OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT: Bucknell's Kopp can pull double-duty on field

Travis Kopp was certainly not the first punter in Bucknell history with a stronger arm than leg. In 1899 an exceptional fullback, punter and kicker known to his teammates as "Matty" gained national notoriety when he drop-kicked two field goals against Penn. "Matty" was later selected as the 12th man on the 1900 All-America team. "Matty" is better known as Christy Mathewson, the New York Giants Hall of Fame pitcher who won 373 major league baseball games. Kopp utilizes his arm on the football field instead of the baseball diamond, as he is Bucknell's starting quarterback. Last year Kopp served double duty as Bucknell's signal-caller and punter, however this year freshman Rich Miller handles the punting duties. Kopp, however, did start his football career at one of Mathewson's positions – fullback. "In fourth grade I was a fullback," Kopp said. "They used to toss me the ball and let me throw it down to the receiver. Our quarterback got hurt and I've been a quarterback ever since." Kopp, however, didn't like football in the fourth grade so he quit playing. His dad, who had been a manager for his high school's football team, wanted his son to play in high school and convinced Travis to give football another chance. Bucknell fans are glad he did. Last year as a sophomore Kopp was ranked 13th in the nation in passing efficiency before suffering a broken ankle in Bucknell's October 24 game against Holy Cross. The injury forced him to miss the final four games of the season, but Kopp still set a Bucknell single-season mark by completing a lofty 65.7 percent of his passes. He threw for 1,067 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. "The injury was by far my biggest setback so far," Kopp said. "I often think about what kind of season I might have had, had I not gotten hurt. That was a big blow. I was on crutches for about four weeks and then I was in a walking cast for three more [weeks]." With Kopp out, his teammates hobbled to a 4-7 mark (1-3 in the games he missed). Kopp is being pushed for playing time this year by Robert Glus, who led the Bison in Kopp's absence. Kopp's numbers are not nearly as impressive this season as he has thrown for a total of only 191 yards in two contests. "[Glus] has always been right on my tail ever since we came in freshman year," Kopp said. "Actually he started the game before I did our freshman year and had some bad luck in the game. They gave me a chance, and I did a little bit better. Ever since then he has always been pushing me. I know if I don't perform they are not going to hesitate to put Rob in." Kopp didn't have to worry about being replaced during his first-ever collegiate game in 1990. After being told he was the starter only hours before the game, he threw for 304 yards against Lafayette. "People don't realize it, but that actually helped me because I didn't have a chance to sit down and think about it and get real nervous and all worked up," Kopp said. "Sometimes I think you can concentrate too much and get too worked up about a game. In that situation there all I had to do was play my game and it seemed to work for me pretty well." Things usually do work well for Kopp when he is able to sit back in the pocket. His greatest asset is his strong arm, but he struggles if the pocket breaks down. "When you get me outside the pocket, sometimes I have trouble deciding whether I should run or look to throw or throw the ball away," Kopp said. "I think that is a weakness of mine." Another weakness Kopp admits to is a tendency to lose his focus when the Bison fall way behind. Unfortunately for Bison fans, he should have ample opportunities this year to correct this problem. Last year Bucknell dropped contests by the embarrassing scores of 34-0, 44-14, 38-16 and 49-7. While Kopp did not play in the final two thrashings, he did struggle in the Bison's 31-14 loss to Lafayette last weekend after leading Bucknell to a 21-16 win in its opener against Bloomsburg. This season he does not even have his punting job to fall back on if he loses the battle at quarterback. Last year Kopp kicked 29 times for an average of 36.7 yards per punt. "To this point I am not pleased at all," said Kopp of the '93 season. "The way I have been playing, my stats are average. I know I can do a lot better. It was tough coming off the injury and getting back out on the field. Slowly I am starting to feel more comfortable, and hopefully the numbers and the wins will start coming around."

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