Box Score (PDF)

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell's C.J. Williams ran for 188 yards and a touchdown and R.J. Nitti passed for two scores as the Bison remained unbeaten with a 20-7 win over Cornell on Saturday evening at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison piled up 231 yards on the ground in improving to 4-0, while the Big Red slipped to 0-2.

Cornell, without the services of starting quarterback James Few, held the ball for more than 35 minutes and the defense limited the Bison to 3-of-9 on third downs and kept the Big Red in the game throughout the middle portion of the game. The Bison never trailed, however, after marching down the field to start the game to take a 7-0 lead just 2:21 in. The visitors tied the game shortly after, but Bucknell's run game allowed Nitti, the brother of former Big Red player John Nitti, to throw a pair of touchdown passes - the go-ahead score late in the second quarter and the dagger with just under seven minutes left in the game.

Freshman quarterback Jake Jatis completed 11-of-23 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice, He also gained 20 yards on the ground. Junior Luke Hagy led the team with 59 rushing yards and caught three passes for 24 yards. In the process, Hagy became the first Cornell player in school history to surpass 1,000 career yards both rushing and receiving. Sophomore punter Chris Fraser, the 2013 Ivy league Rookie of the Year, averaged 42.5 yards on four punts with three downed inside the 20 and a 72-yarder that flipped field position downed at the 22. The punt was the seventh-longest in Big Red history. Sophomore Marshall Deutz caught the lone touchdown, a 19-yarder from Jatis in the first quarter for his first career reception. It was also Jatis' first touchdown throw.

Defensively, Jarrod Watson-Lewis had eight tackles and a sack, sharing team tackling leader with Rush Imhotep. Freshman Nick Gesualdi, making his first start at safety, had four stops and broke up a pass, as did senior All-Ivy corner Michael Turner. Rookie Jack Gellatly blocked a second half punt for Cornell's special teams.

The two teams showed early that it might turn into a track meet. Bucknell ripped up the field after taking the opening kickoff and had a 7-0 lead just 2:31 in. The offensive line allowed the Bison to rip off 54 rushing yards on just four carries, including the 28-yard scoring run by C.J. Williams. Derek Maurer's kick made it 7-0.

Cornell answered immediately in smaller chunks, but efficiently nonetheless. The Big Red converted a pair of third downs, including a third-and-8 with a well-executed 18-yard run by Hagy. The drive ended with a pretty 19-yard completion in the back right corner from Jatis to Deutz, the sophomore's first career reception and the freshman's first scoring pass. Wells booted the PAT through the uprights to knot the game with 5:20 left in the quarter.

Both defenses settled in the rest of the half, though both teams had some impact plays. Nitti hit Jake Hartman for a 24-yard pass, but then punted four plays later. Gallagher hit Luke Hagy for a 16-yard gainer late in the first quarter, but Fraser again was forced to punt. Nitti then hit Will Carter for a 40-yard completion, but Bucknell again stalled out thanks to the Big Red defense and punted. Collin Shaw made a huge diving 18-yard grab on third-and-8 from the Big Red's own 31, but that drive ended in Cornell's only turnover of the half.

Bucknell regained the lead thanks to the momentum of the turnover, scoring the touchdown when Nitti was pressured out of the pocket, scrambled around, reversed field and found a wide open Patrick Kelly in the flat for a 20-yard score. The PAT made it 14-7 with less than two minutes left in the half and put the home team ahead for good.

The second half saw missed opportunities for both teams, as the Big Red missed a field goal and turned the ball over twice in its six possessions. The defense forced a pair of three-and-outs to start the half for a total of -13 yards, but was able to grind out time on its other possessions.

Chris Fraser's 72-yard punt on the Big Red's first possession flipped field position and allowed the offense to get the ball back near midfield, but missed a 45-yard field goal when the offense stalled. Cornell had one last chance, getting a short field after Jack Gellatly got his hands on a punt that traveled just 17 yards to the Bucknell 31. Unfortunately for the visitors, two penalties, two short runs and a sack forced the Big Red to punt. That was the last good opportunity the Big Red would have.

The Bison were able to put the game away at the end of a nine-play, 94-yard drive after Fraser pinned the home team at its own 6 with a punt. The big plays came on a 24-yard run by Williams, a 15-yard pass from Nitti to Bobby Kaslander and the scoring play, a 33-yard completion from Nitti to Will Carter on a third-and-6. The PAT was missed after hitting the uprights, a play that looked like it might loom large.

Bucknell's defense didn't let it matter, picking off two passes in the final 2:48 of the game as Cornell made a last-ditch effort to put pressure on the Bison.

The Big Red opens its home schedule and its Ivy League slate when it plays host to Yale on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 12:30 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell dropped last season's meeting 38-23 to the Bulldogs in New Haven, Conn.