Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall Preview
From the Gettysburg College Website:
Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall – Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005 – 1 p.m.
OPENING KICKOFF: Saturday’s Centennial Conference (CC) finale marks the 91st meeting between Gettysburg (4-5, 3-2 CC) and Franklin & Marshall (4-5, 3-2 CC) in a series that dates back to the Bullets’ second-ever intercollegiate football game in 1890. The Diplomats hold a slight 42-41-7 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last three match-ups between the two programs. In last year’s meeting at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium, Jeff Harner threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third to give F&M a 38-20 victory and a share of the five-way tie for the CC championship. Gettysburg’s last victory in the series was a 24-16 decision to close the 2001 season.
LAST TIME OUT: Sophomore TB Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown, and the Gettysburg defense surrendered only one scoring drive for the second straight week in a 17-7 win over Dickinson on Saturday. Sturges and junior HB Jesse Jeffers (Morristown, NJ/Morristown-Beard) found the end zone on runs of 9 and 18 yards, respectively, helping the Bullets defeat the Red Devils for the first time since 1993 to lay claim to The Little Brown Bucket. In Collegeville, freshman K Brandon Kline kicked four second-half field goals – the last from 42 yards away with 1:38 remaining – to give Franklin & Marshall a 19-17 come-from-behind victory over Ursinus on Saturday. Senior QB Jeff Harner’s 29-yard touchdown run put the Diplomats ahead 7-0, but the Bears took a 17-7 lead into halftime before Kline capped four drives with field goals of 21, 27, 29 and 42 yards to keep F&M’s championship hopes alive.
TITLE TALK: Both Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall will have more than a passing interest in Saturday’s meeting between Johns Hopkins and McDaniel in Westminster, Md. If the Green Terror knocks off the Blue Jays, either the Bullets or Diplomats will claim a share of the CC championship with a victory. The Blue Jays have already clinched the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament and can win their first outright CC title by defeating the Green Terror. Gettysburg is seeking its first CC championship since 1985, the same year the Bullets advanced to the NCAA semifinals.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK (AGAIN): Tom Sturges was named the CC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after his 140-yard rushing performance against Dickinson last Saturday. The sophomore also picked up Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for more than 100 yards against Lebanon Valley, Denison and McDaniel earlier this season.
ALSO OUTSTANDING: Senior DB Nathan Smith (Hanover, PA/Cooperstown Central [NY]) and junior QB Mark Campo (Arendtsville, PA/Biglerville) were tabbed as CC Outstanding Performers for their role Saturday’s win. Smith led the Bullets with eight tackles on Saturday and thwarted two of Dickinson’s fourth-down attempts in Gettysburg territory, once on a tackle and once with a pass breakup. As the Bullet holder, Campo turned a fake field goal into a nine-yard first-down completion to Joe Fricchione (Branchville, NJ/High Point), one play before Tom Sturges’ nine-yard touchdown gave the hosts a 10-0 lead.
MILLENNIUM MADNESS: Tom Sturges flew past the 1,000-yard rushing mark on Saturday, compiling 140 yards against Dickinson to finish the day with a conference-leading 1,072. He leads the CC and ranks 24th in Division III with 119.1 rushing yards per game. Sturges is the first Bullet to reach the 1,000-yard mark in a season since Paul Smith rolled up 1,546 rushing yards in 1999. Sturges would be the first Gettysburg back to lead the CC in rushing since Smith in 1999.
IN THE TRENCHES: In addition to the fleet-footed Sturges, a veteran offensive line is helping Gettysburg lead the CC in rushing offense (160.1 yards per game). The quintet of senior LT John Burger (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.), senior LG Brandon Smith (Lititz, PA/Manheim Twp.), senior C Keith Phillips (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa), junior RG Dain Alaia (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem) and senior RT Enoch Boateng (Vienna, VA/W.T. Woodson) has started every game this season.
UNDER CENTER: Sophomore QB Hunter McMillan (Middletown, DE/Wilmington Friends) has completed 102 of 215 passes for 1,153 yards and six touchdowns in 2005, the most passing yards in one season by a Bullet signal-caller since Dennis Flaherty compiled a program-record 2,095 in 2000. Mark Campo also got into the act on Saturday, completing 6 of 7 passes for 52 yards and driving Gettysburg 59 yards on five plays for a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.
