Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – The Gettysburg College football team will host Juniata College on Homecoming Weekend Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. on Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
Saturday's match up features two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum in the standings. Juniata (2-0) has opened the season with a pair of close victories, while Gettysburg (0-2) has dropped its first two contests.
 
As Gettysburg was falling to Ursinus College on the road last Saturday, quarterback Ward Udinski was lifting Juniata to a 38-35 decision over Dickinson College on its home turf. Udinski totaled five touchdowns in the win, including the game-winning score with four minutes remaining.
 
"They're a good solid football team," said Gettysburg Head Coach Barry Streeter. "Udinski is a good football player. He makes them go, there's no question about that. He makes play after play for them."
 
In the loss to Ursinus, the Bears took advantage of good field position to jump out to a 17-0 lead. Ursinus took control of the ball in Gettysburg territory four times in the opening quarter, including an interception return for a touchdown. After putting up zero turnovers in the opener, the Bullets lost the ball five times to the Bears.
 
"We put our defense in some really short fields," said Streeter. "For the most part, our defense played pretty well. We were just inconsistent and mistake-prone offensively and it didn't give us much of a chance."
 
The contest against Ursinus was similar to last year's meeting with Juniata when the Eagles jumped out to an early lead and took advantage of four turnovers on the way to a 38-16 decision.  
 
Playing in front of what is sure to be a large and boisterous Homecoming crowd should give the Bullets an added advantage this weekend as the team seeks its first victory.
 
"I've said this before and it's true, anybody in the conference is good enough to beat anyone else," said Streeter. "You just can't turn the ball over and make mistakes. Playing in front of the Homecoming crowd is exciting and we usually play pretty well here."
 
OPENING KICKOFF
Gettysburg and Juniata meet for the 29th time in a series that dates back to 1923.
 
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 178 wins rank him eighth 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 season in school history (9-0-1) and an appearance in the national semifinals.
 
Tim Launtz is in his fourth season at the helm of Juniata's football program. Launtz has led the Eagles to a 13-20 overall record. The program is coming off one of its best seasons in recent history, piling up a 7-4 overall record and 6-3 conference slate in 2013. Prior to assuming head duties, Launtz was an assistant coach at Juniata for 15 years. He is also a 1980 graduate of the institution.
 
THE SERIES
Gettysburg and Juniata first met on the gridiron in 1923, a 29-0 victory for the Bullets. The team met consistently until a 24-year hiatus from 1936-1960. The rivalry renewed with 12 meetings over the next 20 years. In 2007, Juniata joined the Centennial Conference and the teams have met each season since. The Bullets are 6-1 against the Eagles since the most recent renewal and have extended their lead in the series to 19-9.
 
LAST MEETING
Juniata ended a seven-game losing streak to the Bullets with a 38-16 victory in a rainy meeting last fall. The Eagles jumped out to a 28-9 lead at the half as quarterback Ward Udinski ran and threw for back-to-back scores. After a rushing touchdown by Gettysburg to open the final half, Juniata polished off the victory with a pair of scores. The Eagles out-gained the visitors 477-325, while also forcing four turnovers. Udinski accounted for five touchdowns and 313 total yards for Juniata. Tommy LeNoir '14 led the Bullets with 249 all-purpose yards and Zach Miller (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) threw for 149 yards and a touchdown.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg fell to Ursinus 31-14 in its Centennial Conference opener last Saturday. The Bullets held the Bears to just 227 total yards in the game, but five turnovers led to 14 points, including an interception return for a touchdown. Ursinus scored the first 17 points, but Gettysburg battled back to pull to within 10 (24-14) on a pair of touchdown tosses to junior wide receiver Brandon Sparks (New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East). Gettysburg drove into Ursinus territory twice late in the game, turning the ball over on downs inside the 20 and throwing an interception on its final drive. Senior Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) turned in the best yardage effort of his career, totaling 101 yards on 11 carries and posting 245 all-purpose yards in the contest. Sparks finished with 71 yards on two touchdown throws by Zach Miller, who finished with 188 yards passing. Sophomore Michael Pennella (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) and senior Mike Maguire (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck) each posted nine tackles, while sophomore Joseph Vegso (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple-Newtown) recorded three tackles for a loss.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg struggled holding onto the ball against Ursinus last Saturday, losing two fumbles and throwing three interceptions. The Bullets did not commit a turnover in the opener against Bridgewater. The Orange and Blue have been pretty balanced so far this season, averaging almost 179 yards rushing and 196 yards passing. After his first 100-yard rushing game, senior Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) leads the team with 61 yards per game on the ground. Senior Zach Miller has tossed three touchdowns and has connected on 54.1 percent of his passes for 195.5 yards per game. Caruso has fielded eight receptions to lead the team, while wide-out Brandon Sparks has totaled 99 yards and three touchdowns on four receptions. 
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The Bullets defense was hurt by poor field position against Ursinus in an otherwise solid defense game. Gettysburg held the Bears to 227 yards of total offense, including just 110 in the air. The Bullets are allowing just 3.2 yards per rush this season, a mark that stands fourth in the Centennial Conference. Sophomore Joseph Vegso leads the Bullets with 17 tackles and has broken into the backfield for a team-high 3.5 tackles for a loss. Sophomore Michael Pennella has picked up 14 tackles, three tackles for a loss and one sack, while junior cornerback Brian Calatozzo (Sewell, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) has recorded eight tackles and four pass break-ups.
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) and sophomore Garrett Long (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) have each kicked two extra points this season, but neither kicker has attempted a field goal yet. Fay is averaging nearly 33 yards per punt this fall, while Long has posted 56.6 yards per kickoff attempt. Seniors Fred Caruso and Nick Ulassin (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) have handled most of the kick return duties with Ulassin averaging 16 yards on four returns and Caruso posting an average of 19.7 yards on seven kickoffs. Combined, the duo has averaged 7.6 yards on five punt returns.
 
