Analysis: Football could not make the big plays against Bison

The Quakers could not match the big plays Buckness made on Saturday, including two successful fake punts. Most college football coaches bring a well-balanced game plan to the field every Saturday. Run. Pass. Fake a punt. Fake a punt? How about faking two punts? If you're Bucknell coach Tom Gadd, that's the kind of risk-taking, big-play style that you bring to the gridiron week in and week out. While Penn (1-2) was unable to come up with the big play until late in the fourth quarter, the Bison (4-1) were able to turn a blocked punt and an interception into scoring drives under Gadd. Throw in another drive-killing interception and a forced fumble and you have the secret to Bucknell's success in its 23-16 win on Saturday. Whether it was more the product of Penn's turnovers or Bucknell's big-play ability, it was a multitude of turnovers and other intangibles -- more so than any Bison rushing or passing success -- that set the tone for the win. "I'm giving Bucknell a lot of credit," Quakers coach Al Bagnoli said. "They've got themselves a good team, they do some nice things and they cause you some problems. Every big play they had to make, they made. Probably the score should not have been as close as it was." With Bucknell facing a fourth-and-six from its own 23 just six minutes into a scoreless game, everyone in the stadium was confident that the Bison would be punting the ball away. Everyone but Bucknell's linebacker-turned-running back Shawn Redd, who took a direct snap and ran 34 yards up the middle for a first down. And that was just the beginning. Every time the Quakers felt sure that something positive, or even normal, would happen, they were wrong. Both Penn quarterbacks that saw time in the second quarter -- sophomore Gavin Hoffman and freshman Mike Mitchell -- saw one of their passes snatched out of the air by a Bison linebacker. One of these turnovers set up a Bucknell touchdown; the other prevented a Penn score with seconds remaining in the half. That's the definition of a big play. "We've got some problems that we have to deal with," Bagnoli said. "Some of it is preparation, some of it is attention to detail. Just some things we have to get done before we're going to be a good football team." One of the things that the Quakers have to get done is to learn from their mistakes. Just six minutes into the third quarter, facing a fourth-and-two on their own 34, Bucknell lined up to punt. But they didn't. For the second time in the afternoon, Redd rushed up the middle for a first down and again, the crowd sighed in dismay. Due to the uncertainty that Bucknell brought to each punt, the Quakers were unable to set up an effective return, gaining just 16 yards off punts and not putting themselves in good field position once. "We think we're a decent football team and we were going to play our game and try to make some things happen and not play conservative and see if we couldn't find the way to win the game," Gadd said. In the third quarter, still in a tight 10-7 game, both teams were looking for the game-breaking play. Penn was stopped in its own end and forced to punt. But Bucknell blocked the kick, its third so far in 1999, and took over just 30 yards from the end zone. Nine plays later, the Bison scored their second touchdown of the day to go up 16-7. "They did a nice job on some special teams things with two fakes and made all the big plays on the third and fourth down in the red zone," Bagnoli said. But that's not where it ended. With less than a minute to play and Hoffman and the Quakers threatening to force overtime, the Bison came up with their final big play of the afternoon. A vicious blind-side sack of Hoffman, the sixth time he was nailed on the day, forced a fumble just 30 yards from the end zone. End of game. "It all comes down to making plays," said Bagnoli after the loss. Thus far in '99, however, the Quakers have turned the ball over 11 times in three games. More often that not, Penn has been the one not making the big plays but receiving them instead. Like two fake punts.

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