GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – The only thing standing between the Gettysburg College football team and both a 5-0 record and the Centennial Conference-wide bye week is a match up with McDaniel College this Saturday at Gill Stadium at 1 p.m.
 
Gettysburg (4-0, 3-0 CC) seeks a perfect record at the midpoint of the season for the second time in the last four campaigns. In 2012, the Bullets started 5-0 before finishing the season with a 7-3 record.
 
"The point I want to make to the players is you're not 4-0 when you're playing the next game," said Head Coach Barry Streeter. "It's 0-0. It doesn't matter who you're playing. You have to bring your 'A' game and you have to play up to your own standards. We have not played up to our standards yet."
 
Despite the unbeaten record, the road has not always been smooth for Gettysburg. The team trailed in each of its three conference affairs, falling behind 8-0 to Ursinus College, 25-24 to Juniata College, and 24-7 to Susquehanna University. The Bullets claimed victories in all three contests, including in the final seconds at Juniata.
 
"I think it's a great feeling, but I think there's still a lot of work to be done," said senior kicker Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence). "I think we really want to do something special, especially the guys that have been here all four years. We think we have the potential to beat anyone in the conference and we want to go out and prove it."
 
Despite falling behind early to Susquehanna, Gettysburg kept its focus and pushed past the Crusaders. The Bullets scored three touchdowns in the final 3:11 of the first half to take the lead, and after the Crusaders went ahead 30-24 at the start of the third quarter, the Orange and Blue ran off the final 21 points to claim a 49-30 win.
 
Gettysburg heads into this weekend's match up with McDaniel averaging 37.5 points per game. The Bullets lead the conference with an average of 281.3 rushing yards per game, while sitting second in the league with only 125.3 rushing yards allowed per game.

 

While the offense and defense have shined, special teams play has been a major factor in the success of the team. Fay is averaging a league-best 41.3 yards per punt and has placed nine of his 15 kicks inside the opponent's 20-yard line. On the other side, freshman Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown-Beard) leads the entire nation with 533 combined (kickoff/punt) kick return yards.
 
With those two players stepping up combined with the steady play out of their teammates in coverage, Gettysburg has been dominant, particularly in the second half. Opponents have managed to start a drive in Bullet territory just once this season in the second half of play, with an average starting spot at the 25-yard line. Meanwhile, Gettysburg's average starting position is a full 10 yards better in the second half. The Bullets have out-scored their opponents 83-26 in the final two quarters.
 
"I think we started off a little slow, but we've worked hard on making improvements where we needed to," said Fay. "That really showed last game. I think we were very good in all aspects of it, from kickoff to return to field goals and extra points to punting."
 
On paper, Saturday's foe doesn't seem to pose much of a threat. McDaniel (0-4, 0-3 CC) has yet to crack the win column and the Green Terror have been out-scored by over 100 points in its three Centennial affairs. But both Streeter and Fay know those numbers don't mean anything when the game starts.
 
"I caution the team every Monday about being a fan versus being a player," said Streeter, who ranks seventh in Division III with 187 career wins. "I don't want to hear about the games in the future or in the past. We need to play to a certain standard and we can't afford to look at records. Once you go into a game with a mental relaxation, that's when you're going to get beat."
 
"We can't underestimate any team in our conference regardless of record and stats," said Fay. "I think if we go out and play our football the way we know how and the way we've been playing we should come away with a 'W,' but that's up to us."
 
OPENING KICKOFF
Gettysburg and McDaniel meet for the 69th time on the gridiron. The Bullets lead the series 49-18-1 and have won each of the last four meetings.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live stats and live video provided by McDaniel. You can follow live video here http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/livevideo and live stats here http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/sports/fball/2015-16/boxscores/20151003_qq2m.xml/.  

 

THE COACHES
Barry Streeter enters his 37th season at the helm of Gettysburg's football program. Streeter is the longest-tenured active coach in Division III and his 187 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.
 
Mike Hoyt is in the midst of his fourth season at McDaniel. Hoyt has compiled a record of 3-31 during his tenure in Westminster. Prior to McDaniel, he spent eight seasons as the defensive coordinator at Albright and before that, he was an assistant coach on the staff at Franklin & Marshall.
 
THE SERIES
Gettysburg holds a 49-18-1 lead in the series with McDaniel. The rivalry began in 1891 and was dominated by the Bullets for an entire century. The Green Terror managed to win 11 of 16 meetings from 1991 to 2006. Gettysburg has won six of eight contests since 2007, including three of four match ups in Westminster.
 
LAST MEETING
Gettysburg forced four turnovers and piled up 320 rushing yards in a 47-7 victory at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium last fall. The Bullets scored on the first possession of the game and raced into halftime with a 37-0 advantage. Four players reached 50-plus rushing yards led by quarterback Zach Miller '15 with 75. Miller scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and added 206 yards passing and three more scores through the air. Nick Ulassin '15 picked up 56 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Kyle Wigley '16 (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) and Paul Lowry '16 (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park) totaled 53 and 50 yards, respectively. Fred Caruso '15 hauled in three receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Kelso '17 (Cookstown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) caught two passes for 57 yards and a score. Mike Maguire '15 totaled 11 tackles and forced a fumble, while Danny Speca '17 (Downington, Pa./Downington West) posted a pair of sacks.

