GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – The Gettysburg College football team may have suffered its first loss this past weekend, but it didn't dampen the squad's confidence as it marches on to the next challenge against No. 8 Johns Hopkins University this Saturday at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
Gettysburg's (5-1, 4-1 CC) bid for a perfect season came to a halt with a 41-13 loss to Muhlenberg College last Saturday. The Bullets never seemed to find a rhythm offensively or defensively and ended the game with a season-low 86 rushing yards and three turnovers.
 
"We made more mental mistakes and physical mistakes in that game than we had in the first five games combined," noted Gettysburg Head Coach Barry Streeter. "That part was frustrating because we hadn't done that."
 
"The loss doesn't really affect our confidence," said senior defensive back Michael Kornegay (Montclair, N.J./Montclair). "I know we lost, but at the end of the day we're still confident and we still know we're a good team. We just have to come into this game with a lot more effort and passion. We're confident we'll do our job and everything will work out."
 
Gettysburg remains one of the top offensive teams in the conference, ranking second in scoring (34.7 ppg) and total offense (477.8 ypg), while leading the way with 263.5 rushing yards per game. The team also rates third in the Centennial in rushing defense at 139.3 yards per game.
 
Turnovers and points off turnovers play a big role on the gridiron and will become even more crucial as the Bullets enter the back end of the schedule. Gettysburg had surrendered only 12 points off turnovers in its first five outings combined, but Muhlenberg put up 20 points this past Saturday. The Bullets did not convert either Mule miscue into points.
 
"I think our offense has done a pretty good job of keeping the ball and not turning it over," said Kornegay, "and on defense we just have to create more of those turnovers and put points on the board."
 
Gettysburg sits in a three-way tie for second place in the Centennial Conference. Moravian College (5-1, 4-1 CC), Franklin & Marshall College (5-1, 4-1 CC), and the Bullets all trail front-runner Johns Hopkins University (6-0, 5-0 CC). The Blue Jays have won six consecutive conference titles and have won 24 consecutive league contests. Johns Hopkins is ranked eighth in the AFCA poll and 10th in the D3Football.com poll.
 
The Bullets and Blue Jays are tied 20-20-2 in the all-time series. There is no home-field advantage with the series standing 9-9-1 in Gettysburg and 11-11-1 in Baltimore. Johns Hopkins as won 18 of the last 20 meetings, including seven straight.
 
"Everybody is beatable," said Streeter. "There's nobody in the league you can't beat and there's nobody in the league that can't beat you. You have to be ready every week.
 
"If we're on our game and mentally and emotionally excited about doing this, I feel good about it. They're the best team we've played. There's no question about that."
 
OPENING KICKOFF
Two of the top teams in the Centennial Conference square off as Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins meet for the 43rd time on the gridiron.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live stats and live video courtesy of Stretch Internet. You can follow along on your computer or mobile device at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/gettysburg/.
 
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 188 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 Margraff is in the midst of his 26th season at his alma mater. He stands second behind only Streeter in career wins in the conference with a record of 184-83-3. Margraff is the winningest coach in conference play with a mark of 127-53-2. He has guided the Blue Jays to 10 Centennial championships and six trips to the NCAA playoffs.
 
THE SERIES
The all-time series between Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins is tied at 20-20-2. There is also no advantage home or away in the series, with the record standing at 9-9-1 in Gettysburg and 11-11-1 in Baltimore. While the Bullets dominated play early on (18-2-2 until 1994), the Blue Jays have won 18 of the last 20. Johns Hopkins is riding a seven-game win streak against Gettysburg.  

 

LAST MEETING
Johns Hopkins opened with the first five scores in a 37-14 win at Homewood Field last season. Braden Anderson tossed four touchdown passes and Stuart Walters accounted for a receiving TD and a rushing TD as the hosts jumped out to a 34-0 lead. Gettysburg managed just 74 yards and punted the ball seven times in the opening half. Kyle Wigley '16 (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) toted the ball a dozen times for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Gettysburg. Dan Ciemniecki '16 (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield) posted 11 tackles and Joseph Vegso '17 (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple-Newtown) added 10 stops. Anderson finished 21-of-26 for 306 yards and four TDs, while Munday totaled 124 yards on six receptions.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg was held to a season-low 86 yards rushing in a 41-13 loss to Muhlenberg last Saturday on Homecoming. The Mules scored a defensive touchdown on the first possession of the game as Sam McDermott's (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame (N.J.)) pass was picked off by Kyle Wiczynski and returned 33 yards to the end zone. A five-yard run by senior tailback Kyle Wigley cut the margin to 13-7, but Muhlenberg tacked on the next three scores to create some distance. McDermott finished 24-of-45 for 219 yards, two interceptions, and a touchdown. Wigley gained 38 yards on 11 carries, while junior Jordan Kelso (Cookstown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) totaled 66 yards receiving. Senior Kodie McNamara (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) recorded a dozen tackles and an interception, while junior Chris Miller (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) tallied nine stops and 1.5 tackles for a loss.
 
