Box Score

WESTMINSTER, Md. – Thomas Massucci threw a 10-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Woody Butler in the third overtime as host McDaniel College topped Gettysburg 36-30 in a wild Centennial Conference football game Saturday afternoon at Scott S. Bair Stadium.

Freshman Joe Rollins rushed for 294 yards and a touchdown for McDaniel (5-4, 4-4 CC), which rallied from a 23-9 halftime deficit. Senior tailback Jamel Mutunga rushed for a career-high 190 yards and two touchdowns for Gettysburg, which was playing its first triple-overtime game in program history.

The Green Terror pulled out the victory despite missing two potential game-winning field goals – one at the end of regulation and one in the first overtime. The Bullets (5-4, 4-4 CC) also missed a pair of late field goals – one late in regulation and one in the third overtime. But perhaps the biggest special teams miscue for Gettysburg was a botched snap on an extra point that was returned for a two-point conversion in the first half that made it a two-possession game, allowing McDaniel to eventual force overtime.

McDaniel outgained the Bullets 503-464 and rushed for 360 yards. Massucci finished with 143 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-32 passing while Matt Cahill caught six passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Anthony DeSalva returned three kickoffs for 70 yards for the Bullets and set the school's single-season kick return yards record, passing Paul Smith's former mark of 805 set in 1997 by seven yards. He has also moved up to second on the Centennial Conference single-season kick return yardage list.

Junior Kyle Whitmoyer threw for 136 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-20 passing for Gettysburg before leaving the game with a shoulder injury with early in the fourth quarter. He also ran for a touchdown – his 10th of the season – and tied the single-season school rushing TD record for a quarterback set by Jim Ward '66 in 1965. Sophomore Kody Smith, making just his second collegiate appearance, came on to throw for 84 yards on 5-of-9 passing.

Senior receiver Brian Betley caught three passes for 98 yards for the Bullets, who had their four-game winning streak ended. Betley moved into second on Gettysburg's career receiving yards list, pushing his total to 1,673 yards. Senior wing Greg Namrow tied a career-high with four receptions while classmate Charles Curcio added three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown and went over 1,500 receiving yards for his career.

Mutunga's 190 yards were the most by a Bullet since Tom Sturges '08 ran for 235 in a win over McDaniel in 2007.

Junior defensive tackle Chad Bucur made a career-high 14 tackles for the Bullets while sophomore linebacker Larry DelViscio made 13 stops.

“If you've watched us this year, there has not been a game where we haven't fought our butts off,” said Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter. “They played that way again today, but it's a shame we couldn't make it happen.”

The Green Terror appeared to be on their way to a game-winning drive at the end of regulation, moving 79 yards on 15 plays while taking 5:21 off the clock. McDaniel had a first-and-goal from the 5-yard line but the Bullet defense came up with three stops before Jake Nichols missed on a 17-yard field goal with 12 seconds left.

On the previous drive, Gettysburg had a chance to take the lead but senior Mike Barrett – who earlier in the game booted a career-long 45-yard field goal – missed on a 32-yarder with 5:33 left.

McDaniel won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first. After Smith was intercepted on third-and-18, McDaniel had another chance to win in with a field goal, but Nichols had his 34-yard field goal blocked by junior defensive end Chris Douthett.

Both teams scored a touchdown in the second overtime. On the first play of the period, Massucci hit Matt Cahill for a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 30-23. But the Bullets pulled even two plays later, as Mutunga took a pitch right and streaked down the right sideline before bowling over a pair of defenders inside the 5-yard line on his way to a 22-yard touchdown run, making it 30-30.

The Bullets faced a fourth-and-six to open the third overtime before electing to kick a field goal, but Barrett's 38-yard attempt was off the mark. On the ensuing play, Rollins rushed for 15 yards to the 10-yard line, and two plays later Massucci found Butler wide-open in the middle of the end zone for the game-winning score.

The Bullets offense was in high gear in the early going, scoring on its first two drives. Mutunga peeled off a 40-yard run on the opening drive, when the Bullets went 80 yards on 10 plays. Whitmoyer made a pair of third-down completions for first downs before running it in himself from 3 yards out, making it 7-0 with 11:32 left in the opening quarter.

After forcing the Green Terror to punt, Gettysburg needed just three plays to strike again. Mutunga took a pitch right and raced untouched down the right sideline for a season-long 68-yard touchdown run, putting the Bullets up 14-0 with 7:47 on the first-quarter clock.

Later in the quarter, McDaniel forced a fumble which led to its first points of the game. Sam Cox had a strip-sack at the Green Terror-17, and Mike Ford fell on the loose ball for McDaniel. Seven plays later, Massucci hit Cahill with a 24-yard touchdown pass, and the Terror pulled to within 14-7 with 13:35 to go in the opening half.

Nichols sent the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, starting the Bullets at their own 40. Nine plays later, Barrett came on to drill his 45-yarder – the longest since Josh Huson '09 nailed a 47-yarder on the same field in 2008 – pushing the Bullets advantage to 17-7 with 11:07 left in the first half.

A shanked McDaniel punt gave Gettysburg the ball at its 47-yard line before Whitmoyer connected with Curcio on a 21-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown grab down the right sideline. But on the extra point, Chris Kolb picked up a muffed snap and returned it into the end zone for what turned out to be a critical two-point conversion, making it 23-9 with 8:13 remaining in the half.

The Bullets went on to stop McDaniel on its final three drives of the half, with junior cornerback Tyler Fasanella making an interception with just under eight minutes left.

McDaniel scored on its first two drives of the second half. After receiving the second-half kickoff, the Green Terror scored on its first play from scrimmage, as Rollins broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run down the right side of the field. After a Bullets three-and-out, McDaniel needed just five plays to score again, as Massucci capped a 62-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Nichols' extra point with 12:11 left in the third quarter tied the game at 23-all.

The remainder of the second half was dominated largely by the two defenses. Each side was forced to punt on its next five possessions before trading a pair of missed field goals.

Gettysburg closes out its season next Saturday, when it hosts Franklin & Marshall College at 1 p.m. on Senior Day in another Centennial Conference match-up.