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| Mike Saraceno ran for one touchdown and passed for another in the fourth quarter to rally Colgate to a 16-10 win over Bucknell. |
HAMILTON, N.Y. (11/12/05) – The final 15 minutes was going to dictate whether the Colgate Raiders (7-3 overall, 4-1 PL) would remain in the hunt for its fifth Patriot League championship, or see their dreams slip away for the second straight year at the hands of Bucknell (1-9, 0-5 PL).
Trailing 10-3 after three quarters, junior Mike Saraceno led a fourth quarter rally that gave the Raiders a 16-10 win over the Bison at Andy Kerr Stadium. The victory kept Colgate in a three-way tie for first place in the Patriot League standings with Lehigh and Lafayette.
Colgate needs a win over Georgetown in next Saturday’s regular season finale to gain a share of the Patriot League title with either Lafayette or Lehigh. If Lafayette wins over Lehigh, the Raiders will get the automatic bid for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, but a Lehigh victory would give the bid to the Mountain Hawks.
“Mike (Saraceno) made two big plays; he’s just a gutsy kid,” said Colgate head coach Dick Biddle. “He told the guys we were going to win it in the fourth quarter and they believe him.”
Until the offense finally got untracked in the fourth quarter, the Raider defense played a solid game holding the Bison to 225 yards of total offense, and one field goal.
“Our defense was outstanding,” said Biddle. “Bucknell really only scored three points, and (Jared) Nepa was outstanding. These kids find a way to win.”
After Bucknell had taken a 10-3 lead with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter, Colgate came right back, marching 70 yards in nine plays to tie the game two minutes into the final quarter.
On fourth-and-two at the Bucknell 27, Saraceno rolled right and scampered down the sideline for his fifth rushing touchdown of the season. Jacob Stein’s extra point tied the contest with 13:03 remaining.
Colgate’s defense forced the Bison to punt on the next series giving the Raiders excellent field position at the Colgate 45.
On the ensuing possession, Saraceno completed a key third-down pass to Kenny Parker for six yards, and later, connected with DeWayne Long on a 20-yard strike for a first down at the Bucknell 10.
Three plays later, Saraceno hooked up with Parker again for a seven-yard touchdown reception to give the Raiders a 16-10 lead with 7:13 remaining. Stein missed the extra point.
The Bison had two more possessions, but Colgate’s defense held on both occasions with the final stop coming on fourth-and-11 at the Bucknell 45.
Bucknell opened the scoring 17 seconds into the contest, when Sean Conover deflected a Saraceno pass on the first play, and Dorian Petersen returned his interception 32 yards for a touchdown. Will Carney made the extra point.
In the second quarter, the Raiders finally got on the scoreboard following a fumble recovery by Nepa at the Bucknell 35. Colgate, unfortunately, had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Stein.
Bucknell made it 10-3 in the third quarter on Carney’s 32-yard field goal, after Colgate was stopped at the Bison 13-yard line on fourth down.
Colgate’s Jordan Scott was the leading rusher in the contest carrying 30 times for 103 yards. He also caught one pass for 23 yards.
Parker equaled his career-high with eight receptions for 87 yards, while Long had four receptions for 35 yards and freshman tight end Brent Dillingham grabbed four passes for 24 yards.
Saraceno, who was playing with a separated shoulder suffered in the Lafayette game, completed 19-of-34 passes for 181 yards.
On the defensive side of the football, Colgate allowed 32 yards passing and 193 rushing. Nepa had a game-high 11 tackles including two TFL’s, while Andrew Moore and Josh Wurst had eight tackles apiece.
The Raiders travel to Georgetown next Saturday for the final regular season game.