CATCHING ON: Junior HB Dusty Green (Idaville, PA/Bermudian Springs) and junior WR Spencer Davidson (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) are Gettysburg’s leading receivers in 2005. Green has a team-high 28 receptions for 293 yards and two touchdowns while Davidson has made 27 catches for a team-leading 359 yards and one score. Green and Davidson are tied for fifth and seventh, respectively, in the CC with 3.11 and 3.00 receptions per game. In addition, Davidson ranks fifth with 39.9 receiving yards per game.
IN THE RED: In CC games, Gettysburg leads the conference in red zone defense, having allowed its opponents only five scoring plays on 12 trips inside the Bullet 20, a success rate of 41.7 percent. Gettysburg has halted three drives on downs and held opponents to a 1-of-5 showing on field goal attempts.
FOURTH AND TOO LONG: In addition to its red zone defensive prowess against conference foes, Gettysburg leads the CC in opponent fourth-down conversion percentage (18.2). In five conference games, the Bullets have stuffed nine of their opponents’ 11 fourth-down attempts.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Senior DB Nathan Smith (Hanover, PA/Cooperstown Central [NY]) leads the CC and ranks fifth in Division III with an average of 31.3 yards per kickoff return. Smith has already tied the CC single-season record for kickoff-return touchdowns (3) while breaking a tie with Muhlenberg’s Joshua Carter for the conference’s career mark (5).
SACK ATTACK: Junior LB Harold Barton (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) has recorded at least one sack in each of his last four games to lead the team with 6.5 sacks this year. Barton paces the squad with 92 tackles and ranks third in the CC with 10.2 tackles per game. Nationally, he is tied for 18th in Division III with 6.6 solo tackles per game.
ALL BROKEN UP: Nathan Smith leads the team with 11 passes defended in 2005, including eight pass breakups and three interceptions. Smith is tied for third in the CC with 1.22 passes defended per game. Senior DB Jay Cage (N. Charleston, SC/Sterling [NJ]) ranks second among the Bullets with seven pass breakups while senior DB Daniel Silva (Lanham, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt) is tied with Smith for the team lead with three interceptions.
KICKING IT: Freshman K Josh Huson (McLean, VA/McLean) booted his fourth field goal of the season on Saturday, a 31-yarder to open the scoring. Huson is tied for the conference lead in extra-point conversion percentage (89.5), having made 17 of 19 PATs this season.
BULLET POINTS: With the win against Dickinson, Gettysburg went 4-1 at home for the first time since 1994. Conversely, the Bullets are looking to snap a 10-game road losing streak this Saturday. Gettysburg’s last win away from Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium was a 14-3 decision at Ursinus on Oct. 25, 2003… Jesse Jeffers’ rushing touchdown against the Red Devils was his first since a two-touchdown day against St. Lawrence in 2002… The Bullets have won three conference games for the first time since 1996. Gettysburg is seeking its first four-win CC slate since 1994… Nathan Smith (8th, 8.0 tackles per game), senior LB Michael Schmidt (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) (T-12th, 7.2) and senior LB Ryan McGarry (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) (T-20th, 6.6) all rank among the CC’s top 20 tacklers… The Bullets are 1-9-1 in their last 11 trips to Lancaster.
THE WORD ON FRANKLIN & MARSHALL: Gettysburg won’t be the only team with title aspirations on Saturday. Franklin & Marshall would claim a share of the CC crown for the second straight season with a win over the Bullets and a Johns Hopkins loss to McDaniel. The Diplomats were part of the CC’s five-way tie at the top in 2004. F&M kept its title hopes alive with a 19-17 victory at Ursinus last Saturday, a win fueled by four second-half field goals off the foot of freshman K Brandon Kline. Senior QB Jeff Harner, a first-team All-CC selection in 2004, has completed 96 of 228 attempts for 1,104 yards and four touchdowns this season, ranking fifth in the conference with 122.7 passing yards per game. He was selected as a CC Outstanding Performer after accounting for 191 total yards and one touchdown against Ursinus. Harner is the team’s second-leading rusher with 235 yards and a team-high four rushing touchdowns. Freshman RB Marc Patricelli is the squad’s leading rusher with 126 carries for 451 yards. He ranks third in the CC with 50.1 rushing yards per game. Junior WR Rob Donofrio paces the Diplomats with 27 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He is tied for seventh in the CC with 3.00 receptions per game and ranked eighth with 36.0 receiving yards per game. Senior DB Ryan Sychterz and senior LB Chris Stepien have each recorded a team-high three interceptions. Stepien is also the team leader with 74 tackles, including 11.5 stops for loss and 3.5 sacks. Senior LB Joe LoCastro and sophomore DL Mickey Rehring ranks second and third on the team, respectively, with 63 and 61 tackles. In CC games, Franklin & Marshall ranks second in the conference in total offense (308.2 yards per game) and fifth in total defense (299.2). The Diplomats are fourth in both scoring offense (14.8 points per game) and scoring defense (15.6).
