Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – The Gettysburg College football team will look for its third consecutive victory when it hosts McDaniel College this Saturday at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
Gettysburg (2-2, 2-1 CC) evened its record with a 31-21 victory at Susquehanna University over the weekend. The Bullets posted a season-high 323 yards on the ground and held the Crusaders to just 72 yards rushing.
 
"Our ability to sustain drives was really good and our running game was really strong," noted Head Coach Barry Streeter. "Defensively, we continued to do well against the run and we made some big stops in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter."
 
McDaniel (1-3, 0-3 CC) has dropped its last three games to Centennial foes that are a combined 10-2 already this fall. The Green Terror feature the conference's top passing attack at just under 250 yards per game, but the rushing game has felt the loss of all-conference running back Joe Rollins to graduation. McDaniel hasn't broken 100 yards rushing in its last three outings and it ranks last in the league at 83.8 yards per game.
 
Last fall, Gettysburg put up 635 total yards of offense in a 50-28 win over the Green Terror. The Bullets totaled 382 on the ground and the defense posted three takeaways and four sacks. Gettysburg has won the last three meetings with McDaniel and leads the all-time series 48-18-1.
 
The Bullets look to continue building momentum and stay within reach of the conference leaders heading into their bye week.
 
"We've gotten better overall each week," said Streeter. "Did we have an area where we could have done a little better in? Sure. But overall, we made plays when we had to make them. If we can go into the bye week with another win, that would be really good. But there are no easy wins in this conference."
 
OPENING KICKOFF
Gettysburg aims for its third consecutive win, while McDaniel hopes to avoid its fourth loss in Centennial Conference play.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live stats and live video thanks to the Orange and Blue Club and service provider Stretch Internet. You can follow along on your computer or mobile device at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/gettysburg/.
 
THE COACHES
Barry Streeter enters his 36th season at the helm of Gettysburg's football program. Streeter is the longest-tenured active coach in Division III and his 180 wins tie him for seventh among active coaches. Streeter has led Gettysburg to three Centennial Conference championships (1983-85) and he has twice been named CC Coach of the Year. In 1985, he led the Bullets to the only undefeated regular season in school history (9-0-1) and an appearance in the national semifinals.
 
Mike Hoyt is in his third season at McDaniel. Hoyt has compiled a 3-21 record during his tenure with the Green Terror. Prior to arriving in Westminster, he served eight seasons as the defensive coordinator at Albright College and was a finalist for the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2011.  
 
THE SERIES
Gettysburg and McDaniel have been meeting on the gridiron since 1891. The Bullets have dominated the series winning 48 of 67 meetings (48-18-1), including each of the last three. Since joining the Centennial Conference, Gettysburg holds an 18-13 advantage over McDaniel.
 
LAST MEETING
Gettysburg piled up 635 yards of total offense in a 50-28 win over McDaniel last October. The Bullets gained 382 yards on the ground and 253 through the air. Gettysburg answered McDaniel's first touchdown with three consecutive scores, including a two-yard safety. A 61-yard toss from Zach Miller to Aden Twer '14 lifted the visitors to a 43-21 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Kyle Wigley led the rushing attack with 97 yards, while Eddie Hutchins added 72 yards and two touchdowns. Miller picked up 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while also throwing for 253 yards and two more scores. Twer totaled 100 yards on four receptions. A.J. Hill and Drew Winters combined for 18 tackles and four sacks in the victory. McDaniel running back Joe Rollins had a huge day, posting 269 yards and three touchdowns.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg evened its season record with a 31-21 victory over Susquehanna last Saturday. With the score tied 14-14 coming out of halftime, sophomore linebacker Chris Miller intercepted a pass in Crusader territory and junior tailback Kyle Wigley followed up with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Bullets the lead for good. Senior Nick Ulassin polished off the win with his second rushing score of the day with four minutes to go. Gettysburg posted a season-high 323 yards rushing, while holding Susquehanna to just 72 rushing yards. Wigley led the ground attack with 150 yards on 21 carries, while Zach Miller and Ulassin went for 77 and 67 yards, respectively. Miller also threw for 148 yards with two of those heaves going to Wigley for 35 yards. Junior Kodie McNamara led the defense with nine stops and senior Drew Winters posted a pair of tackles for a loss.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
The Bullets are averaging 27 points per game and ranks second in the conference in total offense at 433.8 yards per game. Gettysburg has been dominant in the run game this fall, reaching 200-plus yards three times and averaging a Centennial-best 246 yards this season. The Orange and Blue also pace the conference in first downs with 107 – 60 of which have come on the ground. Senior quarterback Zach Miller has been steady with a completion rate of 57 percent, 751 yards, and five touchdowns through the air. Miller has also posted 131 yards and three touchdowns as a rusher. Junior tailback Kyle Wigley has posted 249 yards over his last two outings and is now averaging a team-best 81.3 on the year, while senior Nick Ulassin has turned in four touchdowns over the last two outings. Junior Brandon Sparks leads the receiving corps with 172 yards and four TDs.
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
Gettysburg's defense appears to be getting better and better with each outing, particularly against the run. The Bullets have held each of their last two opponents below 90 yards and the team has climbed to second in the conference in rushing defense at 103.2 yards per game. Gettysburg has picked off at least one pass in three of four games and the team has posted nine sacks. Junior Kodie McNamara has taken the team lead in tackles with 30 this fall, while sophomore Joseph Vegso has tallied 28. Sophomore Michael Pennella leads the team with 5.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks.
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Sophomore Garrett Long converted a career-long 37-yard field goal at Susquehanna and he is now 10-for-10 on extra points. Long is also averaging 56.2 yards on kickoffs and booted a pair of touchbacks against Juniata. Senior Fred Caruso is averaging 20.7 yards on kickoffs and he's totaled 107 yards on eight punt returns.
 
