Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – The Gettysburg College football team heads down the road to play ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins University under the lights at Homewood Field this Friday at 7 p.m.
 
With a 47-6 setback at Muhlenberg College in the rearview mirror, the Bullets enter Friday's contest with a fresh mindset, one focused on handing Johns Hopkins (6-0, 5-0 CC) its first regular season loss since 2012.
 
"I think you'll see something totally different this Friday," said Head Coach Barry Streeter. "I told them how you play one week doesn't dictate how you play next week or what the outcome is going to be next week."
 
The last time Gettysburg visited Homewood Field, the 10th-ranked Blue Jays scored the final 21 points to pull out a 49-35 victory. The game featured five ties and three lead changes with the Bullets jumping ahead 35-28 early in the fourth quarter. Gettysburg was looking to tie the game late in the fourth before a fumble led to Johns Hopkins' final score.
 
Friday's game features the top two teams in total offense and rushing in the Centennial Conference. Johns Hopkins is averaging 459.7 yards of total offense and 246.7 rushing yards per game this season, while Gettysburg is second in both categories at 421.3 and 233.3, respectively.
 
Gettysburg will be looking for its first win over a top-25 foe since beating No. 19 McDaniel College 20-17 in 2005.
 
"We're looking at it as an opportunity," said Streeter. "There's no reason to be uptight or nervous. Just go out there and play hard. If we execute well and we're smart making decisions, it will be a great game."

OPENING KICKOFF
Gettysburg will look to get back to its winning ways and stop ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins as it seeks to remain perfect in Centennial Conference play. 
 
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live stats and live video courtesy of Johns Hopkins. Tune in to stats and video at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/jhu/.  
 
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 181 wins place him 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.
 
Jim Magraff is in the midst of his 25th season at Johns Hopkins. With a career record of 173-82-3, Magraff ranks 10th among active NCAA Division III coaches in victories. He is also just one win shy of tying the Maryland state record for wins held by Morgan State's Eddie Hurt. Magraff has guided the Blue Jays to nine conference titles and five trips to the NCAA playoffs.
 
THE SERIES
Johns Hopkins has won the last six meetings with Gettysburg to pull within one game of evening the all-time series. Heading into this week's game, the Bullets hold the slight advantage at 20-19-2. The teams first met in 1911, but after a 6-6 tie in 1917 the series saw only three games over the next 62 years. After the Bullets won 13 of 14 meetings from 1979-94, the Blue Jays grabbed the upper-hand in the series and have won 17 of 19 contests since 1995. Gettysburg's last win was a 41-10 decision at Homewood Field in 2007. 
 
LAST MEETING
Johns Hopkins took advantage of four turnovers to help dispatch Gettysburg 34-16 last fall. Following a scoreless third quarter, the Bullets truck first on a field goal only to see the 12th-ranked Blue Jays run off three consecutive scores. A 54-yard run by Stuart Walters made it 21-3 with 6:48 left in the third quarter. Gettysburg scored on its ensuing drive to pull to 21-10, but a pair of turnovers contributed to 10 more points for Johns Hopkins late in the fourth quarter. The two teams combined for 1,050 yards of total offense with the Blue Jays holding the edge 574-476.

- Gettysburg quarterback Zach Miller (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) completed 23-of-38 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown. Aden Twer '14 hauled in five passes for 65 yards, while Tommy LeNoir '14 picked up 68 yards on three receptions. LeNoir also led the Bullets with 58 yards on the ground. Chris Miller (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) and Kodie McNamara (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) combined for 37 tackles, with the former forcing a pair of fumbles.

- Johns Hopkins gained 362 yards on the ground with Stuart Walters and Brandon Cherry logging 130 and 176, respectively. Robbie Matey threw for 206 yards and Hani Annabi posted 11 tackles. 

LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg saw its three-game winning streak come to a halt with a 47-6 loss at Muhlenberg last Saturday. The Mules held the high-powered Bullet offense in check with just 266 total yards, including only 96 on the ground. With the visitors forced to punt on their first five possessions, Muhlenberg jumped out to a 24-0 lead at the break. The Mules tacked on two more scores before Gettysburg reached the scoring column on a 17-yard pass from Zach Miller to Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name). The hosts added a 50-yard pick-six and a 49-yard field goal to close the game.

- Miller finished 20-of-42 for 170 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. Back-up quarterback Sam McDermott (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame (N.J.)) led the team with 42 rushing yards on five carries. Senior Gordon Prince (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) and junior Kodie McNamara each totaled 10 tackles for the defense. 

