Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – In a game that featured a Centennial Conference-record 1,317 yards of total offense, it was a three-yard run by quarterback Justin Decristofaro on fourth-and-1 at the Gettysburg-29 with just over two minutes left that clinched the game for Ursinus College.
The Bears led by 32 points late in the third quarter, only to see the Bullets run off 27 unanswered points in under 11 minutes. But Gettysburg's furious rally would eventually run out of time, as the Bears held on for a 55-50 Centennial Conference victory on Ursinus' homecoming Saturday afternoon at a sunny Patterson Field.
With Gettysburg (1-4, 1-2 CC) out of timeouts, Decristofaro's run allowed the Bears (2-2, 2-0 CC) to run out the remainder of the clock.
The 105 total points scored also marked a Centennial Conference record, and the Bullets set both a conference and school record for points scored in a loss.
Amazingly, the Bullets had possession of the ball for only 19:53 while the Bears controlled it for 40:07.
Senior quarterback Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) led the Bullets by setting school and Centennial Conference records with 519 passing yards, seven touchdowns passes, and 522 yards of total offense. He completed 32-of-47 passes, setting a career-high for completions as well, while throwing only one interception.
On the Centennial Conference's career lists, Flynn moved into third in passing yards (6,976), touchdown passes (52) and pass completions (504).
Trailing 48-23 at halftime and 55-23 late in the third quarter, the Bullets set to work on their second dramatic near-comeback of the season, as Flynn threw touchdown passes on Gettysburg's final four drives of the game.
In its season opener, Gettysburg whittled a 41-14 halftime deficit down to five points in their 47-42 loss.
Senior tight end #A.J. Perrotti# (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) caught six passes for 150 yards – both career-highs – and one touchdown while junior receiver Brian Betley (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) hauled in five passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Junior receiver Gavin Jablonski (Allenwood, N.J./Wall) had five catches for 89 yards and a TD.
Senior wing Ricky Manigat (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) led the Bullets on the ground, rushing for a career-high 83 yards on four carries while picking up an additional 63 yards on six receptions. Junior tailback Jamel Mutunga (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) added 60 yards rushing and 78 receiving yards on six catches. Junior wing Charles Curcio (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) racked up 190 all-purpose yards, with 145 coming on nine kickoff returns. He also hauled in four passes for 43 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Junior kicker Mike Barrett (Selinsgrove, Pa./Lewisburg) had a perfect day kicking for the Bullets, going 5-for-5 on extra points and making his only field goal.
Decristofaro threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-33 passing for Ursinus, which defeated the Bullets for the first time since 2005, while Nick Giarratano caught 11 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Teddy Conrad rushed for 132 yards and three first-half touchdown carries for the Bears.
The Ursinus offense was in high gear in the first half, when the hosts scored a touchdown on each of their seven possessions en route to setting the Centennial Conference record for points in a half. Dicristofaro hit Kahlil Pittman with a 10-yard touchdown pass on the game's opening drive to put Ursinus up 7-0 with 10:15 left in the opening quarter.
On the Bullets second play from scrimmage, Manigat peeled off a career-long 62-yard run down the right sideline – the team's longest run of the season – to give the Bullets a first-and-goal at the Ursinus-8. But the Bears forced the Bullets to attempt a field goal, and Barrett kicked a 20 yarder to make it 7-3 with 8:13 on the clock.
The Bears and Bullets traded touchdowns on the next two possessions, with DiCristofaro running in from 23 yard out and Flynn finding Curcio in the back right corner of the end zone, making it 14-10 with 2:11 to go in the first quarter. The Bears tacked on another touchdown before the end of the quarter, thanks to a fortuitous bounce of the ball on the ensuing kickoff. Returner Al Desiderio fumbled around the Ursinus-30, and it rolled all the way to the Bear-49, where it was recovered by Ursinus. Three plays and a 15-yard Gettysburg personal foul later, Conrad ran it in from 2 yards out as the Bears went up 21-10 with 42 second left in the first quarter.
