GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Coming off a pair of impressive displays in its first two outings, the Gettysburg College football team will look to keep its perfect record intact as the team travels to Juniata College this Saturday.
 
Gettysburg (2-0, 1-0 CC) opened the year with a 49-10 dismantling of Bridgewater College, a contest in which the Bullets rushed for a Centennial Conference record 574 yards. Last weekend's game with Ursinus College was more of a slugfest with Gettysburg coming out on top 22-15.
 
"I'm still excited about it," said Head Coach Barry Streeter. "It was a good game. The second half we started connecting and making plays. Defensively I thought we played really well."
 
While the Gettysburg offense has posted a conference-best 354 yards rushing per game and scored 35.5 points per game so far this season, the defense has been doing its own outstanding work. Against Bridgewater, the Bullets allowed just 51 yards rushing. After scoring eight points in the first 15:44, Ursinus did not find the scoring column again until two minutes into the fourth quarter. In the meantime, Gettysburg rattled off 22-straight points to take the lead over the Bears.
 
"We're always feeding off their energy and they're feeding off of ours," noted senior co-captain Kodie McNamara (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan), who piled up a career-high 20 tackles against the Bears. "When we get a big stop, a turnover, a three-and-out, the offense is right back on the field ready to go."
 
This weekend's match up pits the Bullets against a defensive-minded Juniata team. Through the first two games, the Eagles have allowed a league-low 23 points. After beating Grove City College 23-13, Juniata was upended in its conference opener 10-0 by Dickinson. The Eagles also pace the Centennial with nine sacks.
 
"They're very tough defensively," said Streeter. "They rush the passer well. Offensively, it's a little different than what they've done in the past. They're not running the quarterback as much, but they're still a power-type team running the ball."
 
"We're seeing a lot of similarities with them and Ursinus," said McNamara. "It's about stopping the run on first and second down and forcing those long-yardage situations on third down. If we stick to that, we know we're going to find success on Saturday."
 
Gettysburg is poised for just its second 3-0 start in the last 28 years. The team won its first five games on the way to a 7-3 record in 2012.
 
Before the Bullets can continue their perfect run, they'll need to line up and get the job done against Juniata. Gettysburg lost in its last trip to Huntingdon by a 38-16 count. Last season, the Bullets took down Juniata 31-17 at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
"You're going to have to perform hard and well and keep getting better each week," said Streeter. "There's no rest in the conference. Everybody is well coached and everybody plays hard. It's a great conference. Nobody is safe."
 
OPENING KICKOFF
Gettysburg and Juniata meet for the 30th time on the gridiron on Saturday. The Bullets aim to move to 3-0 for the first time in three seasons, while the Eagles search for their first victory in Centennial play.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live stats and live video courtesy of Juniata and Stretch Internet. You can follow along on your computer or mobile device at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/juniata/.
 
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 185 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.
 
Tim Launtz is in his fifth season as head coach at Juniata. Launtz spent 15 years as an assistant coach with the Eagles prior to becoming head coach in 2011. He has posted a record of 17-26 in his five years at the helm, including a 7-4 overall record in 2013, marking the most wins for the program since 1990. Launtz was named Centennial Conference Coach of the Year following the 2013 season.
 
THE SERIES
Gettysburg leads the all-time series with Juniata 20-9. The Bullets have won eight of the last nine meetings, including six wins by 14 or more points. The Eagles won the last meeting in Huntingdon 38-16.
 
LAST MEETING
Gettysburg piled up seven sacks and gained more than 300 yards rushing in a 31-17 win over Juniata at Shirk Field last season. The Bullets led just 21-17 at the end of the third quarter, but a 31-yard completion from Zach Miller '15 to Brandon Sparks '16 (New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East) followed by a field goal in the fourth quarter sealed the win. Gettysburg out-gained Juniata 516-252 in the game with 304 yards coming on the ground. Kyle Wigley '16 (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) paced the team with 99 yards on 17 carries, while Nick Ulassin '15 found the end zone twice. Miller finished 14-of-25 for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A well-balanced defensive effort was led by Michael Pennella '17 (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) with 10 tackles, including 2.5 sacks. Pennella was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week following his performance. Chris Miller '17 (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) added two sacks and two pass break-ups.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Bullets overcame a long lightning delay and a slow start to beat Ursinus 22-15 last Saturday. The game was delayed nearly two hours due to the weather and Gettysburg fell behind 8-0 early in the second quarter. The Bears would not score again until the fourth quarter as the offense started to find its grove. Senior Sam McDermott (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame (N.J.)) connected with classmate Travis Andrews (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) for a 33-yard pass late in the second quarter for the host's first score of the game. In the third quarter, McDermott connected with sophomore Ryan Thompson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) twice for scoring plays and the ensuing two-point conversions were good on both counts. Trying to ride out the clock late in the fourth period, Gettysburg turned the ball over on a fumble. But the defense stopped Ursinus with senior Brian Calatozzo (Sewell, N.J./St. Augustine Prep) stepping in front of the final pass of the game for an interception. McDermott finished with 269 yards passing and three touchdowns, while senior Kyle Wigley posted 72 yards rushing. Thompson led the receiving corps with five receptions and 79 yards. Defensively, senior Kodie McNamara racked up a career-high 20 tackles. Senior Michael Kornegay (Montclair, N.J./Montlair) tied a person best with 13 stops, while sophomore Joey DeCristofaro (East Windsor, N.J./Hightstown) also set a personal mark with nine tackles.
 
