LEWISBURG, Pa. – Ho-hum, just your ordinary 27-7 win. Nothing to see here.
 
Yeah, right.
 
Colgate had to scrape and claw and battle Bucknell deep into the fourth quarter before a pair of late Jake Melville touchdowns helped end a three-game losing streak.
 
The Raiders got the victory they needed, but it didn't come easy. Bucknell was within 13-7 and in possession with still 12:21 on the clock, having blanked the Raiders thus far in the second half.
 
But Colgate's defense limited the Bison to just 32 yards of total offense over the final 15 minutes and didn't allow a Bucknell snap from inside Colgate territory.
 
The Raider offense drove 57 yards in 11 plays to make it 20-7, and then 41 yards in six plays for the clincher.
 
Keyon Washington led all ball carriers with 158 yards, his third straight 100-yard effort. Owen Rockett scored on a 16-yard touchdown catch just before halftime, set up when Tyler Castillo intercepted a pass on fourth-and-2 and returned it 31 yards to the Bison 18.
 
Castillo also had a key fourth-down pass breakup that snuffed out Bucknell's last real hope and set the stage for Melville's second TD.
 
Kyle Diener, Brett Field and Nick Wheeler all had sacks for the Raiders, who harassed Bucknell's quarterbacks throughout the afternoon. Wheeler's sack was the rookie's first of his career.
 
Diener and Chris Morgan shared team tackle honors with seven apiece.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 27, Bucknell 7

Won-Lost Records
• Both teams are now 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Patriot League.

Quick Rundown
• Jonah Bowman connected on field goals of 36 and 22 yards to hand Colgate a 6-0 lead. Bowman also made a 40-yarder that was wiped out by penalty. He then missed wide left one play later from 45 yards.
• Castillo helped double Colgate's lead with his interception and 31-yard return to the Bucknell 18. Melville hit Rockett two plays later and it was 13-0 Raiders at intermission.
• Bucknell got on the board late in the third when John Chiarolanzio capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive with a 2-yard TD pass to Andrew Owers.
• Colgate's defense kept the Bison at bay in the fourth quarter and the Raiders mustered two touchdowns on a pair of 8-yard runs by Melville.

Facts & Figures
• Melville improved to 10-1 in starts against Patriot League competition.
• He was 17-of-28 passing for 149 yards and a TD, while adding 36 rushing yards.
• Alex Greenawalt paced the receiving corps with six catches for 71 yards.
• The Raiders entered Saturday leading the nation in fewest penalty yards per game (32.0) and were third in fewest penalties (3.8).
• On this afternoon, Colgate was flagged eight times for 60 penalty yards. Bucknell was nearly as guilty, posting seven for 57.
• Colgate's previous game highs for penalties and penalty yards were five for 35.
• Washington averaged 6.3 yards per carry, and Alex Mathews 7.4.
• Mathews rushed five times for 37 yards, including a 22-yard backbreaker in which he nearly carried the entire Bucknell defense into the end zone. He finally was stopped at the 5-yard line and Melville scored two plays later to make it 27-7.
 
More Key Info
• Colgate finished with a 230-27 edge in rushing yards.
• Abu Daramy gained his first career start, getting the nod at cornerback and contributing a pass breakup.
• Daramy also had a 42-yard punt return for a touchdown nullified by penalty in the second quarter.
• Castillo's interception was his second in as many week and third of the season.
• John Maddaluna moved into sixth on Colgate's all-time receptions list. The senior had five catches for 22 yards and now has 132 receptions for 2,041 yards (also sixth).
• Melville improved his standing by one place on both the career passing yards and career total offensive yardage charts.
• He's now fifth all-time in total offense at 7,174 yards, jumping over Dave Goodwin (1987-90), who had 7,110.
• And he's up to seventh in passing yardage at 5,107 yards. Melville eclipsed current video coordinator Greg Sullivan (2007-10), who threw for 4,996. Sullivan still leads Melville in total offense with 7,333 yards, but Melville is closing fast.
 
Turning Point
• Colgate's defense put the clamps on Bucknell's attempt at a fourth-quarter rally.
• They limited Bucknell to just two first downs, 32 total yards – including minus-5 rushing – and zero plays inside of Colgate territory.
• Colgate in the fourth quarter compiled a 24-12 edge in plays and limited the Bison to just 3:36 of ball possession.

From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (On the game) "I knew all week it was going to be a low-scoring game, points were going to be at a premium. They're a really good defense, they're opportunistic and they are well-coached. The score looks one way but it was nip and tuck there into the fourth quarter. I'm really happy with the way we responded after Bucknell scored."

Listen to the rest of Coach Hunt's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate senior offensive lineman Jordi Dalmau: (On the offense) "It starts with Melville, obviously. He puts in the best position to succeed. And like I said at the beginning of the year, we have six starting offensive linemen for five spots, so really any combination can work. It was a great effort today."

Listen to the rest of Dalmau's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate senior linebacker Kyle Diener: (On the defense) "They got 23 attempts for 27 yards rushing. Whenever you can do that to a team, you feel really good about your chances to win the game."

Listen to the rest of Diener's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate sophomore cornerback Tyler Castillo: (On his interception) "I saw the sticks were fourth-and-short and we called man coverage, so my eyes were on the receiver the whole time. Got to give credit to the D-line. They got pressure in the quarterback's face and forced him into a bad throw, and I broke on the route and made a play."

Listen to the rest of Castillo's comments HERE.
 
• Colgate junior tailback Keyon Washington: (On his game) "The O-linemen blocked really well; I give it all up to them. I just ran behind them and ran as hard as I could. I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable out there, but it's only the beginning."

Listen to the rest of Washington's comments HERE.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was 2,793.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is off next Saturday and then hosts Holy Cross for Family Weekend on Oct. 29.. 
• The Crusaders defeated previously unbeaten Harvard 27-17 Saturday to improve to 3-4 overall.
• Kickoff from Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium is 1 p.m.