THE FACTS
Muhlenberg (4-2, 2-1 CC) 58, Gettysburg (2-4, 1-2 CC) 42
What: Centennial Conference (CC) football game
When: Saturday, Oct. 19
Where: Allentown, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Muhlenberg scored on three straight possessions after Gettysburg closed to within 37-36 late in the third quarter to record a 58-42 win.
THE LEADERS
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Rocco Abdinoor (Edgewater, Md./St. Mary's Annapolis) led the Bullets with 504 yards of total offense. He completed 25 of 38 passes for a career-high 352 yards passing. He also ran 13 times for a season-high 152 yards.
FOR THE FOES
• Joe Repetti completed 22 of 27 passes for 284 to pace the Mules. He threw three touchdowns.
• Chris Ardito caught two of those scores among his seven grabs for 78 yards.
• Matthew Manning ran 13 times for 102 yards and two scores.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• Muhlenberg took the opening drive 57 yards in seven plays before Amari Dunn capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run to make it 6-0 just 3:12 into the game. The failed conversion kept it a 6-0 lead.
Rocco Abdinoor responded with a 10-play march that covered 77 yards that included a 42-yard scamper on second-and-14 form the Bullets' own 36. Abindoor found
Luke Denison (Madison, N.J./Madison) for a four-yard touchdown and the
Isaac Parks-Gill (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) PAT gave the visitors a 7-6 lead with 5:21 on the clock.
• A Matthew Manning 31-yard touchdown run with 12:12 showing and a Connor Fenstermaker 24-yard field goal nearly four minutes later stretched the lead to 16-7 midway through the period. After the teams traded punts, Abdinoor broke a 75-yard run on the third play of the ensuing drive to cut the margin to 16-14 with 3:37 remaining. Joe Repetti had the answer, however, taking his offense 65 yards in seven plays to stretch the lead back to nine with 1:17 to play in the opening half.
• In the third quarter, Manning scored on a six-yard run with 11:22 showing then Abdinoor found
Jason Roskam (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) to cap a nine-play response and make it 30-21 with 6:16 on the clock. A 27-yard pass play to Denison and 21-yard
Peter Schelling (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) after a stop on fourth down near midfield closed the deficit to two with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter. Chris Short, however, returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to immediately return the advantage to nine. On the next drive, Abdinoor ran for 11, hit Denison for 50 and then connected with
Walle Harwigsson Lundblad (Malmo, Sweden/Rabun Gap) and the two-point conversion was good to make it 37-36 with 2:18 remaining. Muhlenberg needed just four plays to go 45 yards and push the lead to 44-36 after three quarters.
• An interception at the end of the third quarter gave the Mules possession at the Bullets 21 and one play later, Repetti connected with Andrew Darno for a 51-36 lead. After the Muhlenberg defense stopped Gettysburg inside the 10, the offense went 92 yards in 11 plays and took 7:31 off the clock to extend the lead to 58-36 with 4:25 remaining. A 14-play Bullet drive ensued before
Michael Zrelak (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) cashed in the drive for the final margin with 25 seconds left.
THE INSIDE STORY
• The 42 points scored by Gettysburg were the most against Muhlenberg since a 42-28 win on Oct. 23, 1999 and the most in Allentown since a 63-14 victory on Oct. 22, 1994.
• The 100 combined points were the most in the 88-game series history between the two teams that battle annually for the Old Tin Cup.
• The Bullets outgained the Mules 608-474 on the day. It is the second time this season that Gettysburg has put up 600 or more yards of total offense.
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Rocco Abdinoor is just the second Bullet in program history with more than 500 yards of total offense. Matt Flynn had 522 at Ursinus on Oct. 3, 2009. Abdinoor's 352 yards passing were the most since Kyle Whitmoyer threw for 374 against Ursinus on Oct. 20, 2010.
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Luke Denison caught four passes for a career-high 84 yards.
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Anad Charles (Philadelphia, Pa./Riverview) had his first collegiate double-digit tackle game, leading the defense with 11.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action at home against College of New Jersey on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.
