OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT: Penn defense needs to squeeze Bison's Lemon

Two years ago Chris Lemon came to Franklin Field a scared freshman running back for Bucknell. This weekend he returns as a scary one. Going into that game in 1993, Lemon was feeling the effects of a neck injury suffered earlier in the season. He eventually left the game in the third period with another neck injury, but his play before exiting was hardly noteworthy -- the Quakers' defense limited Lemon to 13 yards on 10 carries. "I was running kind of timid, scared of hurting myself," Lemon says now of that game. "I was a little intimidated. I was 18, and they were all bigger guys, 21 and 22." That was hardly unusual. Almost everyone is a bigger guy than the diminutive Lemon, who stands at 5-foot-8, 150 pounds. Looking back at it, what is remarkable about that game is the effect it had on Lemon. "After that game I changed," Lemon says. "I started running harder, getting my confidence." It showed. Three games later Lemon exploded for 138 yards on 16 carries against Brown. Then, following an 88-yard effort the next week against Holy Cross, Lemon began The Streak. Not 2,130 consecutive games played nor 23 wins in a row. No, Lemon's streak was an amazing string of 17 straight 100-yard rushing performances in a row. It started against Fordham in game eight of that first year, stretched over all of Lemon's sophomore season, and continued in the Bison's first two games of this year. Last week, however, Lemon finally met his match in the form of the Princeton defense. The Tigers' defense, often with eight or nine men on the line, squeezed Lemon, limiting him to just 15 yards on 13 carries. The Streak was stopped at 17, just three short of the NCAA record. "I really didn't feel anything," Lemon says. "I'd rather win anyway. That was just something I didn't accomplish, one of my goals. Now I'll have to try to start another streak." That Lemon even got to start the first one is remarkable. Despite being an honorable mention all-state back at Niles McKinley High School in Warren, Ohio, recruiters were not exactly camping outside Lemon's door. "No school really wanted me, I guess because of my size," Lemon said. A suggestion from a guidance counselor led him to consider attending Bucknell simply for its academic reasons. But it must have been ordained that Lemon would play football for the Bison. As he pondered Bucknell, Lemon received a letter asking him to play football there. "I went there, saw it and liked it," Lemon says. So he matriculated, and he has no regrets: "I'm happy with where I am now." The Bison are positively thrilled. Lemon smashed the Bucknell freshman rushing record with 1,151 yards, and his sophomore year was even better, with a school-record 1,496 yards and Patriot League co-Most Valuable Player honors. Lemon added 368 receiving yards last season on 42 catches, and twice he had 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game. Ironically, Lemon sees his size -- the very thing that hurt him during the recruiting process -- as one of the qualities that lets him torment defenders. "I'm short, have good balance and quick moves," Lemon says. "The only way they can tackle me is to hit me in the legs. I'm going up against guys 6 feet tall, but it's harder for them to get down on me." Tom Gadd took over as the Bison's head coach in December. He knew what kind of player he was getting, but he still couldn't help being impressed when he first saw Lemon on the field. "I'd watched him on films," Gadd says. "Obviously he was a very talented athlete. But when I saw him on the practice field, the films don't truly portray his ability. "He has the God-given ability to make decisions quickly. He's fairly durable and able to carry the ball a lot. He's got physical, God-given talent and mental toughness." Gadd may have been new to Bucknell, but he knew who pulled the Bison's wagon. Lemon is still the focal point of the offense -- he has carried 78 times for 329 yards and caught 19 passes for 94 yards in Bucknell's first three games. His 2,976 career rushing yards place him first on the all-time Bison list. Of course, opponents also know who to watch for when playing Bucknell. "He's an outstanding running back," Penn defensive coordinator Mike Toop said. "There's no question we're going to have to focus most of our attention on him because he's the guy that they want to get the football to." So how will the Quakers try to shut down Lemon? Toop isn't giving away any secrets. "It depends on the situation and how we feel the game's going," Toop says. "What are we going to do to stop him? You'll have to wait 'till Saturday to see."