“They told us last year that if anyone proved they could play, they would find a position for us to get on the field,” Eden, a starting defensive end, said.

Before this year’s sophomores even made it to campus, they were promising each other to bring a dedication and work ethic to the program.

“I talked to (sophomore starting quarterback Marcello) Trigg a lot the spring after I committed,” Kizekai said. “We pretty much said we were coming here to make an impact right away.”

For Kizekai, he got to that point by using trust and pleading ignorance. The halfback left one of life’s biggest decisions up to his mother, Yassah.

“Before I committed, I didn’t know that (Bucknell) was 1-10,” he admitted. “I just wanted a place where I felt comfortable and my mom liked coach (Landis) a lot.”

So far, the sophomore class has established a high bar for the freshman class — and others that follow — to reach.

Kizekai is averaging 255.5 all-purpose yards per game. Trigg is averaging 150.0 yards per game of total offense. And four of the top eight tacklers are sophomores.

Those contributors are things that make Landis feel that the hard work is paying off on the coaching staff’s end, too.

“A lot of kids coming out of high school are intrigued about being able to play early,” he said. “We took some chances on some kids and we got some that other (coaches) didn’t think were I-AA players.

“We made some good decisions and went with our instincts.”

Bumpers and safety Brigham Farrand, who broke into the starting lineup at this time last season as a freshman, are two from the sophomore class who Landis was particularly surprised to get.

There are several first-year players in 2007 who are following the sophomores’ lead, beating out upperclassmen for playing time.

Linebacker Travis Nissley leads the Bison in tackles with 12. Hesham Abdelaal is going to be a force on the offensive line for years to come and Josh Lovett has gotten touches as a rusher, receiver and punt returner.

Bucknell has taken strides to recover from a 1-10 debacle. It proved it can win again.

The next step is to become Patriot League contenders.