GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – It's the annual showdown for the Little Brown Bucket as Gettysburg College and Dickinson College meet for the 85th time this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Location: Gettysburg, PA
Venue: Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats/Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/gettysburg/
Twitter: @gburgbullets
Instagram: @gettysburgathletics
Facebook: Gettysburg College Athletics
 
BATTLE FOR THE BUCKET (Series History)
The Little Brown Bucket has been a staple of the Gettysburg-Dickinson rivalry since 1938. The trophy was created by S. Walter Stauffer and George Hummel, members of the Dickinson and Gettysburg Board of Trustees, respectively. The first game was played on Thanksgiving and the Bullets emerged victorious 14-0, kicking off a string of nine consecutive wins by the Orange and Blue. Since the introduction of the Bucket, Dickinson has led the rivalry 27-22-1. Overall, Gettysburg leads the all-time series, which began in 1892, 44-38-2.
 
LAST MEETING
Dickinson defeated Gettysburg 30-7 at Biddle Field last fall. The Bullets opened the game on a high note as Kevin Sawtell '22 (Hillsborough, N.J./Delbarton) came up with a blocked punt and returned it 30 yards to the end zone for the opening score and a 7-0 lead. The Red Devils came right back with an 88-yard drive capped with a 39-yard run by Phillip Bulter to tie the game. Dickinson's defense held Gettysburg in check in the second quarter and converted a pick-six to take the lead for good. The lead grew to 20-7 on a pass by Billy Burger to Jake Walbert before the end of the first half. A field goal and Burger's second touchdown throw in the third period set the final score. The Red Devils out-gained the Bullets 368-219 and posted 25 first downs compared to nine for the Orange and Blue. Mike McKnight '19 led Gettysburg with 10 tackles and a forced fumble.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Ursinus forced six turnovers on the way to a 48-10 victory over Gettysburg last Saturday. The Bullets held their own defensively against a veteran offensive lineup for the Bears, holding the visitors to just 124 yards in the opening 30 minutes. The Bullets tallied their first points on a career-long 36-yard field goal by sophomore Doug Cummings (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) in the first quarter. Senior Kevin Benavente (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel) found pay-dirt for the Bullets midway through the fourth period, taking a screen pass from junior Matt Harris (Dennisville, N.J./Middle Township) and scampering 23 yards to the end zone. Harris finished with 150 yards passing and sophomore Matt Lajoie (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) totaled 72 yards on five catches. Sophomore Alex Stillman (Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow) totaled seven tackles and one interception.
 
Dickinson coughed the ball up five times in a 38-9 loss to Muhlenberg. The Mules scored three touchdowns off a pair of fumbles and an interception in the opening half. The Red Devils jumped on the board with a 39-yard field goal by Matt Moroz to cut the deficit to 7-3, but Muhlenberg mounted a 31-0 run over the next three quarters. A 22-yard run by Bryce Baylor capped an impressive 94-yard drive for Dickinson near the end of the game. Tim Graham completed 10-off-22 passes for 117 yards, while Daniel Salamone hauled in five catches for 92 yards. Brian Snow led the defensive effort with 17 tackles, while James Turner racked up 14 stops.
 
GETTYSBURG OVERVIEW
More than 80 freshman and sophomores dominate a young roster for Head Coach Kevin Burke's second year at the helm. The upstart Bullets will look to surprise some teams in the Centennial Conference this fall after being selected ninth in the preseason poll.


GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
The Bullets are looking to get into the groove offensively after falling behind early in their opening two games. The team is averaging nearly 200 yards passing on the year with Harris accounting for 292 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Logan Edmond (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) has also thrown a TD and leads the Bullets with 120 rushing yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Lajoie is enjoying a breakout campaign with 159 yards on nine receptions. Benavente hauled in a 23-yard touchdown catch against Ursinus for his first receiving touchdown since his sophomore season. Benavente missed most of his junior season due to injury. In all, 11 Bullets have caught a pass this fall.
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
The Bullets held Ursinus to just 124 yards in the opening half of their game last Saturday. Gettysburg has been solid on third down, allowing teams to convert just 9-of-33 (27.3 percent) attempts. Stillman and classmate Matt Lynch (Bridgewater, N.J./Immaculata) pace the team with 13 tackles. Stillman picked off a pass and returned it 37 yards against Ursinus. Sophomore Alex Raimondo (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) has tallied 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss off the end and senior lineman Ryan Green (Easton, Pa./Easton) has accumulated 11 tackles and two QB hurries.
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior Evan Tannanbaum (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) has averaged 37.3 yards on 16 punts this season with three landing inside the opponent's 20-yard line and one going 50-plus yards. Cummings has connected on both of his field goal tries in the opening two games, including a career-long 36-yarder against Ursinus. Lajoie has fielded the majority of the kick-offs and is averaging 12.2 yards per return.
 
DICKINSON OVERVIEW
Dickinson split its opening two games of the season, winning on the road at Washington and Lee (26-14) before falling in its CC opener to Muhlenberg. Brad Fordyce is in his third season at the helm and has increased the Red Devils' win total in each of his two prior campaigns. Dickinson was picked sixth in the CC Preseason Poll.
 
DICKINSON OFFENSE
After piling up 446 yards against W&L, Dickinson was held to 241 total yards against the stout Muhlenberg defense. Junior quarterback Tim Graham went off for 306 passing yards and a touchdown in the season opener against the Generals. On the year, Graham has completed 25-of-47 attempts for 423 yards. Senior Jeremy Walsh and junior Phillip Butler, who was second-team All-CC a year ago, have split carries in the backfield, while junior quarterback Robert Geiss has also rushed the ball 14 times. Senior Daniel Salamone is off to a strong start to his final campaign with a league-best 221 receiving yards on 10 catches, including going for 129 yards in the win over W&L.
 
DICKINSON DEFENSE
The defense has been a bit more susceptible to the run game more than the passing game, allowing an average of 179 yards on the ground through two games. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 60 percent of their passes, but the Red Devils have already racked up three interceptions. Junior linebacker Brian Snow posted 10 tackles in the opening game and added 17 against the Mules. Senior James Turner, who was first-team All-CC at linebacker in 2018, has posted 20 tackles to open the year. Senior defensive back Jordan Hollander has totaled 14 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, one interception, and two pass break-ups.
 
DICKINSON SPECIAL TEAMS
Hollander leads the conference in punting with an average of 41.4 yards per kick. Senior Trystin Golowski hit all three of his field goals against W&L and freshman Matt Moroz has hit the last two kicks from 38 and 39 yards. Butler leads the Dickinson return game with an average of 21.6 yards per kick-off return.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following this weekend's game, Gettysburg turns its attention to a road trip to McDaniel College next Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. The Bullets leads the all-time series 51-20-1, but the Green Terror have won the last two meetings.