Gettysburg College Athletics

Today’s Centennial Conference (CC) game marks the 19th meeting between Gettysburg (1-4, 1-3 CC) and No. 21 Susquehanna (5-0, 4-0 CC) in a series that dates back to 1897. The Bullets lead the all-time series 10-7-1 but the River Hawks have won the last three meetings. The last Gettysburg victory was a 29-21 victory in Gettysburg on Oct. 28, 2017.

WHEN LAST WE MET: No. 20 Susquehanna took over sole possession of first place in the Centennial Conference with a 47-7 win over visiting Gettysburg College last season. Mike Vigliano led the Bullets with three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Chris Lessel (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) led the defense with eight tackles, including two for loss, and a pass breakup. Michael Ruisch led the River Hawks with 267 yards passing and five touchdowns. (Full Recap) (Box Score)

COACHES’ CORNER: Maurice Banks enters his third year in charge of the Gettysburg program and second season with games. Banks enters today’s game with a 2-13 record on the sidelines. He came to Gettysburg after six seasons at Georgetown (2014-18) and Penn (2019). At Georgetown, he coached defensive backs and oversaw special teams, including mentoring a secondary that ranked third in the FCS in team passing efficiency defense (97.2 percent) and fourth in interceptions (20) in 2018. At Penn, Banks assisted with the development and implementation of defensive and special teams schemes. He coached a pair of All-Ivy League selections at linebacker and was also the play-caller for the kickoff unit, which finished third in the Ivy League in net kickoff average… Tom Pertkovich is in his seventh season at the helm of the River Hawks, entering today with a record of 51-18. He has guided Susquehanna to four straight Centennial-MAC Bowl appearances, recording wins in all four appearances that included a 49-21 win over Widener last season. Pertkovich became Susquehanna’s 30th coach in 2015 after serving the previous 11 seasons on the coaching staff at Muhlenberg. He spent the last five seasons as the Mules’ offensive coordinator and had previous stints as special team’s coordinator and offensive line coach. He began his coaching career at Muhlenberg in 2003 when he was named running backs coach, a position he held through the 2004 season. He moved to Division I Holy Cross as tight ends coach before taking over as running backs coach at Colgate in 2006. He returned to the Mules’ staff a year later.

LAST TIME OUT: Muhlenberg scored a pair of touchdowns in the first 5 minutes, 1 second en route to a 56-17 win over Gettysburg two weeks ago. Teddy Girton (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) led the Bullets with seven catches for 76 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Joe Repetti led the Mules, throwing for 338 yards and five touchdowns. He completed 22 of 33 passes and ran the ball eight times for 77 yards. (Full Recap) (Box Score)

LEADING THE WAY: Logan Edmond (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh), Teddy Girton (Wayne, Pa./Radnor), Chris Lessel (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) and Chris Singleton, Jr. (Catonsville, Md./Georgetown Prep) will captain the squad in 2022. All four are first-time captains for Gettysburg.

WELCOME, ALUMS!: It’s Homecoming Weekend at Gettysburg. The Bullets enter the 2022 season with an all-time record of 54-32-3 in from of the alumni. Gettysburg won last year’s Homecoming matchup 48-42 against Juniata to snap a three-game skid on Homecoming. The last – and only – time the Bullets hosted Susquehanna for the Homecoming contest was 2013 when Gettysburg notched a 42-28 victory.

GOING LONG: The Bullets have connected on a pass of 40 yards or longer in each of the first five games this season. Two weeks ago at Muhlenberg was the first time Gettysburg had two 40-yard pass plays in the same game. Rocco Abdinoor (Edgewater, Md./St. Mary’s Annapolis) hit Jake Frisco (Falls, Pa./Tunkhannock Area) for a 43-yard last-second touchdown just before halftime. In the third quarter, Mason Stolarik (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) found Ryan McAndrew (Denville, N.J./Morris Catholic) for 46 yards. It was the fourth time this season that McAndrew has a reception that has netted more than 40 yards. 

DUAL THREAT: Rocco Abdinoor bring a dual threat to the quarterback position for Gettysburg. In addition to ranking sixth in the league in passing yards per game (174.5), he is also seventh in the league in rushing yards among all players. The rookie has scampered for an average of 67.0 yards per game, which is best among CC signal callers. He is the only conference quarterback in the top 10 in rushing. Abdinoor has thrown for 144 or more yards in each of his four appearance and run for no fewer than 50. 

GROUP EFFORT: The Bullets enter the second half of the season with no defender in the top 12 in the conference in tackles. Josh Williams (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) currently leads the team with 35 stops. However, seven other Gettysburg defenders have more than 15 tackles this season. In five games this season, five different players have led the team in tackles. Williams has been the solo leader in tackles once this season and was tied for the team lead two other times.

DEFENSES CAN SCORE, TOO: The Bullets have scored two defensive touchdowns this season, returning fumble and an interception for scores. Both returns covered more than 90 yards. Only five teams in Division III have more defensive scores than Gettysburg. Franklin & Marshall is the only other conference team with a pair of defensive touchdowns.

BULLET POINTS: Gettysburg is 2-8 off the bye since going to the mid-season bye in 2011. Four of the last five opponents the week after the bye have been ranked opponents… The Bullets’ first three October games are against the top three teams in the conference. Susquehanna and Johns Hopkins – the next two Gettysburg opponents – are both undefeated on the season, setting up a potential Oct. 29 showdown in Selinsgrove. 

The 21st-ranked River Hawks enter today’s game off a 17-12 win over Ursinus before the bye. Susquehanna scored 17 straight points in a 9-minute, 41-second stretch of game time. The Bears drew within 17-12 with 3:43 to play in the fourth quarter but the River Hawks recovered the ensuing onside kick before Ursinus forced a fumble to have one last chance a minute later. A Keith Green interception on fourth-and-10 gave Susquehanna the ball back at its own 30 with 1:37 remaining and two kneeldowns won the game. Frankie Negrini led Susquehanna on the day with 108 yards rushing on 28 carries. Kyle Howes caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown… Negrini leads the team in rushing this season with 380 yards and four touchdowns. His 76.0 yards per game is fourth in the conference… Michael Ruisch is 84-for-149 passing (56.4 percent) for 1,211 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 242.2 average ranks fourth in the CC… Howes is averaging 79.0 yards per game and 17.2 yards per catch this season. He has three touchdowns among his 23 catches. He and Michael Lefever are both in the top four in the conference in receiving yards per game. Howes ranks second while Lefever is fourth at 63.8. Lefever has a team-high four touchdowns… John Nicosia leads the defense with 45 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks… After playing three of its first four conference games at home, Susquehanna has back-to-back road games at Gettysburg and McDaniel before returning home for Homecoming against Johns Hopkins on Oct. 29.