SCOUTING JOHNS HOPKINS
Johns Hopkins ran its conference winning streak to 24 games with a 34-7 win over Dickinson last Friday. The Blue Jays racked up 493 yards of offense and picked off three passes. Junior Jonathan Germano paved the way with 269 yards passing and four touchdowns, including a 72-yard bomb to junior Bradley Munday. Munday hauled in two touchdowns among his seven catches and totaled 142 yards. Junior Stuart Walters led the ground game with 89 yards on 13 carries. Senior Keith Corliss paced the defense with 10 tackles and a pair of sacks. Johns Hopkins has won six consecutive Centennial titles, including each of the last four outright. Over the last four seasons, the Blue Jays have managed an overall record of 41-5. Johns Hopkins leads the CC in most offensive categories, including scoring (46.7 ppg) and total offense (503 ypg). The team also paces the conference with only 14.5 points allowed per game. Germano is the league's top thrower with 243.5 yards per game and 19 touchdowns, while Munday leads the way with 91.5 receiving yards per game and six touchdowns.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg remains the top rushing team in the conference at 265.3 yards per game. The Bullets have led the CC in rushing 16 times in the last 32 years and most recently as 2012. The squad also paces the league with 14.2 yards per completion. Senior QB Sam McDermott is averaging 278.5 yards of total offense per game. He ranks second in the conference with 16 passing touchdowns. Senior tailback Kyle Wigley is averaging a career-best 106.7 rushing yards and has scored a personal best six rushing touchdowns this fall. Junior wide receiver Jordan Kelso has grabbed at least three receptions in each contest this season and he's accumulated 50 or more yards in his last four outings.
 GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The Bullets rank second in the Centennial with 79.8 tackles per game and the team rates third in both rushing defense (139.3 ypg) and interceptions (9). Senior Brian Calatozzo (Sewell, N.J./St. Augstine Prep)) leads the league with five interceptions, which is the most by a Bullet in 12 years. Senior linebacker Kodie McNamara paces the conference with 64 tackles. McNamara has managed nine or more tackles in four games this season. Junior Chris Miller has piled up 34 tackles in his last three games, including 3.5 for a loss. 
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) has placed 13 of his 25 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line and he ranks third in the conference in punting at 38.8 yards per kick. Teams have learned to stay away from dynamic freshman returner Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown Beard) who ranks fourth in the country in combined kick return yards with 613. McFadden leads the conference with 258 yards on 18 punt returns.
 
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Gettysburg has made football a family affair. Junior Michael Pennella is the third member of his family to play football at Gettysburg, following in the footsteps of brothers Rob '12 and Matt '14. Junior Chris Miller was joined on the roster by younger brother Craig '19 this season. On the offensive side, brothers Danny '17 and Ryan Thompson '18 compete at wide receiver and wing back, respectively. Sophomore C.J. Tyeryar comes from a long line of Gettysburgians that includes his grandfather, Harry Buzzerd, Jr. '64, father Clay Tyeryar '85, and mother Barbara Buzzerd Tyeryar '91.  Sophomore Dakota Brovero's mother, Megen, and father, Don, are both 1988 grads, while freshman Ryan Krouse's uncle, Craig Swanson '80, was recently inducted into the Hall of Athletic Honor for football. Additionally, seniors Kyle Wigley and Ryan Gallagher both have younger siblings competing athletically at Gettysburg. Justin Wigley '18 and Brandon Gallagher '19 are members of the men's soccer and wrestling teams, respectively.
 
GROUND LEVEL
Gettysburg has not been held to less than 100 yards rushing in back-to-back games in more than a decade. The last time the Bullets failed to reach 100 yards on the ground in consecutive outings was against Hampden-Sydney (74 yards) and Rochester (59) in 2004. After being held to 96 yards by Muhlenberg last fall, Gettysburg put up 210 rushing yards against Johns Hopkins.
 
RUSHING RANKS
Senior tailback Kyle Wigley is just 10 rushes away from 400 in his career. Already ranking eighth in school history with 2,226 rushing yards, Wigley would be the 10th Bullet with 400 rush attempts. His 5.71 yards per carry ranks third all-time behind Paul Smith '00 (5.91) and Frank Capitani '58 (5.76).
 
TOP TACKLER
Senior Kodie McNamara has started every game of his collegiate career. In those 36 contests, McNamara has posted double-figure tackles 17 times, including a career-high 20 against Ursinus earlier this season. He is just 21 tackles away from Hayes Reilly '82 (374) for second on Gettysburg's career list.   

 

PASSING TD RECORD
Senior Sam McDermott is only three touchdown strikes shy of Gettysburg's single-season record. The current record was first achieved by Chris Adams '95 during the 1994 campaign and equaled by Matt Flynn '10 in 2009.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The Bullets have been a common feature in weekly award releases this fall. Seniors Robby Fay (Sept. 13), Sam McDermott (Sept. 13), and Kyle Wigley (Oct. 4) and freshman Matt McFadden (Sept. 27) have all been honored as Centennial Conference Players of the Week. Additionally, McFadden was named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week as a special teams selection on Sept. 29.
 
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.