GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – For the first time in program history, the Gettysburg College football team will make its season debut under the lights as the Bullets travel to Bridgewater College for a non-conference contest this Friday at 7 p.m.
 
Gettysburg has played under the lights several times in recent years, primarily at either Johns Hopkins University or Dickinson College. This Friday's opener may not be a new experience for the first-years coming out of high school, but for Head Coach Barry Streeter and the upperclassmen, it's an exciting opportunity.
 
"Just to have a chance to play a game is really exciting for me," said Streeter, who enters the season seventh among active DIII coaches in career wins with 183. "Playing on a Friday night and opening a season, those things are exciting."
 
"It will be a new experience for me," noted senior co-captain Brian Calatozzo (Sewell, N.J./St. Augustine Prep). "I've never had an opening game under the lights. It's definitely something everyone is looking forward to."
 
Meeting for the first time in 2014, Gettysburg and Bridgewater turned in quite the football game. The Bullets broke a 26-26 tie with a touchdown with 3:05 left in the game, but the Eagles put together a quick touchdown drive with 80 seconds left and held on for a 33-32 decision.
 
"I think a big part about it was we didn't finish," said Calatozzo, who posted four tackles and two pass break-ups in the loss. "We did take the lead very late in the game and we got excited because we thought it was over."
 
The win vaulted Bridgewater to an 8-2 season in 2014, including a 5-2 record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Eagles return 14 starters for Head Coach Michael Clark, who is 134-79 in his 20 seasons at the helm. Among the returning players are platooning quarterbacks Matt Pisarcik and Ross Rushing, who combined for 318 passing yards and four touchdowns against Gettysburg last fall.
 
Gettysburg returns a dozen starters this season, including senior co-captain Kodie McNamara (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan). McNamara, who enters his senior campaign with 289 career tackles, logged 10 stops and picked off a pass from his position at inside linebacker against Bridgewater in 2014. Senior quarterback Sam McDermott (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame (N.J.)) will guide the offense after an impressive ending to 2014 when he filled in for injured starter Zach Miller '15 and totaled 261 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Franklin & Marshall College.
 
Gettysburg will be aiming for a measure of redemption when it takes the field at the Jopson Athletic Complex Friday night, and both Streeter and Calatozzo know what the team needs to do to get it.
 
"We need to eliminate our penalties and we need to win the turnover battle," said Streeter. "Those are two huge things. It's about having control of the ball."
 
"I think we just need to focus on what we have planned to do," said the cornerback. "Don't worry about what happened last year. Just keep on working on what we're going to do better this year and finish the game strong."
 
OPENING KICKOFF
Gettysburg and Bridgewater meet for just the second time on the gridiron. The Eagles edged the Bullets by one point in 2014.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Friday's game will feature live stats and live video courtesy of Bridgewater.
 
Live stats: http://www.bridgewatereagles.com/sports/fball/2015-16/boxscores/20150904_euy9.xml
Live Video: https://www.boxcast.com/show/#/football-vs-gettysburg-2
 
COACHES
Barry Streeter enters his 37th season at the helm of the Bullets. Streeter is the longest-tenured active coach in Division III and ranks seventh with 183 career wins. He led Gettysburg to three consecutive Centennial Conference titles from 1983-85. In 1985, Streeter was named AFCA District 2 Coach of the Year after guiding the Bullets to an 11-1-1 record and the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship. More recently, he has engineered an offense that has finished among the top 25 in rushing five times in the last decade. Streeter is in his 40th season overall at Gettysburg, having served three years as an assistant coach prior to becoming the head coach. Michael Clark enters his 21st season at Bridgewater and 36th year as a collegiate coach overall. He has compiled a 134-79-1 overall record, including 123-42 with the Eagles. Bridgewater has claimed five conference championships and competed in 16 NCAA playoff games under Clark's guidance. In 2001, he led Bridgewater to the national championship game.
 
