LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Holy Cross football team rounded out its regular season with a 45-6 victory at Bucknell on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Holy Cross (9-2, 6-0 Patriot League) jumped out to a 31-0 lead at halftime, with Bucknell's only points coming off a third-quarter touchdown. The Crusaders totaled 512 yards of offense – their third consecutive game with more than 500 yards of offense – while also holding the Bison (1-10, 0-6 Patriot League) to just 87 total yards of offense.

Sophomore quarterback Marco Siderman completed eight of his 12 pass attempts for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Justin Shorter caught a pair of touchdowns, while senior running back Peter Oliver had a touchdown and 67 rushing yards. Freshman running back Jordan Fuller rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Crusaders totaled nine tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions. Junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs had a team-high eight tackles and two quarterback hurries, while senior defensive end Benton Whitley had three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries. Senior defensive end Dan Kuznetsov had five tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Holy Cross finishes a full conference slate undefeated for the first time since the 1991 season; the six conference wins are the most in program history.

The Crusaders – who have won three consecutive Patriot League Championships – now own the most outright conference titles of any Patriot League team after clinching their ninth outright title on Saturday.

Holy Cross awaits its fate in the NCAA D-I football championship subdivision (FCS) playoffs, with the seeding to be revealed on Sunday, Nov. 21. The selection show will be televised on ESPNU at 12:30 p.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A lengthy opening drive – with 17 plays on the 69-yard drive – ended in a one-yard touchdown carry by Oliver at 8:30 of the first for a 7-0 Holy Cross lead.
• On the ensuing kickoff, junior Jared Kreimer forced a fumble and recovered it, giving the Crusaders the ball right back at the Bucknell 26-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka would go on to complete a four-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Tenio Ayeni, giving Holy Cross a 14-0 advantage with 6:16 left in the first.
• Siderman connected with Shorter on a 36-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21-0 with 12:16 remaining in the second quarter.
• Junior cornerback Kamryn Molton intercepted a ball and returned it 45 yards for a 28-0 Holy Cross lead with 3:30 left in the first half.
• Senior Derek Ng his a 39-yard field goal right before halftime to give the Crusaders a 31-0 lead.
• Siderman and Shorter connected again with 5:36 left in the third, with Shorter earning his second touchdown of the day on a seven-yard reception.
• Bucknell's lone points of the day came on a 23-yard touchdown pass to freshman Mason Muir with 2:09 left in the third. However, the Bison were unable to convert on the point after, keeping the Crusaders ahead 38-6.
• Fuller's six-yard touchdown rush with 12:47 left in the fourth quarter made it a 45-6 game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Molton's pick six was the longest interception return of the year by a Crusader.
• This marked Holy Cross' largest margin of victory in a Patriot League contest this season; the Crusaders have averaged 42.2 points per contest in league play while allowing just 12.7 points per game.
• Holy Cross has recorded over 500 yards of offense five times this season.