All-Patriot Redd reunites with former teammate

Buckneel linebacker Shawn Redd played at BU alongside Penn's Mike Germino. The Trustees of Boston University should soon be receiving thank yous in the mail from the Bucknell football fans, if they haven't already. Following its 1997 season, the BU football program went under, prompting many of its football players to transfer to other schools. That's how Bucknell acquired senior inside linebacker Shawn Redd, who earned first-team All-Patriot League honors in his first season with the Bison. Penn was also a beneficiary of the termination of the Terriers football program. Penn senior defensive lineman Mike Germino, who was the Terriers' freshman MVP in 1996, transferred from BU in 1998 and helped Penn win an Ivy League Championship. Saturday's game at Franklin Field will be the second time Redd and Germino will be reunited on the field. Last weekend, Germino also played against some former teammates who are now at Villanova. "It's weird but it's a lot of fun," Germino said. "It's a good feeling to be on the field with those guys because that's the way it was supposed to be. We didn't transfer by choice." Redd indicated that the BU program went defunct because the university claimed to be in debt after constructing a few new buildings and the school needed money for some of its female sports. Looking to continue his college football career, Redd checked out the possibility of transferring to either another school in New England -- such as Northeastern, UConn or Maine -- or one of the Patriot League schools that recruited him out of high school. "I decided to go to Bucknell because BU and Bucknell are basically on the same education level," Redd said. "Plus, I knew they were coming off a 10-1 playoff season." It seemed like a logical decision, but little did Redd know that a major transition lay ahead. After sitting out his first year at BU as a redshirt freshman, Redd started at safety during his only season with the Terriers. Upon his arrival at Bucknell in the fall of '98, Bucknell coach Tom Gadd moved him to inside linebacker -- and Redd has stayed there ever since. "At first it was hard because when you move inside everything is coming at you all at once," Redd said. "I'm [still] trying to learn the system on defense, so I can fit in better." Redd did a good job disguising any difficulties he may have endured. He anchored a Bison defense that was tops among Patriot League teams against the run, allowing 122.1 yards per game. During his first season at inside linebacker, he had 82 tackles and six sacks -- second best in both categories among returning Bucknell players. Moreover, four of those sacks were recorded against Colgate alone, which tied a school record for sacks in a game. "He's handled the move very well because you never know when you move a kid inside how he's going to react," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "Everything is in much closer confined quarters." Bucknell's defense, however, suits Redd's style of play very well, contributing to his successful play. "Speed is one of my stronger attributes," Redd said. "The package we run allows me to make plays with speed." While Redd possesses that necessary inside quickness, he sacrifices something in size as a converted safety. To put it in perspective, Bucknell's other inside linebacker, Steve Burman, has two inches and 30 pounds on the BU transfer. "We're trying to run some plays right at [Redd] because he's not a big kid," Bagnoli said. "We're trying to run some counter plays to freeze him and we're trying to run some plays away from him to try to see if we can cut him off." Penn will need to be aware of Redd's location on the field considering he led all players with 10 tackles, including one for a loss, when the Orange and Blue battled the Red and Blue last year. The one tackle Redd made for a loss was probably his biggest. Leading the Bison 13-3, Penn had the ball in the second half's opening possession. Facing a third-and-one just inside Bucknell territory, quarterback Matt Rader ran a draw but was stuffed for a one-yard loss by Redd, forcing Penn to punt. Despite his success against the Red and Blue last fall and the loss of Rader and running back Jim Finn to graduation, Redd is not taking the Penn offense lightly. "We respect them," Redd said. "They're aggressive up front, and they use a lot of formations, which we have to pay attention to." Redd and the rest of the Bucknell defense will need to be on their toes on Saturday. Unlike BU did two years ago, Penn has no plans to give the Bison any gifts.

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