LAST MEETING
Bridgewater scored with 80 seconds left to pull off a 33-32 win over Gettysburg at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium last fall. The Eagles jumped out to the early 10-0 advantage with a field goal and touchdown in the first quarter. Zach Miller '15 scored on a one-yard run just before the end of the opening period to put Gettysburg on the board. After a 66-yard touchdown reception by Cliff Woodard from Ross Rushing gave Bridgewater a 10-point lead, the Bullets tallied a pair of touchdowns to head into halftime with the lead. Miller found Brandon Sparks (New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East) with a pass in the end zone before rushing in for another score to make it 19-16. Woodard collected another long scoring reception in the third to hand the lead back to the Eagles. Gettysburg jumped right back in front as Dan Ciemniecki (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield) stepped in front of a pass and ran it back 49 yards for a touchdown. A Bridgewater field goal tied the game at 26, but an 11-play, 65-yard drive capped by a rushing touchdown by Kyle Wigley (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) put the Bullets in front 32-26 with 3:05 left. The Eagles soared back with a 95-second drive for the eventual game-winning score with only 1:20 left. Gettysburg made it into Bridgewater territory, but a Hail Mary pass on fourth down was knocked away near the one-yard line. Bridgewater out-gained Gettysburg 453-407, while the Bullets won the turnover battle with a pair of interceptions. Miller finished 18-of-31 for 203 yards, while Wigley gained 56 yards on 10 carries. Gordon Prince '15, Joseph Vegso (Newtown, Pa./Marple-Newtown), and McNamara each posted 10 tackles for the defensive unit.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg took down Franklin & Marshall 26-14 to end the 2014 season. It was the 100th meeting all-time between the long-time rivals and the Bullets jumped on the board early as McDermott connected with Alec Pacelli '15 for a 15-yard score in the first quarter. After the Diplomats answered with a touchdown, McDermott scampered into the end zone with a minute left in the first quarter to retake the lead for Gettysburg. Just 11 seconds into the second period, Chris Miller (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) picked off a pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-7. Franklin & Marshall cut the margin to 20-14 with a touchdown later in the frame. Gettysburg's defense held firm in the final half of play with Paul Lowry (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park) giving the team insurance with a three-yard touchdown run. On their final drive, the Diplomats made it all the way to the Gettysburg one-yard line before being stopped on four consecutive possessions. McDermott finished 10-of-18 for 155 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 106 yards and a score on 24 carries. Tight end Fred Pulzello (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock) came up big with two long receptions totaling 63 yards. McNamara racked up 15 tackles, while Joe Scaglione (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) posted nine tackles in his first career start at nose tackle.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg lost a solid group of offensive players, including starting quarterback Zach Miller '15, wing back Fred Caruso '15, and several offensive linemen. However, if last season's win over Franklin & Marshall is any indication, the team is in capable hands. McDermott adds an even greater element in the pocket with his running ability, which was showcased with 106 rushing yards against the Diplomats. The running game is led by Wigley, who plowed his way through for 731 yards and five touchdowns a season ago and enters his final campaign 16th in school history with 1,586 rushing yards. Receiving options include a bevy of veteran wing backs, including seniors Travis Andrews (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) and Kevin McCarthy (Yardley, Pa./Notre Dame). Wide receivers Jordan Kelso (Cookstown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) and Sparks each averaged nearly 20 yards per catch last season and combined for six touchdowns. Pulzello is a strong blocker and can get down the field when called upon. The offensive line took a heavy hit due to graduation, but senior center Anthony Juliano (Landisville, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) and junior tackle Cordell Boggs (Taneytown, Md./Francis Scott Key) have plenty of experience to anchor the line.
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The defensive unit is powered by the return of a strong corps of linebackers. McNamara has started all 30 games in his collegiate career and has paced the Bullets in tackles in each of the last two seasons. Chris Miller is coming off an all-conference campaign where he posted 62 tackles and paced the squad with 10.5 tackles for a loss and four interceptions. Vegso posted 62 tackles and 7.0 tackles for a loss in 2014. Both starting cornerbacks return in Calatozzo and Ciemniecki who combined for 92 tackles and 11 pass break-ups. Senior Michael Kornegay (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) will look to resume his starting role at safety after missing nearly all of last season due to injury. All three regular starters on the defensive line graduated, but Scaglione staked a strong claim to the nose tackle position after notching nine tackles in last season's finale. Junior Michael Pennella (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan), who led the team with 4.5 sacks in 2014, will slide up to the line after playing at linebacker in his first two campaigns.
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior Robby Fay (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) is slated to handle all the kicking duties this fall. An all-conference punter in 2013, Fay has averaged 36.7 yards per punt during his career. He has knocked through all three of his career field goal attempts and he is 55-of-61 on extra points. Gettysburg lost both of its primary returners in Fred Caruso '15 and Nick Ulassin '15. In line to pick up the slack are freshman Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown Beard) and Andrews.  
 
SCOUTING BRIDGEWATER
Bridgewater is coming off a strong 8-2 campaign, including a 5-2 mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Eagles will continue to feature a platoon at quarterback with Ross Rushing and Matt Pisarcik. The duo combined for 2,321 yards and 19 touchdowns against just eight interceptions a year ago. Jeffrey Moore piled up 486 yards on 45 receptions a year ago, while tight end Keith Jennings hauled in three touchdowns. The biggest question on offense for Bridgewater will be replacing running back Jacob Wright, who posted 1,013 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2014. Defensively, the Eagles' line features Nicholas Cawthon and Logan Whitaker, both second-team 2014 All-ODAC selections. Bridgewater's defense led the ODAC in both points allowed (21.4 ppg) and total defense (341.6 ypg) last season.
 
CLOSING STRONG
Gettysburg finished out the 2014 season in strong fashion. First, the Bullets took down Dickinson 36-27 to claim the Little Brown Bucket. The following week, Gettysburg beat Franklin & Marshall in what was the 100th meeting all-time between the institutions. As a result of the win, the Bullets claimed another piece of hardware in the Lincoln Trophy.
 
LEADING TACKLER
Senior Kodie McNamara is quickly approaching rare territory as a Bullet. With 289 career tackles, he is just 11 shy of becoming just the ninth Gettysburg player to reach 300 career stops. McNamara, who has led the Bullets in tackles in each of the last two seasons, leads all returning Centennial Conference players and ranks 22nd among active players in the nation in career tackles.
 
100/100 CLUB                            
Senior quarterback Sam McDermott threw for over 100 yards and rushed for over 100 yards in last season's finale against Franklin & Marshall. McDermott was the first Gettysburg QB to do that since Kody Smith '13 posted 232 yards through the air and 127 yards on the ground against Moravian on Oct. 27, 2012.
 
RUSHING UP THE RANKS
Senior tailback Kyle Wigley sits just 14 yards shy of becoming the 15th Bullet to reach 1,600 career rushing yards. Wigley has averaged 5.79 yards per rush during his career, which trails only three-time All-American Paul Smith '00 (5.91 ypr) on the program's all-time list.
 
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.