Box Score

 Gossweiler scored on a 30-yard run and tossed a 27-yard scoring strike to Bryan Wheatly (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Twp.), helping the Bullets (1-6, 1-2 CC) snap a nine-game losing streak. Freshman Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) set career highs with 37 carries and 180 yards for Gettysburg, which controlled the game with nearly 38 minutes of possession time.

 Led by 11 tackles from Grant Acker (Howell, NJ/Peddie) and two sacks from Dan Petersen (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South), the Bullet defense held the Bears (1-6, 0-3 CC) to 162 total yards and nine first downs, keeping an opponent off the scoreboard for the first time since a 21-0 win over Johns Hopkins in 1988.

 Daniel Duffy carried 14 times for 39 of Ursinus’ 80 rushing yards on the day. The quarterback tandem of Vince Gallagher and Dave Kupstow completed 8 of 24 passes for 82 yards and two interceptions.

 With a pair of 88-yard touchdown drives and a relentless defensive effort, Gettysburg got in the win column for the first time in 2004.

 After forcing the Bears three-and-out to open the game, the Bullets started their first scoring drive from their own 12.

 Mike Schwalb (Bernardsville, NJ/Pingry) ripped off a 14-yard run on Gettysburg’s first play from scrimmage, the first of nine straight runs. Sturges broke his first carry 16 yards to the Bullet 45, then ran for 13 more yards into Ursinus territory at the 43.

 After Schwalb went for nine yards to the 30, Gossweiler turned the left corner on a quarterback keeper and dashed to the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 9:48 left in the first quarter.

 The Bears drove to the Gettysburg 15 on their next possession, but Acker sacked Gallagher back to the 23 on third-and-9, and James Texeira missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.

 Back-to-back possessions in the third quarter told the story of the afternoon.

 On the Bullets’ first possession of the second half, Ursinus’ Kieran Gorman blocked a punt by Tom Pettit (Blue Bell, PA/Wissahickon), setting the Bears up on the Gettysburg 31. Duffy carried 11 yards to the 20 on the first play, but Ursinus managed just six yards on its next three plays and turned the ball over on downs at the Gettysburg 12.

 With Sturges carrying seven times for 45 yards, the Bullets marched to the Bear 27 before Gossweiler lofted a perfect strike to Wheatly down the right sideline for a 14-0 lead with 6:31 left in the third.

 From there, the defense took over to seal the victory. Jay Cage (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) intercepted Gallagher early in the fourth quarter and Dan Silva (Lanham, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt) made his first interception in the Bullet uniform on a Kupstow pass with 3:41 left to preserve the shutout.

 The Bears’ final drive ended when Petersen jarred the ball loose on a sack of Kupstow and Craig Casagrande (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) recovered on the Ursinus 29.

 Petersen and Michael Schmidt (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) finished with six tackles on the day, while Cage broke up two passes to go with his second interception of the season. Gossweiler rushed for 40 yards on 11 carries and finished 6-of-10 for 80 yards through the air.

 Gettysburg’s win was its third straight against the Bears and also the program’s third consecutive victory on Homecoming Saturday. The Bullets’ last win before Saturday was a 14-3 decision at Ursinus in 2003.

 Nate Wagner led the Bears with 13 tackles while Francis Mallon added nine tackles and one sack. Justin Ellis also recorded a sack for Ursinus, which lost its 15th consecutive CC game.

 Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday at Muhlenberg. Game time is 1 p.m.