadden and Milligan will return kicks again this season. Last year they were dangerous on special teams.

Fearless Prediction: Bucknell does not have an early runway to see the new team gel. They start with two incredibly difficult league games vs. Richmond and Villanova, and tough out-of-conference games against Penn and Pitt to close out September. In Year One of Coach Behrman, if the Bison match last year’s 5-7 record – or flirt with .500 – it will be an excellent accomplishment.