Lewisburg laugher

LEWISBURG, Pa. - When Bucknell's A.J. Kizekai rushed into the end zone nine minutes into the first quarter on Saturday, the Bison looked ready and able to notch their first win over Penn since 1999.

But on the first play of the next drive, wideout Braden Lepisto outran double coverage and caught a perfect lob from Robert Irvin for a 72-yard touchdown - a sign of positive things to come in a game where everything Bucknell could do, Penn could do better.

Lepisto caught six other passes for 68 more yards, and the Quakers defense held the Bison ground game at bay to build a 24-point lead and cruise to a 34-24 win.

The victory allowed Penn (3-1, 1-0 Ivy) to end its non-conference slate in style before Ivy League play takes over next week against Columbia.

Bucknell (3-3, 0-1 Patriot), meanwhile, could not overcome the loss of its top two quarterbacks and struggled to get its vaunted ground game going.

"We expected running to be their No. 1 attack," said junior linebacker Joe Anastasio, who led the defensive effort with eight tackles and a sack. "I think that's what we focused on mostly this week."

It was certainly what Penn focused on during the game. Bucknell actually threw more than was anticipated - Penn coach Al Bagnoli said the Quakers had "been spending the whole week trying to play run defense, and next thing you know they throw 20 balls."

But Penn beat up quarterback Marcello Trigg to such an extent that it hardly mattered. Forced to work in a continually shrinking pocket, the 180-pound freshman took four sacks, had four passes broken up, and watched the opposing defense make 11 tackles for losses.

After their first score, the Bison failed to get on the board until four minutes after halftime, when Will Carney converted a 34-yard field goal. In between, Anastasio single-handedly killed Bucknell's most promising drive with a huge sack to set up a 3rd-and-22.

Irvin also threw a 28-yard touchdown lob to senior Matt Carre in the second quarter, and running back Joe Sandberg rumbled straight through the Bucknell defense for a 41-yard score four drives later.

The senior rushed for 112 yards and special teamers Sam Shepherd and Tyler Fisher returned three kicks for 71 , but Penn's passing game stole the show. Carre and Sandberg caught five balls each for 79 and 41 yards, respectively, and sophomore tight-end Josh Koontz caught an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

"We saw our speed was going to be a big asset this week." Lepisto said. "We felt confident we could beat them over the top."

Penn did surrender a pair of touchdowns after Bagnoli put his second-string players in the game. Bagnoli said that he wanted to get several injured linemen out early on. The Quakers tacked on two field goals from Derek Zoch in the third quarter to give them an extra cushion. Zoch also hit all four of his point-after attempts on the day.

The few dozen devoted Penn fans among the 6,250 who showed up for Bucknell's homecoming also witnessed another chapter in the evolution of Robert Irvin. After throwing a pick on his first possession of the game, the sophomore rebounded to pile up 304 passing-yards. For the second game in a row, junior Bryan Walker came in for a series, scrambling for eight rushing yards.

Bucknell coach Tim Landis put it simply: "Hats off to Penn."

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