The Bullets were poised to score again on their next drive, moving to the Bear-10, but on third-and-8, Jablonski fumbled around the 2-yard line, and Ursinus fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
Ursinus needed just five plays to strike again, as Conrad raced for a an 18-yard touchdown run with 12:21 left in the first half that made it 28-10, as the Bears needed just 1:32 to move 80 yards.
Gettysburg answered when Flynn connected with Betley for a 53-yard touchdown pass five plays into its next drive, as the Bullets pulled to within 28-17 with 10:44 to go. But the Bears came right back with an 11-play, 62-yard touchdown drive, with Decristofaro capping it with a 1-yard run. It was a 34-17 game following a missed extra point with 5:40 to go.
After Ursinus forced the first punt of the game after Gettysburg went three-and-out, Conrad scored his final touchdown of the half, converting a 4-yarder to push his team's advantage to 41-17 with 1:24 to go, setting off a wild finish to the period.
The Bullets cut the deficit to 41-23 when Flynn went 4-of-4 on a quick 44-second drive, highlighted by a 21-yard touchdown grab by Jablonski, the first of his career. But a 51-yard kickoff return by Desiderio along with a Bullet substitution infraction put the ball at the Gettysburg-30. Two plays later, Giarratano caught a short pass and broke free down the left sideline for a 30-yard TD reception with 12 ticks showing to give the Bears their 48-23 halftime advantage.
The two sides traded interceptions at the start of the second half. After Flynn was intercepted at the Ursinus-12, junior cornerback Tairi Mobley (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) picked off Decristofaro at the Bullet-12, as the Ursinus offense was stopped for the first time of the afternoon. However, the Bullets were unable to cash in on the turnover, as they turned it over on downs at midfield.
Four plays later, Giarratano caught a screen pass and went 34 yards to paydirt, pushing the hosts lead to 55-23. But after Gettysburg turned the ball over on downs again, junior defensive tackle Matt Dietz (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) sparked the Bullets rally, forcing a fumble at the Ursinus-30, and freshman linebacker Wes Taylor (Silver Spring, Pa./Gonzaga) fell on it at the Bear-34.
Two plays after junior tailback Anthony DeSalva (Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow) broke loose for a career-long 24-yard run, Flynn hit Betley with a 23-yard TD strike, making it 55-30.
On each of Gettysburg's next three kickoffs, sophomore Rob Pennella (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) was brought on to attempt on on-side kick. The Bears recovered the first then marched inside the Gettysburg-10, but on a second-and-goal junior defensive tackle Sebastian Sullivan (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) stripped Decristofaro from behind as the quarterback scrambled toward the goal line, and junior linebacker Bryan DiSabato (Cedarhurst, N.Y./Lawrence) smothered it in the end zone. Gettysburg then went 80 yards the other way en route to a 5-yard touchdown pass from Flynn to Curcio, cutting the deficit to 55-37 with 10:30 remaining.
Betley came down with Pennella' second on-side attempt, and on the very next play, Perrotti caught a pass down the middle of the field and sprinted 53 yards untouched, slicing the lead down to 55-44 with 10:20 still left.
The Bears came up with Pennella's final on-side kick, but turned it over on downs at the Gettysburg-27 with 7:49 showing. Flynn drove the Bullets one last time, going 5-for-5 and connecting with Mutunga on a 21-yarder that made it a one-possession game with 6:36 left. The Bullets attempted a two-point conversion, but Flynn's pass was incomplete.
Gettysburg elected to kick it deep on the following kickoff, but was unable to get a stop, as Ursinus converted three first downs, including Dicristofaro's keeper that iced it.
Senior linebacker Tim Widdoes (St. Mark's Del./Newark) led all players with a career-high 14 tackles, which moved him into 10th on the school's all-time tackles list. Sullivan had 12 stops, including one sack, while sophomore linebacker Joe Delaney (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) collected nine hits.
Gettysburg continues its season next Saturday, when it visits Moravian College at 1 p.m. in another Centennial Conference match-up.
