DALLAS, Pa. – Gettysburg ended the game on a 20-0 run to break open a back-and-forth game, and the Bullets won their season opener in a shootout, topping Misericordia University 62-40 in a non-conference affair Saturday afternoon at Mangelsdorf Field.

The Bullets never trailed, though the Cougars (0-1) kept it close as the two sides traded touchdowns six times to open the game.

Gettysburg led just 42-40 with 4:54 left in the third quarter after a Misericordia touchdown. However, junior Matt Perkins (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) kicked back-to-back field goals to make it 48-40, sophomore Blake Rohde (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy) blocked a field goal, senior Aden Twer (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass, and senior Tommy LeNoir (Bear, Del./Red Lion Christian Academy) ran for an 8-yard touchdown as the Bullets won going away.

In an offensively-dominated game, the Bullets outgained Misericordia 722-640, as Gettysburg finished just 11 yards shy of the school record for total offense set on Oct. 30, 1999 at St. Lawrence University. Junior Zach Miller (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) enjoyed an outstanding performance in his first start, generating 416 total yards. He threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-22 passing while rushing for an additional 92 yards on 13 carries.

Sophomore Kyle Wigley (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown, junior Nick Ulassin (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) ran for a career-high 85 yards and three touchdowns, and Twer made three receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown, and junior Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) grabbed two passes for 72 yards and a TD while rushing for an additional score.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Puckett had a big game for the Cougars, rushing for 301 yards and five touchdowns to lead a 587-yard ground attack for Misericordia. Puckett attempted just seven passes but one went for a touchdown.

The Cougars are still seeking their first victory in program history after finishing 0-10 in their inaugural season last year. The Bullets defeated Misericordia 70-0 in the two teams' season opener last season.

Sophomore linebacker Kodie McNamara (Spring Lake, N.J./Manasquan) led all players with a career-high 19 tackles for the Bullets while senior linebacker Cody DiAmore (Haddon Heights, N.J./Bishop Eustace) and sophomore cornerback Brian Calatozzo (Sewell, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) made 12 and 11 tackles, respectively.

Gettysburg finished with three blocked kicks, as senior Evan Mickel (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) knocked down a pair of extra points.

Bullet head coach Barry Streeter picked up career victory No. 175 with the win.

After the Bullets forced Misericordia to punt on the game's opening drive, the two sides would combine to score on the next five possessions. Gettysburg needed just seven plays to score their first points of the season, as Caruso ran in a 5-yard pitchout to the left to make it 7-0 with 12:03 on the clock.

The Cougars tied it up with 8:03 to go, but Gburg would hold a lead the rest of the way after scoring eight points on their next touchdown. LeNoir, serving as the team's holder, scooped up a bad snap and ran it in for a two-point conversion following a Ulassin 3-yard TD run to make it 15-7.

Caruso's catch-and-run 55-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter made it 22-13. Ulassin added a 1-yard TD run with 6:18 to go, but the Cougars made it a 29-26 game at the half when Puckett scored his fourth touchdown of the half on a 2-yard run with 24 seconds left.

Gettysburg had a chance to score again before the intermission when LeNoir ran back the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to the Cougar-32. Miller would complete an 11-yard pass to Ulassin, but Perkins missed a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

The Bullets quick-strike offense held possession for just 8:49 in the opening half.

Wigley got into the scoring act when he scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 1-yard run to cap Gettysburg's opening drive of the second half and make it 36-26. Midway through the third quarter Ulassin found paydirt for the third time, walking in from a yard out once again and the Bullets led 42-33 following a missed extra point.

Misericordia scored its final points when Puckett hit Chris Kirkland over the middle for a 43-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-40. However, the Cougars came up empty on their final four possessions on a blocked field goal, two punts, and a fumble.

Gettysburg plays its Centennial Conference opener next Saturday, when it hosts Ursinus College at 1 p.m. in its home opener.