FCS 2019 PREVIEW: Bucknell Football Eyes More Explosive Offense

HERO Sports welcomes you to "Three-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 126 FCS programs, with three teams being released each day from June 17 to July 28. Then, we'll preview all 13 conferences from August 1-4. Today, we present … Bucknell.

We'll leave no stone left unturned when it comes to giving the FCS diehards all they could ask for this offseason. Learn about every program in the country, with HERO Sports.

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Bucknell (1-10 IN 2018)

Patriot League (Bucknell finished 7th in 2018)

COACH: Dave Cecchini – At School: 1st year Overall: 6th year (17-38)
LAST FCS POSTSEASON: None
2018 OFFENSE: 13.4 ppg. (123rd in FCS)
2018 DEFENSE: 28.3 ppg. (62nd in FCS)
KEY GAME: Sept. 28 vs. Princeton: Princeton is coming off an undefeated season and is part of a grueling nonconference schedule for Bucknell. An upset win here right before Patriot League games begin would be huge for the Bison.
SUM IT UP: The Bison are hitting the reset button. Dave Cecchini brings an entirely new staff and the offensive and defensive schemes will be adjusted. Cecchini comes from Valparaiso, a program that had won just three games in the prior four seasons of his 2014 arrival. He built the program into its first winning season since 2003 with a 6-5 record in 2017. His track record of having explosive offenses goes back to his offensive coordinator stops at Lehigh, The Citadel and Harvard, where each of those offenses broke school records.

Getting the offense to be more explosive in task No. 1 at Bucknell. The Bison were near the bottom in the FCS with 13.4 points per game. Nine starters return from 2018 but expect some adjustments and position switches on offense and defense, which has six starters back.

The big question is who will be the starting quarterback. John Chiarolanzio, Logan Bitikofer and Tarrin Earle all saw playing time last year. Freshman Keyshawn Copeland is also in the mix. Bucknell returns four starters on the offensive line, needing to fill the center spot. Expect a much-improved running game with this 2019 squad. Chad Freshnock was set to be the starter entering last year but suffered a season-ending injury before camp. Marquis Carter, who was ready to step into a bigger role with Freshnock out, also got hurt and only played in one game.

Defensively, the top three tacklers are gone. But Simeon Page is a special player to return and lead that unit. He was an All-Patriot League First Team honoree despite playing in only seven games due to injury. Page played a hybrid defensive lineman/linebacker role called the "X' in the old scheme. That position is now replaced by a third linebacker and it'll be interesting to see how his talents are utilized.

And let's not forget about the specialists. The Bison got a huge bonus when punter Alex Pechin was granted a fifth year of eligibility due to an injury he suffered his sophomore year. He is one of the best to do it in college football and is a multi-time All-Conference and All-American selection. As Bucknell's defense looks to improve, never underestimate the importance of a punter pinning the opposing offense deep.

OUR TAKE: The Bison have an uphill battle to getting to where they wanna be. An incredibly tough nonconference slate probably will result in a not-so-great record heading into October. But if this team can compete with the likes of Temple, Villanova and Princeton, improvements in the Patriot League are going to come sooner than later. Two conference losses last year came by three points or less. With a new coaching staff and scheme adding some energy to the program and with experienced players hungry for success, look for Bucknell to notch a few more wins this year.

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TOP RETURNEE: Jr./DL Simeon Page (First Team All-Conference, In 7 games: 38 tackles, 9 TFLs, 4.5 sacks)
THE FOUNDATION: Sr./K, P Alex Pechin (1st Team All-American, Team Captain); Sr./LB Sam Chitty (Team Captain, 74 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks); Jr./OL Justis Peppers (Started 10 games at LT, missed season finale to injury); Sr./RB Chad Freshnock (Set to be top RB last year before being sidelined with an injury); So./WR Brandon Sanders (No. 1 WR last year, 44 rec. for 516 yards); Jr./S Brandon Benson (leader in secondary, 52 tackles)
TOP NEWCOMER: Fr./QB Keyshawn Copeland (In the mix to be QB1, threw for over 4,600 yards and 60 TDs in HS)
THE QUOTE: "Overall, I think our non-conference schedule is as challenging as it can be. In addition to Temple and Villanova, we will play a Princeton team that finished undefeated and in the top 10 last year, a Towson team that is coming off a playoff appearance and a Sacred Heart team that went 7-4 last season." — Head Coach Dave Cecchini said