WORCESTER, Mass. — The No. 9 Holy Cross football team rolled past Bucknell, 57-0, on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the second annual EBW Classic at Polar Park.

The 57-point defeat is the largest margin of victory since the 1987 season and the Crusaders' largest shutout win since a 60-0 win vs. Fort Totten in 1942. 

The Crusaders (6-0, 2-0 Patriot League), in the midst of their best start since the 1991 season, had 511 yards of offense to Bucknell's (0-5, 0-2 Patriot League) 169 and 31 first downs to the Bison's 10. 

Junior quarterback Matthew Sluka passed for 183 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 72 yards and another score. Junior wide receiver Jalen Coker had 88 receiving yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receivers Dominik Thomas and Spencer Gilliam each caught a touchdown, and sophomore running back Jordan Fuller rushed for a pair of touchdowns. 

Senior cornerback Devin Haskins blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown, while also adding in an interception. Sophomore safety Curtis Harris-Lopez had a team-leading five tackles while recording a 17-yard sack and forcing two fumbles.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• After a six-play drive, highlighted by a 21-yard run from Oliver, Sluka ran in for a one-yard touchdown to give the Crusaders a 7-0 lead with 10:51 to go in the first. 
• Haskins blocked a punt and returned the ball for a touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 just three-and-a-half minutes later. 
• With 1:29 to go in the first, Sluka completed a 14-yard pass to Thomas to push the lead to 21-0.
• Sluka had a 32-yard completion to Coker at the 13:26 mark of the second quarter to give Holy Cross a 28-0 lead. 
• The Crusaders closed out the second quarter scoring with a one-yard touchdown run by Fuller and a 19-yard field goal by senior kicker Derek Ng, making it a 37-0 edge for Holy Cross at halftime. 
• Fuller had his second touchdown of the day with 9:52 to go in the third to push the lead to 44-0. 
• Gilliam had a 40-yard reception with 3:08 left in the third to make it a 50-0 game. 
• Senior running back Jordan Forrest had a three-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 57-0 with 14:14 to go in the fourth. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: 

• This marks Holy Cross' first shutout win since Nov. 23, 2019, when the Crusaders defeated Georgetown by a 24-0 margin. 
• Haskins has now blocked a punt in three consecutive weeks; his total of three on the year ties a Patriot League single-season record for blocked punts. 
• Thomas' touchdown was the first of his career. 
• Forrest and Gilliam each had their first touchdowns of the 2022 campaign. 
• The Crusaders had over 300 rushing yards for the first time this season and for the second consecutive outing against Bucknell. 
• Sophomore kicker Jack Norris saw his first game action as a Crusader, connecting on the PAT following Forrest's touchdown. 
• Holy Cross has outscored its opponents 99-10 in games played at Polar Park. 

UP NEXT: 

• The Crusaders will enjoy a bye week before returning to action on Oct. 22 at Lafayette. 
• Kickoff in Easton, Pa., is set for 3:30 p.m.