Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Andrew Kase rushed for 173 yards and tied a school record with four touchdown runs as Johns Hopkins University spoiled Gettysburg's homecoming, topping the Bullets 49-37 in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at a sunny Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
The Blue Jays (3-0, 1-0 CC) stayed undefeated with the win while Gettysburg (0-3, 0-1 CC) lost its third straight to open the season. It was also just the second time in the last seven years that the Bullets lost their homecoming game.
Junior quarterback Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) threw for a career-high 337 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-39 passing to lead the Bullets. Junior wing Ricky Manigat caught eight passes for 96 yards, both career-highs, while sophomore receiver Brian Betley (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) had a career-high five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wing Charles Curcio (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) added four catches for a career-high 86 yards and two TDs and finished with 178 all-purpose yards.
Sophomore tailback Jamel Mutunga (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) recorded his second-straight 100-yard rushing game for the Bullets, racking up a career-high 119 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.
Hewitt Tomlin completed 18 of 31 passes for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Johns Hopkins passing attack while Tucker Michels caught seven passes for 96 yards.
It was the second straight shootout for the Bullets, who lost 45-40 to Hampden-Sydney a week ago in which the team teams combined for 1,118 yards of total offense, This week, Gettysburg and the Blue Jays combined for 1,006 total yards, with the Bullets holding a 509-497 edge.
Johns Hopkins took the lead for good on a 26-yard halfback option pass from Dan Crowley to Nick Fazio with 6:26 left in the opening half, making it a 28-21 game. A 25-yard field goal from senior Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean) drew the Bullets to within 28-24 at the half, but the Blue Jays pulled away in the second half, scoring the first two touchdowns in the third quarter to open up an 18-point advantage Gettysburg was unable to overcome.
Although the first half was dominated by offense, it actually started with a Gettysburg goal line stand. On the opening drive, the Blue Jays marched 72 yards and set up with a first-and-goal at the Bullet-4. After a three-yard gain on second down, Hopkins had two opportunities to punch it in, but were denied on the run twice. Kase was stuffed on third down before Tomlin was stood up by a host of defenders, including senior defensive end Conor Quinn (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery).
An offensive display was in store for the remainder of the half. After the Bullets were forced to punt on their first possession – their only punt of the half – the Blue Jays went 75 yards on 11 yards before Kase ran it in from 2 yards out with 2:08 left in the first quarter, making it 7-0. It was only the start for Kase, who rushed for 116 of his yards in the opening half.
The Bullets answered right back, going 71 yards on six plays, with Curcio catching a pass over the middle and racing down the right sideline for a 48-yard touchdown reception.
Gettysburg took the lead when freshman Brandon Payne (New Castle, Del./William Penn) forced a fumble on the kickoff, and junior Bruce Evans (Atlantic City, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep) pounced on it at the Hopkins-22. Two plays later – the first play of the second quarter – Flynn hit Curcio in the middle of the end zone for a 22-yard scoring strike, making it 14-7.
Kase tied it up for the Blue Jays with a 5-yard touchdown run before Gettysburg went back on top when Flynn launched a 60-yard touchdown pass deep down the right side to Betley, making it 21-14 in favor of the Bullets with 12:28 left in the half. The Blue Jays came back with an 11-play, 69-yard drive that ate up 5:10, and Kase scored his third touchdown of the game from 2 yards out to make it a 21-21 game with 7:17 showing.
Johns Hopkins then capitalized on a Gettysburg turnover, recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. A.J. Safi jarred the ball loose from freshman Ryan Hinton (Florham Park, N.J./Hanover Park) with a vicious hit, and Mike Todisco fell on the pigskin at the Bullet-26. Three plays later, Tomlin fired a lateral to the left flank to Crowley, who lobbed a pass the opposite way to a wide-open Fazio on the right side of the field. Fazio jogged in the final 10 yards for the score, making it 28-21 with 6:26 left in the half.
The Bullets put together a 14-play, 55-yard drive with Huson capping the march with his field goal that deflected off a defender's fingers before bouncing off the left upright and the crossbar before falling through, making it 28-24 at the half.
Another turnover proved to be costly for the Bullets at the start of the second half. Chris Baldwin made his third interception of the season for the Blue Jays and returned it 33 yards to the Gettysburg-45. Eight plays later, Kase scored his fourth touchdown, this one from 1 yard out as Hopkins extended its lead to 35-24.
After forcing a Bullet punt, the Blue Jays went on another scoring drive, this time moving 59 yards on 10 plays before Tomlin hooked up with David Rokeach for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 3:17 left in the third quarter to make it 42-24.
Gettysburg came up with its first defensive stop of the second half early in the fourth quarter, and on the first play after a Blue Jay punt, Mutunga broke off a 38-yard rush to the Hopkins-43. Five plays later, Flynn found junior wing Michael McInerney (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Huson's fourth PAT made it 42-31 with 12:35 left.
After forcing a second straight punt, Gettysburg took over at the Bullet-17 and marched the rest of the field on an 83-yard drive. Mutunga appeared to have run up the middle for a 17-yard touchdown run, lunging over the goal line as he was dragged down, but he was ruled down at the 1-yard line. But he bulled in for the score one play later. However, Flynn's two-point conversion was incomplete, and Gettysburg trailed 42-37 with 7:44 to go.
The Bullets needed a stop on the Blue Jays ensuing possession, but a big 45-pass from Tomlin to Crowley put Hopkins at the Gettysburg-11. Two plays later, Tomlin gave the Jays some breathing room, connecting with Michels for a 12-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline, setting the final score with 5:22 left.
Gettysburg turned the ball over on downs on its final drive, and the Blue Jays ran out the final 1:49.
Sam Eagleson finished with a game-high 12 tackles for Johns Hopkins while senior linebacker Dean Staley (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) and freshman safety Joe Delaney (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) made 11 tackles apiece. Senior defensive end Josh Jerrold (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) also had seven sacks, including 2.0 for loss and one sack.
The Bullets return to action next Saturday, when they visit No. 6-ranked Muhlenberg College in another Centennial Conference showdown starting at 1 p.m.
