Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Fresh off the Centennial Conference-wide bye week, Gettysburg College and Muhlenberg College battle for the Old Tin Cup at Frank Marino Field at Scotty Wood Stadium this Saturday.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Today's game will feature live stats and live video  courtesy of Muhlenberg College.
 
THE COACHES
Barry Streeter enters his 38th season at the helm of Gettysburg's football program. Streeter is the longest-tenured active coach in Division III and his 192 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. Streeter is a 1971 graduate of Lebanon Valley and he is a member of the Dutchmen's Hall of Fame.
 
Mike Donnelly is in his 20th season at the helm of the Mules. He is the program's all-time wins leader with a record of 135-73. He has guided Muhlenberg to seven Centennial Conference titles and 12 postseason appearances. Prior to Muhlenberg, Donnelly served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Columbia University for four seasons. He is a 1975 graduate of Ithaca College.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday's meeting marks the 81st all-time between Gettysburg and Muhlenberg. The Bullets hold the edge in the series at 43-36-1, but the Mules have won 13 of the last 16 meetings, including each of the last four. Gettysburg's last win in Allentown was in 1996.
 
THE OLD TIN CUP
The Old Tin Cup was created as part of an elaborate ruse in 1954. Members from both school newspapers teamed with campus officials to create a legend centering around two brothers who played for the Bullets and Mules in 1911. While the story was fabricated, the rivalry developed an annual prize in the form of a Tin Cup to be given to the winner of the Gettysburg-Muhlenberg game.
 
LAST MEETING
Muhlenberg handed Gettysburg its first loss with a 41-13 decision last fall. The Mules opened the game with a 31-yard interception return by Kyle Wilczynski on Gettysburg's opening drive. After a touchdown pass by Nick Palladino to Nick Lamb, Kyle Wigley '16 cut the deficit to 13-7 with a five-yard run. The Mules added another score before halftime and tacked on the first two touchdowns of the third quarter to pull away. Muhlenberg managed to hold Gettysburg to season lows in rushing yards (86) and total offense (305). Sam McDermott '16 finished 24-of-45 for 219 yards and a touchdown, while Jordan Kelso '17 (Cookstown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) hauled in seven passes for 66 yards. Kodie McNamara '16 led the Bullets' defense with a dozen tackles and an interception. Palladino recorded 255 yards passing and three touchdowns to Nick Lamb, who finished with 11 receptions and 138 yards. 

 

LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg jumped out to a hot start on the way to a 38-23 win over McDaniel on Homecoming. Sophomore Justin Walsh (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first quarter and junior quarterback Justin Davidov (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) added another rushing score to start the second. After McDaniel pulled to 24-20 late in the third quarter, the Bullets began the final period with a 10-yard scoring strike from senior Danny Thompson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) to sophomore Chase Fee (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood). Davidov polished off the win with a one-yard plunge into the end zone with 2:46 left. Gettysburg piled up 277 yards on the ground with Thompson racking up 117 on 11 carries. Walsh added 99 rushing yards on 16 totes. Senior Jordan Kelso led the receiving corps with six catches and 71 yards. Defensively, sophomore Jake Skinner (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) piled up 14 tackles.
 
SCOUTING MUHLENBERG
Muhlenberg rallied to beat Susquehanna 33-30 in its final contest before the bye. The River Hawks took a 30-27 lead with just over eight minutes remaining, but senior quarterback Nick Palladino capped the game-winning drive with a 73-yard touchdown throw to junior Nick Savant with 5:44 remaining. The Mules' defense stopped Susquehanna's final drive to preserve the victory. Palladino finished with 270 yards passing and three total touchdowns. Savant picked up 131 yards on 25 carries, while senior Nick Lamb added 132 yards receiving in five receptions. Senior John Feaster and freshman Mickey Kober paced the defense with 10 tackles. Palladino leads the Centennial in passing touchdowns with 14 and he ranks second in total offense at 312 yards per game. Muhlenberg is the only team in the conference with both a rusher and receiver averaging over 100 yards per game. Savant paces the CC in rushing at 128.6 yards per game, while Lamb ranks second with 104.6 receiving yards per game. Lamb also leads the league in kick return average at 30.1.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
Gettysburg paces the Centennial in rushing offense at 224.6 yards per game. The Bullets are averaging a league-best 5.1 yards per carry. The team also ranks third overall in total offense (466.6 ypg), while its 25 offensive touchdowns sit atop the league list. Senior Danny Thompson and junior Justin Davidov have been a solid combination at quarterback. Combined, the pair is averaging 241 passing yards and 104.2 rushing yards per game. Davidov ranks second in the conference in pass efficiency at 156.5. Sophomore tailback Justin Walsh is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and is coming off a career-high 99 rushing yards. Senior wide receiver Jordan Kelso is just 16 receiving yards shy of becoming the 12th Bullet to reach 1,000 in a career.
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
In its two victories this fall, Gettysburg has held the opposition to less than 400 total yards and forced a total of five turnovers. The Bullets have allowed an average of just 132 yards rushing in its two wins. Sophomore linebacker Jake Skinner has climbed to third in the conference in tackles per game (10.2). Over his last four games, Skinner has racked up 50 tackles. Making his second appearance of the season against McDaniel, freshman defensive lineman Ryan Greene (Easton, Pa./Easton) sacked the quarterback twice for a total loss of 15 yards. Sophomore safety Mike McKnight (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) leads the secondary with 34 tackles and he has both an interception and a fumble recovery on his resume. 
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Sophomore Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./West Morris Mendham) is finding his groove in the return game. McFadden has produced a kick return of at least 32 yards in each of his last three outings. He has totaled 311 yards on his last 12 kick returns. Despite not playing football in high school, freshman Justin Geisel (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) has found a niche as Gettysburg's place-kicker. He has connected on both of his field goal attempts, including a season-long 29-yard against McDaniel last time out. He is 15-of-17 on extra points and is averaging 52.9 yards per kickoff.
 
VOTE MCFADDEN!
Sophomore Matt McFadden's electrifying 53-yard touchdown run against Juniata on Sept. 17 has been nominated for the GEICO Play of the Year. McFadden is one of four nominees for this week's online fan poll with the winning play earning a spot in the finals. The overall winner will be chosen by a panel of experts and announced during GEICO presents Best of College Football on CBS November 24 at 1:30 p.m. VOTE: https://www.facebook.com/bestofcollegefootball/app/684496621645043/.