Box Score ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Muhlenberg College held Gettysburg College to a season-low 266 yards of total offense and kept within a game of the top spot in the Centennial Conference with a 47-6 victory on Saturday afternoon at Scotty Wood Stadium.
Gettysburg (3-3, 3-2 CC), which came into the game averaging a conference-best 260.8 yards rushing, was held to a season-low 96 yards on the ground. Muhlenberg (5-1, 4-1 CC) totaled 10 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss in the contest.
Senior
Zach Miller (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) went 20-for-42 for 170 yards and a touchdown for the Bullets. Sophomore
Sam McDermott (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame (N.J.)) put up 42 yards on five carries and senior
Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) caught five passes for 34 yards and one score.
Senior
Gordon Prince (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) and junior
Kodie McNamara (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) paced Gettysburg's defense with 10 tackles.
Max Cepeda became the first player to rush for 100 yards against Gettysburg this fall, finishing with 103 on 21 carries with a pair of scores. Nick Palladino completed 20-of-34 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns for the Mules.
Muhlenberg forced Gettysburg to punt on each of its first five possessions with the visitors totaling just 17 yards. The offense converted for the Mules near the end of the opening quarter with Cepeda carrying the ball into the end zone from five yards out.
The hosts scored on each of their next two possessions as Cepeda rushed in for another score and Palladino completed a 15-yard strike to Ryan Delaney. Gettysburg produced its longest drive of the game, covering 73 yards in 10 plays to reach the Muhlenberg four yard-line, but the Bullets were unable to find the end zone and turned the ball over on downs.
Following an interception, Connor Winter booted in a 34-yard field goal to give the Mules a 24-0 lead at the break.
Gettysburg was able to drive into Muhlenberg territory on each of its first two possessions of the third quarter, but the Mules defense once again forced the Bullets to turn the ball over on downs. In the meantime, the hosts converted back-to-back touchdowns to put the advantage at 37-0 with 7:36 left in the third quarter.
The Orange and Blue reached the scoring column later in the quarter. Miller for junior
Travis Andrews (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) for a 23-yard completion to set up a 17-yard scoring strike to Caruso. The two-point conversion failed to keep it 37-6.
Despite forcing a turnover on Muhlenberg's next possession, the Bullets were denied another score as Miller's ensuing pass was picked off and returned 50 yards to the end zone by Khiry Hughes to put the Mules ahead 44-6 with just over a minute left in the third quarter. A 49-yard field goal by Winter in the fourth period would set the final margin as Gettysburg turned the ball over on downs on each of its final three possessions.
Next up for the Bullets is Centennial front-runner and ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins University (6-0, 5-0 CC) under the lights at Homewood Field on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.
