The Holy Cross football team rounds out its regular season with a trip to Bucknell on Saturday, Nov. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Lewisburg, Pa.

The Crusaders (8-2, 5-0 Patriot League) clinched at least a share of their third consecutive Patriot League title, and an automatic berth in the NCAA D-I football championship subdivision (FCS) playoffs, when they defeated Fordham by a score of 52-24 on Nov. 13.

Holy Cross totaled a season-best 559 yards of offense to Fordham's 314, with the Crusader defense tallying four sacks, three pass breakups and an interception.

Sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka had four total touchdowns, throwing for a career-high 272 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the air and rushing for 104 yards and another two touchdowns on the ground. He was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season for his performance.

Freshman running back Jordan Fuller ran for three touchdowns; sophomore wide receiver Jalen Coker caught a touchdown and had a team-high 76 receiving yards. Senior running back Peter Oliver rushed for 76 yards. Junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs had a team-high seven tackles and a pass breakup, while junior cornerback Devin Haskins had six tackles and a pass breakup; senior defensive end Jake Reichwein had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

This is the first time since 1989, 1990 and 1991 that Holy Cross has won three straight Patriot League titles; this marks the first time a Patriot League football team has won at least a share of three straight titles since Lafayette won three between 2004 and 2006.

In conference play this year, Holy Cross has outscored its opponents 208-70. In all contests this season, Holy Cross leads the Patriot League in both scoring offense (34.5 points per game) and scoring defense (20.3).

The Crusaders have held all Patriot League opponents under 100 rushing yards in every game this season, including just 91 for Fordham. As a team, Holy Cross ranks seventh among all FCS programs in rushing defense, allowing just 85.7 yards per contest. The Crusaders rank 10^th in FCS in total defense, conceding just 271.7 yards per contest.

Holy Cross ranks third in FCS with 16 total interceptions on the year. Senior cornerback John Smith leads the Patriot League with five picks; five Crusaders have recorded multiple interceptions this year (Smith, Haskins, senior linebacker Liam Anderson, senior safety Cristos Argys and senior safety Walter Reynolds).

This season, the Crusaders are undefeated on the road.

Bucknell (1-9, 0-5 Patriot League) most recently faced off against an FBS opponent on Nov. 13, falling to Army on the road by a score of 63-10. The team's lone win of the season came against Cornell on Oct. 2 by a score of 21-10.

The Crusaders and Bison met in Lewisburg on April 17 in the Spring 2021 Patriot League Championship Game, with Holy Cross taking a 33-10 victory to clinch their second straight Patriot League title.

Following the contest at Bucknell on Saturday, the Crusaders will learn their fate for the playoffs on Nov. 21. The selection show will be televised on ESPNU at 12:30 p.m. ET.