SCOUTING JOHNS HOPKINS
Johns Hopkins carries a 17-game regular season winning streak into Saturday's contest. The Blue Jays have won 39 of 40 regular season games dating back to the 2010 season. The team has been ranked in the AFCA Division III Poll top 25 for 35 consecutive weeks. Johns Hopkins paces the Centennial Conference in scoring (40.3 ppg), total offense (459.7 ypg), rushing (246.7 ypg), and scoring defense (14 ppg).

- The Blue Jays handled Dickinson 42-7 last Saturday. Johns Hopkins scored on its opening possession and led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. Dickinson managed just 248 yards of total offense and committed three turnovers. Stuart Walters picked up 78 yards on 12 carries and Braden Anderson threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

- Johns Hopkins' three-headed rushing attack of Stuart Walters, Brandon Cherry, and Dionisio Roman has combined for 1,042 yards and 13 touchdowns. Walters paces the team with 80 yards per game this season.

- Quarterback Braden Anderson has had a hand in half of the Blue Jays' 34 touchdowns this season. Anderson has thrown for 10 TDs and rushed for another seven. He's put up a conference-best completion rate of 66.5 percent.

- Sophomore defensive back Jack Toner leads the team with three interceptions. Toner has also contributed 33 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and five pass break-ups.
  
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg ranks second in the Centennial Conference in both total offense (421.3 ypg) and rushing (233.3 ypg). The Bullets posted three consecutive games with 300-plus rushing yards before the Muhlenberg contest, including a season-high 323 against Susquehanna. The Bullets pace the conference with 151 first downs, averaging 25.2 per game.

- Senior quarterback Zach Miller has completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 1,127 yards and nine touchdowns. He's also added 187 yards and five touchdowns rushing. Miller has accounted for a touchdown (passing or rushing) in all 16 of his collegiate starts. He ranks fourth in school history with 3,616 passing yards and needs just 127 to pass Kody Smith '13 for third.

- Junior Kyle Wigley (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) leads the ground attack with 378 yards on 71 carries (5.3 ypc). He posted a season-high 150 yards rushing against Susquehanna, marking his fourth career game over the century mark. Wigley enters the weekend 20th in school history with 1,233 career rushing yards.

- Senior Fred Caruso has hauled in 20 passes for 237 yards and a pair of scores to lead the receiving game. His 1,221 career receiving yards rank eighth in school history and he is 112 shy of Ken Snyder '65 in seventh. 

GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
Gettysburg ranks fifth in the conference in scoring defense with 26 points allowed per game. The Bullets rank fourth overall in total defense (342.8 ypg) and third in tackles per game (73.2 ypg). The Orange and Blue's 3-4 defensive scheme has been particularly effective against the run, holding foes to just 104.7 yards per game, which rates second in the Centennial.

- Junior Kodie McNamara leads the Bullets and ranks sixth in the conference with 45 tackles. McNamara, who led the CC in tackles with 119 in 2013, has reached double-figure tackles twice this season.

- Sophomore Michael Pennella (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) ranks among the conference leaders with 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss. Pennella's career day came against Juniata where he registered 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks on the way to CC Defensive Player of the Week accolades.

- Sophomore Chris Miller has emerged as one of the team's most versatile defenders. Miller has totaled 29 tackles to go with two sacks, five tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Miller picked off passes in back-to-back games against Susquehanna and McDaniel. 

GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
- Sophomore Garrett Long (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) has connected on all 16 of his extra point attempts. He's nailed 3-of-5 field goals with a season-long of 37 against Susquehanna. Long is also averaging 57.6 yards on kickoffs and he's tied for the league lead with six touchbacks.

- Junior Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) ranks seventh in the conference with 35.3 yards per punt. He's placed six punts inside the opponent's 20 yard-line and his long for the season is 55 yards against McDaniel.

- Senior Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) has resumed his spot at the top of the conference all-purpose leaderboard. Caruso is averaging 141.7 all-purpose yards per game this season. He is the only player in the conference with more than 100 yards in all four categories. He ranks second in the conference with 13 yards per punt return.   

VERSUS RANKED TEAMS
Gettysburg will meet a ranked team on the gridiron for the fourth consecutive season. The Bullets have not defeated a top-25 foe since posting a 20-17 victory over McDaniel in 2005. Since 1999, the Bullets are just 1-12 against ranked opponents.
 
REMEMBER WHEN
Gettysburg's last victory over Johns Hopkins was at Homewood Field in 2007. Playing under the lights on a Friday night, the Bullets raced out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back, eventually settling for a 41-10 decision. Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn and senior tailback Tom Sturges each finished with over 100 yards rushing. Flynn finished with two touchdowns and 119 yards on eight carries, while Sturges picked up one touchdown and 148 yards on 31 carries. Flynn also threw for 128 yards and one TD. The Bullet defense picked off three passes in the contest and senior Harold Barton paved the way with 11 tackles.