SCOUTING MCDANIEL
McDaniel has started the conference slate with three of the top teams in the conference that have combined for a 10-2 record so far this fall. After getting by Catholic 34-31 in the opener, the Green Terror have been held to just 30 total points in losses to Moravian (28-7), Muhlenberg (59-10), and Ursinus (42-13). The loss of Joe Rollins, the conference's leading rusher a year ago, is evident in the stats as McDaniel rates last in the league with 83.8 rushing yards per game. The Green Terror has countered that number with the Centennial's top passing game at 249.8 yards per game. Three quarterbacks have thrown the football already this season with senior Seth McFall taking the most attempts and totaling 619 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Tayahd Campbell has averaged five yards per carry on his way to a team-best 221 yards this fall, while a balanced receiving corps is paced by senior Mike Olveto's 25 receptions and 336 yards. Defensive back Luke Fernandez and linebacker Claude Richardson pace the defense with 27 total tackles, while Drew Scott has recorded three tackles for a loss and a pair of interceptions.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Junior tailback Kyle Wigley has climbed to 20th in career rushing yards with 1,180. He trails No. 19 Dave Wolfe '89 by 131 yards. Wigley ranks second in program history with 5.9 yards per carry. Senior Fred Caruso has climbed into a tie for ninth with Donald Emert '51 with 1,122 career receiving yards. Caruso's 78 receptions place him eighth in school history. The senior wing recently crossed 2,000 all-purpose yards and is just 36 yards shy of cracking the top 15. Senior Nick Ulassin is 59 yards away from 1,000 career yards on kickoff returns. Only six Bullets have turned in 1,000 yards on kickoff returns. Quarterback Zach Miller continues to climb the passing ranks. He became the sixth Bullet with 3,000 career passing yards and heads into the weekend fourth with 3,240. He ranks second in program history in completion percentage (61.5), yards per pass (8.3), and yards per game (170.5).
 
PASSING TD STREAK
Senior quarterback Zach Miller saw his consecutive touchdown game streak end at 13 after failing to throw a score against Susquehanna. However, Miller scored a rushing touchdown against the Crusaders and he has accounted for a TD in each of his last 14 career appearances. Over the last two seasons, Miller has posted 26 total touchdowns.
 
ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER
Senior wing Fred Caruso leads the Centennial Conference in all-purpose yardage. Caruso has racked up 637 all-purpose yards in the first four games for an average of 159.2. His next closest competitor is Moravian's Eli Redmond, who is averaging 138 all-purpose yards per game. Caruso is one of only two players in the top 10 in the conference with positive yardage in receiving, punt returns, kick returns, and rushing.
 
GROUND TO A HALT
One year after ranking last in the conference in rushing defense, Gettysburg has nearly climbed to the top of the list. The Bullets trail only Muhlenberg in rushing defense with just 103.3 yards allowed per game. Gettysburg has held each of its last two foes to less than 90 yards on the ground. The last time the Orange and Blue held back-to-back opponents to less than 100 yards rushing was 2012 when Juniata and Susquehanna posted 95 and 71 yards, respectively.