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HAMILTON, N.Y. (11/14/09) - Senior wide receiver Pat Simonds (Sidney, N.Y.) caught nine passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns as Colgate defeated Bucknell 29-14 in the regular season finale.

Simonds finished the regular season with 66 catches for 1,012 yards and 14 touchdowns. His touchdown mark breaks the previous record held by Tom Stenglein, who caught 13 touchdowns in 1985. Simonds is also the third wide receiver in school history to have consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. Corey Hill (1997-1998) and Luke Graham (2002-2003) pulled off that feat as well. Furthermore, adding to all these achievements, Simonds finished fourth in career receptions and receiving yardage in the Colgate record books.
   
Simonds' two touchdown passes were the keys to the game, as his 34-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and 9-yard reception in the fourth quarter helped turn a 14-9 Bucknell lead into a 22-14 Colgate advantage.
   
Both teams played a scoreless first quarter, as neither Colgate nor Bucknell got into the red zone. Colgate drove to the Bucknell 29-yard line, but on 4th-and-8, a run from junior quarterback Greg Sullivan (Monroe, N.Y.) was stuffed after four yards.
   
Bucknell opened the scoring with a 55-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 5-yard run from quarterback C.J. Hopson. The Bison set up shop at their own 45 after a poor Colgate punt, and got into the end zone after 10 plays. Consecutive rushes of 12 and 15 yards were the key plays on the drive.
   
Colgate immediately responded with a touchdown, as junior running back Nate Eachus (Drums, Pa.) powered through the lines and into the end zone for a 15-yard score. The extra point was missed, and Bucknell retained a 7-6 lead with 2:45 left. On that drive, Simonds, made a big 24-yard catch between the hashes on 3rd-and-11, bringing the ball to the Bison 19. Simonds finished the first half with six catches for 97 yards.
   
After forcing a three-and-out, Colgate immediately went to work with 1:33 left until halftime. A 32-yard pass from Sullivan to Simonds moved the ball to the Bucknell 24. Three plays later, freshman kicker Evan Colborne (Tampa, Fla.) kicked a career-long 34-yard field goal, and Colgate took a 9-7 lead into the locker room.
   
Bucknell regained the lead after Hopson faked a handoff and ran into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Bison started the drive with a 43-yard pass from Hopson to Justin Pulgrano, who got behind the defense to make the catch. He was chased from behind and stopped at the nine. Pulgrano then ran seven yards on first-and-goal, and two Bison rushes led to Hopson's touchdown sneak, giving the Bison a 14-9 advantage.
   
Colgate re-took the lead on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Sullivan to Simonds. Simonds ran a streak down the middle of the field and then slanted to his left, when Sullivan hit him with the pass. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Colgate with a 15-14 lead.
   
Bucknell drove all the way to the Colgate 27 on its next drive, but an illegal block penalty and a sack from senior defensive end Austin Douglas (Ashburnham, Mass.) on 4th-and-13 stalled the Bison effort. Douglas finished with six tackles and 1.5 sacks on the day for his best defensive effort of the season.
   
The Raiders drove all the way to the 1-yard line and had a first-and-goal, but Sullivan fumbled the snap. Bucknell recovered the ball and drove to its 22, when running back Tyler Smith  fumbled to return the favor. Junior linebacker Chris DiMassa (Coatesville, Pa.) recovered the loose ball, giving the Raiders great field position at the 21. Six plays later, Sullivan found Simonds on the right side of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. Simonds caught the ball and kept both feet in bounds for the score.
   
On the ensuing kickoff, Colborne kicked a lollipop into the air that was caught by Tim Bolte, who was slowed down by multiple Colgate tacklers and stripped of the ball by junior safety Gary Marshall (Atlanta, Ga.) near the sideline. Fellow junior safety Brad Keele (Jacksonville, Fla.) recovered the ball just before it could go out-of-bounds, and Colgate took over at the Bison 28. Three plays later, Sullivan took off for a 31-yard score, breaking multiple tackles along the way. Sullivan, who is now 18-4 as a Colgate starter, dropped back to pass but took off when he didn't see anyone open. He broke a few arm tackles and then out-ran the Bison defense for the score with 5:40 left in the game. The PAT from Colborne would be the last point of the game.
   
Sullivan finished with 16 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown. He also completed 12-of-20 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns. Eachus had 24 carries for 99 yards and one touchdown. Senior safety Uzi Idah (Rolling Hills Estate, Calif.) made 10 tackles for Colgate.
   
Hopson finished with 27 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns as Bucknell's option quarterback. Travis Nissley led the team with 12 tackles.
   
The Raiders could finish tied for second place in the Patriot League if Lehigh beats Lafayette next Saturday, which would leave all three teams with a 4-2 conference record. A Lafayette win put Colgate at third place.
   

Game Notes…2009 will mark the 10th season Colgate will finish in the top-25 of an FCS poll…This year also marks just the third time since 1977 that Colgate lost two or fewer games…Since 2007, the senior class has compiled a record of 25-9 overall … 13-4 in the Patriot League with one conference title.