LEWISBURG, Pa. – A strong defensive effort helped the Sacred Heart football team improve to 2-0 on the season, taking down Bucknell 30-14 on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers' defense forced three turnovers and picked up five sacks, while holding the Bison to just 178 yards of total offense.

Offensively, senior tailback Jordan Meachum rushed for a career-high 178 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown, while adding 17 yards receiving. Quarterback Kevin Duke also picked up a career-best 104 yards and one touchdown on the ground, while throwing for 138 yards, one score and one interception on 12-for-32 passing. Andrew O'Neill had three catches for 62 yards and Nathan Balthazard added a touchdown reception.

Sophomore Noel Hijazi put the exclamation point on the win by scooping up a fumble and returning it 32 yards for a touchdown as time expired. Pat Ferraro also tallied a fumble recovery and senior Kevin Sears had one interception, which led to a SHU field goal that made it a two-possession game in the fourth quarter. Salaam Horne led the team with a career-high 10 tackles, Chris Agyemang added five tackles, including two sacks and three tackles-for-a-loss, and Aaron Donalson had five tackles, including two for a loss.

First Quarter

• The Pioneers picked up three first downs on the opening drive, which ended when Meachum weaved his way through defenders, and eventually broke through a hole and down the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown run, giving SHU the 7-0 edge.
• Bucknell responded on the ensuing kickoff with a 66-yard return, setting up at the SHU 34, but Robert Steffe came away with a huge sack to knock Bucknell out of field goal range and force a punt.
• Later in the quarter, Ferraro forced a fumble and recovered at the Bucknell 28-yard line on the first play following a SHU punt.
• SHU outgained Bucknell 79-12 in the opening quarter, including 57-0 on the ground.

Second Quarter

• Bucknell tied it up 7-7 in the opening minutes of the second quarter on a four-yard run by Brandon Sanders, capping a nine-play, 36 yard drive over 3:41.
• On the ensuing drive, SHU moved the ball across midfield to the Bucknell 46 thanks in part to a 24-yard scamper by Duke, but was forced to punt. A bad snap sailed over the head of the punter and was downed at the SHU 19-yard line with 9:47 to play.
  But, the Sacred Heart defense came up with a huge bailout, driving the Bison backwards with the help of a pair of false start penalties, and held the Bison to a 40-yard field goal attempt, which fell short.
• However, the Bison defense provided the answer on the next drive. Duke's pass to the left sailed behind Balthazard and was picked off by Fisayo Oluleye who returned it 54 yards for the pick-six, giving the Bison their first lead of the season at 14-7 with 6:27 to play until halftime.
• After forcing a Bucknell punt and having a first down conversion wiped out by a holding penalty, Duke found O'Neill for a huge 48-yard connection down the right sideline, setting up first down at the Bucknell 15. Three plays later on third-and-two, Duke found Balthazard wide open in the back of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown connection, knotting the game 14-14 with 10 seconds left in the half.

Sacred Heart outgained Bucknell 188-77 in the first half. Seven different Pios had a reception, with O'Neill leading the way with three catches for 62 yards. Meachum carried 12 times for 57 yards, while Duke had five rushes for 48 yards.

Third Quarter

• Sacred Heart wasted no time getting the lead back on its opening possession of the third quarter, retaking the lead after a seven play, 80 yard drive over 2:07.
  Meachum helped the Pios go right down the field, breaking off 29-yard and 32-yard runs on back-to-back plays to give SHU first-and-goal at the Bucknell 10-yard line. On third and goal, Duke rolled out to his right and went into the end zone untouched for a nine-yard touchdown run, making it 21-14 following the Josh Freiria PAT.
• Bucknell drove the ball down inside the SHU 30 before Denzel Williams helped get the ball back with a tackle on a fourth down stop.
• First-year Noel Hijazi recorded his first-career sack to help force a punt

Fourth Quarter

• Bucknell went for it on fourth down and sven for the SHU 31 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, but Jayden Jordan broke up a pass to get SHU the ball back.
• Bucknell got the ball back at their own 47 at the 12:03 following a punt. Jared Cooper broke through the middle for a 37-yard run to the SHU 16 where Ramcheran made a touchdown-saving tackle. The play proved to be huge, as Sears picked off a pass two plays later, returning it 48 yards to the Bucknell 42-yard line with 11:05 to play.
• Following the pick, Duke found Snelling for 19 yards on third-and-nine down the Bison 22. The connection set up a 30-yard field goal by Freiria, which made it a two-possession game, 24-14 with 7:06 to play.
• SHU turned the ball over on downs at the Bucknell 16 with 1:03 remaining. With the final seconds winding down, Agyemang sacked and stripped the quarterback. Hijazi scooped up the loose ball and returned 32 yards for a touchdown as the clock hit zero.

Extra Points

• SHU has scored a defensive touchdown in both of its games this season.
• Donalson recorded his first sack of the season in the fourth quarter and Hijazi picked up first career sack in the third quarter.
• Duke surpassed his career-high in rushing yards with a 24-yard run in the fourth quarter, surpassing his previous benchmark of 81 against Stetson in 2017.
• Meachum has now rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back weeks.

Coach Quotables: Mark Nofri

• "Bucknell's a very good team on defense and creates problems with what we do, but we found a way. We got the first downs when they counted, and scored touchdowns when we got into the red zone. And when Bucknell was driving and moving the ball, Kevin Sears came up with a big pick which was huge."
• "When we were down 14-7 and things weren't going well at the end of the half, they found a way to score and get some momentum coming into the half. I always talk to the kids about answering the bell and how they are going to respond to adversity, and they did. I couldn't be happier or prouder of these guys right now." 

The Pioneers will enjoy a week off with their bye next weekend before returning to action with their Northeast Conference opener at Wagner on Sept. 22. Kickoff on Staten Island is set for 6 p.m.