Box Score

CARLISLE, Pa. – Gettysburg erased a 17-0 first-quarter deficit and dominated Dickinson defensively in the second half as the Bullets won back the Little Brown Bucket, defeating the Red Devils 28-24 in Centennial Conference action at a chilly Biddle Field Friday evening.

Senior tailback Anthony DeSalva scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run with 3:40 left in the third quarter and rushed for a game-high 110 yards for Gettysburg (4-3, 3-3 CC), which won its third game in a row and picked up its first victory at Dickinson since 1986, snapping an 11-game skid in Carlisle.

It was Gettysburg's first win over the Red Devils (2-5 CC, 2-4 CC) since 2005. The Little Brown Bucket has been presented every year to the winner of the game since 1938.

“It's great to get it back,” said Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter. “It's a heck of a win for our kids. Regardless of what the records are, this is always a knock-down, drag-out game and it was no different tonight.”

The Bullets defense was stifling in the second half. After allowing 236 yards and 14 first downs in the first half, Gettysburg yielded just 48 yards and two first downs over the final 30:00. The Bullets protected their lead by holding possession for an amazing 13:24 in the fourth quarter and came up with a crucial stop on a fake punt late in the game.

“We just played with a little more emotion,” said Streeter, on his team's defensive effort in the second half. “We made some adjustments on a couple of alignments, and we made some really big plays.”

Gettysburg led 28-24 with just under six minutes left when Dickinson lined up for a punt on a fourth-and-eight at the Bullet-45. Punter David Landon took the snap and raced to his left, but he was met by freshman Ashanti Foster-Felder, who pushed him out of bounds at the line of scrimmage for what became a memorable first collegiate tackle.

DeSalva then iced the game for the Bullets, taking the handoff on eight of the Bullets final 11 plays as Gettysburg ran the final 5:53 off the clock. DeSalva rushed for a pair of first downs during the game-clinching march, but junior quarterback Kyle Whitmoyer kept the chains moving on the third play of drive with a four-yard rush on third-and-two on an outstanding second effort.

Whitmoyer added 86 yards rushing and one touchdown while throwing for 163 yards on 14-of-25 passing. Senior receiver Brian Betley caught four passes for 71 yards for the Bullets, who outgained Dickinson 455-284. Senior wing Charles Curcio contributed 47 yards rushing on seven carries while senior tailback Jamel Mutunga added 41 yards and a touchdown.

Junior defensive tackle Chad Bucur made a career-high 10 tackles to lead a Gettysburg defense that stopped Dickinson on each of its five second-half drives.

Tim Smith rushed for 90 yards for Dickinson while linebacker Kevin Wood tied a school record with 21 tackles. Quarterback Jordan Kaufman rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown.

The Red Devils were held to 96 passing yards, completing just 5-of-12 attempts.

After the Bullets won the coin toss and deferred, Dickinson opened the game with a 64-yard touchdown drive. The Red Devils converted a fourth-and-one at the Bullet-43 before Kaufman connected with Cam Di Fede for a 28-yard pass to the Gettysburg-1. One play later, the quarterback ran a bootleg into the right corner of the end zone to put the hosts ahead 7-0.

Gettysburg fumbled on its first play from scrimmage, and Wood fell on the loose ball when Whitmoyer couldn't find the handle on the snap. Three plays later, the Red Devils appeared to have found paydirt again, but a 6-yard touchdown run by Kaufman was wiped out due to an illegal block. Dickinson ended up settling for a 32-yard field goal by Gordon Craig.

After taking over on downs at their own 28, the Devils struck quickly again, needing just five plays to find the end zone. Dickinson went to its bag of tricks when Smith took a halfback option to his right and lofted a pass to Craig Helfer, who raced in untouched for a 46-yard TD reception to make it 17-0 with 4:39 left in the opening quarter.

The Bullets responded with a 10-play, 66-yard drive to cut into the deficit. Whitmoyer went 4-for-4 on the drive before Mutunga sprinted in from 2 yards out to make it 17-7 with 1:37 on the first-quarter clock. It was the 30th career touchdown for Mutunga, who moved into a three-way tie for fifth in school history. He also moved into a tie for fifth on the school's career points list at 204.

Gettysburg's defense came up with a stop on the ensuing possession, forcing a punt after a hit from sophomore linebacker Larry DelViscio behind the line of scrimmage and a third-down sack from senior defensive end Matt Coffey. But after the Bullets were also forced to punt, the Devils added to their lead when Smith broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run as Dickinson went up 24-7 with 4:00 showing.

The Bullets closed the half strong, however, going 59 yards on 13 plays for their second touchdown drive of the game. Facing a fourth-and-1 at the Dickinson-13, Gettysburg elected to go for the first down, and Whitmoyer came through with a two-yard run. Two plays later, Whitmoyer found senior wing Greg Namrow in the back left corner of the end zone with 42 seconds left to make it a 24-14 game at the half.

After Gettysburg punted on the opening drive of the second half, the Bullets came up with a big takeaway when sophomore linebacker Mark Covington fell on a dropped pitch-out at the Dickinson-41. The visitors then went to the ground, rushing seven times on an eight-play drive that culminated in a 4-yard run up the gut by Whitmoyer on third-and-one to cut it to 24-21 with 9:22 remaining in the third quarter.

Gettysburg's defense forced a four-and-out and a three-and-out on the Red Devils next two possessions. After the first stop, the Bullets put together what held up as the game-winning 12-play, 68-yard drive. The Bullets received a break when the Red Devils were flagged with a roughing the punter personal foul, giving the Orange & Blue a first down at the Dickinson-31. Seven plays later, DeSalva dashed up the middle for a 4-yard scoring jaunt, and senior Mike Barrett's fourth extra point made it 28-24.

After its third stop of the half, Gettysburg embarked on an epic 16-play, 72-yard drive in which it chewed up 6:33 off the clock and converted three third downs. But the march came up empty when Barrett had his 25-yard field goal blocked by Corwyn Gordon with 10:15 left in the game. However, Dickinson went three-and-out for the third time in the half.

The Red Devils appeared to have something going when a Whitmoyer fumble was recovered by Dickinson at the Bullet-47. But a pair of incomplete passes sandwiched around a two-yard run by Kaufman set up Dickinson's unsuccessful fake punt.

Junior safety Joe Delaney added nine tackles for Gettysburg while Covington had eight stops.

Gettysburg returns home on Saturday, when it hosts Susquehanna University at 1 p.m. in a Centennial Conference match-up.