BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Bucknell, on the strength of two Ethan Torres field goals and stingy ball control, shut out Lehigh 6-0 on Saturday, earning a spot in the Patriot League championship game.
Bucknell, in the last two weeks, has beaten South Division rivals Lafayette and Lehigh, clinching the division and advancing to the April 17 league title game. Holy Cross, Colgate and Fordham will vie for the North Division crown.
Bucknell has not won a Patriot football championship since 1996.
The Bison (2-0, 2-0) held the ball for nearly 37 minutes to Lehigh’s 23 minutes, and while neither team was able to cross the goal line, Torres hit both his field goal chances — from 23 and 24 yards — while Lehigh’s Dylan Van Dusen missed a 27-yarder on the game-opening drive.
Lehigh (0-2, 0-2) had driven 67 yards to the Bucknell 10 on its first possession before the Bison’s Roger Mellado batted down a third-down pass, forcing the field goal try.
Head coaches Tom Gilmore (Lehigh) and Dave Cecchini (Bucknell) were the coordinators on Lehigh’s 2000 and 2001 Patriot League championship teams.
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