SCOUTING JUNIATA
Juniata lost a defensive struggle with Dickinson 10-0 last Saturday. The Red Devils did all of their scoring in the first quarter and then controlled the tempo by nearly doubling the Eagles' in time of possession (39:52-20:08). Senior Deonte Alston rushed for 41 yards on 12 carries, while junior Kirby Breault caught three passes for 38 yards to lead Juniata. Sophomore linebacker Donavan Cobb piled up 17 tackles to pace the defense. Juniata has been solid defensively in its opening two games and leads the conference in scoring defense (11.5 ppg) and passing defense (149 ypg). The Eagles have also racked up a league-high nine sacks resulting in a total loss of 31 yards. Junior Hank Coyne has taken up the unenviable task of filling in for 2015 grad Ward Udinski, the 2014 CC Offensive Player of the Year, at quarterback. Coyne has completed 31-of-67 attempts for 318 yards this season. Alston is averaging 4.4 yards per game on the ground, while Breault has posted 110 yards receiving. Cobb and fellow linebacker Ryan Bologa lead the team with 20 tackles. Senior linebacker Jonah Plymire, who also handles the punting duties, has accumulated 3.5 tackles for a loss.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg has adjusted to the style of play in each of its first two outings. After carrying the ball 71 times for a program and conference record 574 yards against Bridgewater, the Bullets opted for the aerial attack against Ursinus with 269 yards passing. The Orange and Blue sits atop the conference in most of the rushing categories, including yards (708), attempts (120), yards per game (354.0), and yards per rush (5.9). Gettysburg ranks second in the Centennial in both total offense per game (540.5) and scoring offense (35.5 ppg).
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The Bullets have allowed just two touchdowns in the first two games of the season. The team is allowing just 12.5 points and 96.5 rushing yards per game, which both rate fourth in the conference. Gettysburg has been solid on late downs, holding foes to just 12-of-37 on third- and fourth-down conversions this campaign. As a team, the Bullets have posted just two sacks, but they've managed 10 quarterback hurries.
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Freshman Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown Beard) has averaged 25.8 yards on his four kick-off returns, including a long of 35 yards. He's also fielded eight punts for a total of 58 yards. Senior Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) has averaged 38.6 yards on his seven punts with a long of 49 yards. Four of those punts have landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Fay has also averaged 59 yards on kick-offs.
 
CC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Seniors Sam McDermott and Robby Fay were named Centennial Conference Players of the Week at their respective positions. McDermott racked up a career-high 269 yards passing with three touchdowns last week against Ursinus to earn the weekly offensive award. Fay was named the top special teams player after averaging 39.8 yards on six punts. He placed four of the six punts inside the Bears' 20-yard line.
 
RUSHING UP THE RANKS
Senior Kyle Wigley recorded his seventh career 100-yard rushing game against Bridgewater. Wigley has climbed into 12th place on Gettysburg's career rushing list with 1,831 yards. He needs just 59 more yards to pass Mike Schwalb '05 (1,853) and current assistant coach Kirby Scott '77 (1,890) and reach the top 10 in program history.
 
MAC ATTACK
Senior Kodie McNamara piled up a career-best 20 tackles against Ursinus. It was the first 20-tackle game by a Bullet since Grant Acker '05 posted 20 stops against Rochester in 2004. McNamara claimed his 300th career tackle in the game and moved into sixth place on Gettysburg's all-time list with 316. He needs just nine tackles to move into the top four.
 
PERFECT PICK
Senior Brian Calatozzo has grabbed an interception in each of the first two games of the season and another pick against Juniata would mark a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a Bullet in over a decade. The last Bullet to claim interceptions in three consecutive games was Ryan Moore '02 in 2001. Moore picked off passes in consecutive outings against American, Johns Hopkins, and Ursinus. 
 
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 field 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.