Complete Game Notes


OPENING STATEMENTS
Gettysburg seeks its first Centennial Conference victory of the season while looking to improve to 2-0 on the road as it visits Muhlenberg College.

GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game can be followed through live stats at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/livestats/xlive.htm, live audio at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/wmuh/realaud.html, or live video at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/athletics/.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Gettysburg leads Muhlenberg 42-31-1 in the all-time series that began in 1907. The Mules had won three in a row over the Bullets before Gettysburg's victory last season.

LAST MEETING
Matt Flynn '10 threw for 325 yards and a touchdown on 20-of-37 passing and Gettysburg earned its first win of the season with a 20-3 victory over Muhlenberg last year at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium. Tailback Jamel Mutunga rushed for 91 yards on 27 carries and caught five passes for another 58 yards for Gettysburg, which shut out Muhlenberg over the final three quarters and out-gained the Mules 486-220. Wing Charles Curcio scored a pair of touchdowns on a 10-yard run and a 24-yard pass and finished with 144 all-purpose yards, including 70 yards on four catches. Defensive end Matt Coffey led the defense, which limited Muhlenberg to 61 yards rushing, as 3.0 of his five tackles were for loss, including 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

LAST TIME OUT
Junior Hewitt Tomlin passed for 326 yards and three touchdowns as Johns Hopkins defeated Gettysburg 29-21 in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium last Saturday. Johns Hopkins (1-1, 1-0 CC), the defending CC champion, used a 19-0 run spanning the second and third quarters to take control after falling behind 7-0 on the game's opening drive. Sophomore tight end Matt Brophy caught seven passes for a 147 yards for Gettysburg, which was playing its home opener. Junior Kyle Whitmoyer passed for 269 yards for the Bullets while senior tailback Jamel Mutunga led all rushers with 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Muhlenberg stopped Susquehanna on fourth down inside the 10-yard line with 3:00 left, and the Mules picked up their first win of the year, downing the Crusaders 21-14 in a Centennial Conference match-up. Muhlenberg, which outgained Susquehanna 402-296, receiving an outstanding game from sophomore quarterback Dan Deighan, who completed 19 of 25 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions while senior receiver Bobby Bushong caught five passes for 95 yards. Sophomore receiver Isaiah Vaughn added five receptions for 82 yards while junior tailback J.T. Merklinger rushed for 119 yards. After falling behind 7-0 early, the Mules scored 21 unanswered points in the second and third quarters.

THE GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg ranks among the Centennial Conference and Division III leaders in numerous offensive categories. The Bullets lead the league and rank 14th nationally in rushing (274.5 ypg) and are second in the conference and 23rd in Division III in total offense (466.0 ypg). Senior tailback Jamel Mutunga is the Centennial Conference leader and ranks 30th in Division III in rushing while junior quarterback Kyle Whitmoyer, who has rushed for 76.0 yards per game, leads the conference and is tied for 19th nationally in scoring with 12.0 points per game on four rushing touchdowns. Senior tailback Anthony DeSalva has also seen plenty of time running the ball and has averaged 46.0 yards per game. Whitmoyer has passed for 191.5 yards per game and has completed 68.2 percent of his passes. Sophomore tight end Matt Brophy is the team leader in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (73.5 ypg) while senior wing Charles Curcio and DeSalva have added five catches apiece.

THE GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The Bullets opportunistic defense has created six turnovers in two games thus far, including five in its season-opening win at Lebanon Valley. Junior safety Joe Delaney leads the Centennial Conference and is tied for 16th in Division III with 13.0 tackles per game to go with one interception and a forced fumble. Junior linebacker Peter Hak has added 21 tackles and a blocked kick while sophomore linebacker Larry DelViscio has contributed 21 hits, including 2.0 for loss, and a forced fumble. Freshman cornerback Hugo Nolasco leads the Bullets with four passes defended on three breakups and one interception.

THE GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior kicker Mike Barrett has converted all nine of his extra points this season and has made 28 in a row, dating back to last season. He missed his only field goal attempt (30 yards) of the year against Johns Hopkins. The Bullets have struggled with their punting game, with opponents blocking three in the first two games. Individually, senior Brian Betley has averaged 33.7 yards per punt, with two landing inside the 20. Senior Anthony DeSalva has returned the bulk of the team's kickoffs, taking back seven for an 18.0-yard average. Senior Charles Curcio has returned all four of the team's punts, averaging 8.2 yards.

THE MUHLENBERG OFFENSE
Muhlenberg has received balanced production on offense, averaging 171.5 yards passing and 131.0 yards rushing, which ranks third in the Centennial Conference. Junior J.T. Merklinger leads the team with 76.0 rushing yards per game while sophomore Dan Deighan has passed for 171.5 yards per game and thrown two touchdowns while completing 66.0 percent of his aerials. Sophomore Isaiah Vaugn leads the Mules with 10 receptions for 64.0 yards per game.

THE MUHLENBERG DEFENSE
The Mules have held their opponents to under 100 rushing yards per game, ranking fourth in the Centennial Conference at 97.0. However, Muhlenberg has allowed 171.5 passing yards per outing. Senior linebacker Patrick McDonough leads the team and ranks second in the Centennial Conference with 12.5 tackles per game while junior cornerback Chris Hartzell has added 9.0 tackles per outing and a team-best four pass breakups.

THE MUHLENBERG SPECIAL TEAMS
The Mules lead the Centennial Conference in net punting (33.8 ypg), with senior Jason LoPipero averaging 38.0 yards per attempt. Senior Michael Katz has made all four of his extra-point attempts but has missed on a pair of field goals. Sophomore Terrence Dandridge has returned two kickoffs for a 27.0-yard average while junior Chase Nadell returned his only kickoff 42 yards. Junior J.T. Merklinger has averaged 13.0 yards on two punt returns.

THE COACHES
Gettysburg is coached by Barry Streeter, who is in his 32nd year at the helm of the Bullets. With 156 career victories, Streeter ranks 11th among active Division III coaches in wins. He is also tied for 30th on the all-time Division III coaches wins list. Streeter is Gettysburg's longest tenured and all-time winningest football coach.

Muhlenberg is coached by Mike Donnelly, who is in his 14th season for the Mules. He has guided 'Berg to a 85-55 record and is the program's all-time winningest coach. Donnelly has led the Mules to at least a share of six conference titles, including outright championships in 2007 and 2008.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
A number of Bullets find themselves ranked among Gettysburg's all-time top-10 lists in several categories. Senior tailback Jamel Mutunga is seventh in rushing yards (2,165), seventh in rushing touchdowns (26) and tied for ninth in points (174) while senior wing Charles Curcio is fifth in receptions (87), seventh in receiving yards (1,141), third in kick return yards (1,583), sixth in punt return yards (467), and sixth in all-purpose yards (3,807). Betley ranks sixth in receiving yards (1,190), eighth in receptions (74), and 10th in punting yards (1,867).