 

LAST TIME OUT
The Bullets out-scored Susquehanna 42-6 over the final 33:11 en route to a 49-30 victory last Saturday. The Crusaders took a 24-7 lead with 6:54 left in the second quarter before Gettysburg locked down defensively and allowed only one more drive its territory, which resulted in the visitor's lone score of the second half. The hosts ended the opening stanza with three consecutive touchdowns over the final three minutes, including a 77-yard punt return to the end zone by freshman Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown-Beard) to take a 24-21 lead at the break. After Susquehanna scored to jump ahead 30-24, the Bullets polished off the contest with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Senior Sam McDermott (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame (N.J.)) threw four touchdowns, including two to junior wide receiver Jordan Kelso. Senior tailback Kyle Wigley racked up 120 yards and a touchdown on the ground. McFadden finished with 243 all-purpose yards and scored a rushing touchdown. Junior Chris Miller (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) recorded 15 tackles and a sack and senior Brian Calatozzo (Sewell, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) posted 10 stops.
 
SCOUTING MCDANIEL
Following a heart-breaking loss to Catholic in its season opener, McDaniel has dropped all three of its conference outings. The Green Terror has been out-scored by over 100 points in its three Centennial contests. McDaniel dropped a 33-17 decision to Ursinus last time out. Matty Callahan threw for 242 yards, while Bamasa Bailor gained 84 yards on six receptions. Raymond Doh and Andy Ullman each finished with 2.5 tackles for a loss. McDaniel is a perfect 7-of-7 on field goals this season. The squad is averaging 313 yards of total offense with 182.5 through the air and 130.5 on the ground.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg ranks second in the conference in points per game (37.5), total offense yards per game (502.5), and passing touchdowns (13). The Bullets lead the way with 16.7 passing yards per completion, 1,125 rushing yards, and 281.3 rushing yards per game. Sam McDermott is tied for the conference lead with 13 passing touchdowns and he has thrown only two interceptions. McDermott also paces the conference in total offense at over 300 yards per game and he ranks fourth in rushing at 81.5 yards per game. Senior tailback Kyle Wigley is one of only two Centennial players averaging over 100 yards rushing this season. Junior Jordan Kelso leads all conference receivers with five touchdowns and his 322 receiving yards rank second.
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The Bullets have allowed only 26 points in the second half this season, including just 10 in the fourth quarter. Gettysburg ranks second in the Centennial with just 125.3 rushing yards allowed per game. The defense has held foes to a miniscule 35 percent success rate on third- and fourth-down conversions. Senior Kodie McNamara (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) leads the conference with 48 tackles this season, while junior Chris Miller (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) ranks sixth with 35. Senior Brian Calatozzo paces the league with three interceptions.
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Gettysburg leads the conference with 598 combined kick return yards this fall. Freshman Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown Beard) has played a key role as the national leader with 533 combined kick return yards. McFadden paces all qualifying conference players with 17 yards per punt return, while his 26.8 average on kick returns ranks second. Senior Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) has climbed into the No. 1 position in punt average at 41.3 yards per punt. Nine of his 15 punts have landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.  
 
D3FOOTBALL.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK
Freshman Matt McFadden has increased his all-purpose yardage in each game this season. His most recent outing against Susquehanna earned him a spot on D3Football.com's Team of the Week. McFadden's 77-yard punt return against the Crusaders was the longest by a Bullet since Ted Delia '13 ran off a 91-yarder against Johns Hopkins in 2011. The first-year leads all of Division III with 533 combined kick return (punts/kickoffs) this season.
 
RUSHING UP THE RANKS
Senior Kyle Wigley became just the ninth Bullet to reach 2,000 career rushing yards when he went for 120 against Susquehanna. He ranks eighth in school history with 2,004 yard heading into the weekend.  

 

BRAINS AND BRAUN
Senior Kodie McNamara was recently named a semifinalist for the coveted William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the top scholar-athlete in all of college football. McNamara was one of 27 Division III student-athletes and one of three from the Centennial Conference. The senior linebacker is having a career year with a conference-high 48 tackles to go with one sack, three tackles for a loss, and three pass break-ups. He has also climbed into third on Gettysburg's career list with 337 career tackles.  
 
A LEG UP ON THE COMPETITION
Senior punter Robby Fay seems to get better as the game goes on. In the second half of games this season, Fay has booted nine punts for an average of 42 yards. Eight of those nine kicks have landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. The average starting position for an opponent following a punt by Fay in the second half is the 15-yard line.
 
CATCHING KELSO
Junior wide receiver Jordan Kelso has already topped his personal best with 322 receiving yards this season. He has reeled in a touchdown in three of four games, including scoring twice in each of the last two games. His 177 receiving yards against Juniata stands as the fifth-best total by a Bullet.  
 
GREAT SCOTT
Kirby Scott '77 has returned to his alma mater to serve as a volunteer assistant coach with the track and field and football programs. Scott was an All-American in both sports during his collegiate tenure. On the gridiron, he scored 10 touchdowns as a junior and followed that up with a school-record 932 yards rushing in 1976. Following graduation, Scott embarked on a 30-year career in the FBI. He was recently featured in last Sunday's edition of the Hanover Evening Sun.
 
HAPPY 50TH!
Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium is celebrating its 50th year of competition this season. With former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in attendance, the stadium was dedicated prior to the game against Bucknell on Sept. 25, 1965. The venue has witnessed the transition to NCAA Division III, the rise of the Centennial Conference, and dozens of conference titles. In addition to football, the field is the home venue for field hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's track and field. In 2003, the field received a makeover and was named in honor of Dick Shirk '67, captain of the 1966 team that won the Lambert Memorial Cup as the best small college team in the East.