SCOUTING JUNIATA
Juniata has already proved its banner 2013 campaign was no fluke. The Eagles opened with a 21-13 victory over Grove City before downing Dickinson 38-35 in its Centennial Conference opener last weekend. After the Red Devils took a 35-31 lead early in the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Ward Udinski steered a 10-play, 66-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown with four minutes left. Udinski completed three passes for 25 yards and rushed for another 34 yards during the drive, including the final 10-yard scamper into the end zone. Udinski finished with 249 yards in the air, 129 rushing yards, and five total touchdowns in the contest and was tabbed the CC Offensive Player of the Week. He currently ranks second in the conference in both rushing (98 ypg) and passing (217.5 ypg). Junior Deonte Alston is the team's top running back with 103 yards gained on 28 carries this fall, while senior Isaiah Slutter has racked up 118 yards receiving and one touchdown on five receptions. Senior linebacker Ethan Wilt has reached double-figure tackles in each contest this season and leads the team with 21, including 15 solo stops. Junior lineman Kweku Parker leads the way with three sacks and five tackles for a loss.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Junior tailback Kyle Wigley is just 69 yards shy of reaching 1,000 rushing yards in his career. In 19 games, Wigley has carried the ball 162 times for 939 yards and an average of 5.7 yards per carry. He would be the 27th Bullet to reach 1,000 career rushing yards. With 45 yards receiving against Bridgewater, senior Fred Caruso became the 11th Bullet with 1,000 career receiving yards. His 1,063 yards put him 10th in school history. Senior Nick Ulassin is 96 yards away from each 1,000 on kickoff returns. Only six Bullets have turned in 1,000 yards on kickoff returns. Quarterback Zach Miller is just 120 yards from becoming the sixth Bullet with over 3,000 passing yards.
 
PASSING TD STREAK
Senior quarterback Zach Miller has thrown for a touchdown in 12 consecutive games. During that stretch, he has thrown for 18 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.
 
ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER
Senior wing Fred Caruso posted his first 100-yard rushing effort against Ursinus. Caruso averaged 9.2 yards per carry on the way to 101 in the contest. He also posted a career-high 245 all-purpose yards, adding 34 in the passing game, 94 on kick returns, and 16 on punt returns. Through his first two outings, Caruso is averaging a conference-best 187 all-purpose yards per game.
 
ONE SIDELINE TO THE OTHER
Current Gettysburg Offensive Coordinator Kevin Burke '90 served as the head coach at Juniata from 1998 to 2003. Burke led the Eagles to a 25-35 record during his tenure, including a 6-4 finish in 1999. Since arriving in Gettysburg, Burke has helped the Bullets notch a 6-1 record against his former team.
 
WATCHING SPARKS FLY
Junior Brandon Sparks has grabbed a lead role in the receiving game early this fall. Three of his four receptions have reached the end zone, including a career-long 48-yard catch against Ursinus. He leads the team with 99 receiving yards and is averaging 24.8 yards per catch.
 
HALL OF HONOR
Gettysburg College will hold its Hall of Athletic Honor Induction Ceremony on Sept. 19 and the Bullets football program was well-represented at the event. Former football standout Chip Rossi '89 was one of six inductees to earn entry into the Hall. Rossi was a three-year letterwinner on the gridiron and served as the team's starting quarterback in 1988. He also starred on the baseball field, where he was a three-time all-conference selection and helped the Bullets win a pair of conference titles. On the 50th anniversary of its Middle Atlantic Conference University Division championship, the 1964 football team was recognized as the first "Team of Distinction." Gettysburg posted wins over the likes of Delaware, Bucknell, Lehigh, and Lafayette – the only Bullet squad to beat all four of those schools – on its way to a 7-2 record and the program's only title in the MAC.