COACH’S CORNER: Barry Streeter is in his 27th season as the head coach at Gettysburg, the longest coaching tenure in program history. He has posted a 136-130-5 record while guiding the Bullets to three CC championships and a pair of NCAA playoff victories. He ranks first among active CC coaches in both conference victories (74) and overall wins (136). Shawn Halloran has posted a 16-14 record in three seasons at Franklin & Marshall, including a share of the 2004 CC championship. A former starting quarterback at Boston College, Halloran succeeded Doug Flutie as the Eagles’ signal-caller in 1985. He received his coaching start at BC in 1991 and spent six seasons as an assistant at Yale before coming to Lancaster in 2003.
STREETER ON REGAINING THE BUCKET: “It feels good. It was a good win for our kids and for our team this season. It was one of those games where there was a lot riding on the game other than The Bucket and the rivalry. So it was great. It’s about time.”
STREETER ON HIS DEFENSE: “(Defensive coordinator) Tyson (Silveus) and the defensive staff have really done a great job of creating a sense of pride in that defensive unit. I’ve seen us – maybe more so than I can remember in a long, long time on short-yardage plays – stuffing the plays for no gain and causing a punt or getting the ball back. We did that on Saturday.”
STREETER ON BEING IN THE CC TITLE PICTURE: “It’s like old times. It’s kind of neat being in the last week or two weeks and giving yourself a chance to win the thing or get a part of it. We just have to take it a step at a time and our kids have done a good job of being able to do that.”
STREETER ON FRANKLIN & MARSHALL: “They have excellent talent on offense and defense, and it’s amazing to me that they haven’t score more points. Their quarterback is impressive. He throws the ball well, he has good feet and he’s a big kid. They’re a talented team, so we have to run the ball successfully and our offense has to be able to stay on the field and sustain drives.”
Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall – Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005 – 1 p.m.
OPENING KICKOFF: Saturday’s Centennial Conference (CC) finale marks the 91st meeting between Gettysburg (4-5, 3-2 CC) and Franklin & Marshall (4-5, 3-2 CC) in a series that dates back to the Bullets’ second-ever intercollegiate football game in 1890. The Diplomats hold a slight 42-41-7 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last three match-ups between the two programs. In last year’s meeting at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium, Jeff Harner threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third to give F&M a 38-20 victory and a share of the five-way tie for the CC championship. Gettysburg’s last victory in the series was a 24-16 decision to close the 2001 season.
LAST TIME OUT: Sophomore TB Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown, and the Gettysburg defense surrendered only one scoring drive for the second straight week in a 17-7 win over Dickinson on Saturday. Sturges and junior HB Jesse Jeffers (Morristown, NJ/Morristown-Beard) found the end zone on runs of 9 and 18 yards, respectively, helping the Bullets defeat the Red Devils for the first time since 1993 to lay claim to The Little Brown Bucket. In Collegeville, freshman K Brandon Kline kicked four second-half field goals – the last from 42 yards away with 1:38 remaining – to give Franklin & Marshall a 19-17 come-from-behind victory over Ursinus on Saturday. Senior QB Jeff Harner’s 29-yard touchdown run put the Diplomats ahead 7-0, but the Bears took a 17-7 lead into halftime before Kline capped four drives with field goals of 21, 27, 29 and 42 yards to keep F&M’s championship hopes alive.
TITLE TALK: Both Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall will have more than a passing interest in Saturday’s meeting between Johns Hopkins and McDaniel in Westminster, Md. If the Green Terror knocks off the Blue Jays, either the Bullets or Diplomats will claim a share of the CC championship with a victory. The Blue Jays have already clinched the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament and can win their first outright CC title by defeating the Green Terror. Gettysburg is seeking its first CC championship since 1985, the same year the Bullets advanced to the NCAA semifinals.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK (AGAIN): Tom Sturges was named the CC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after his 140-yard rushing performance against Dickinson last Saturday. The sophomore also picked up Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for more than 100 yards against Lebanon Valley, Denison and McDaniel earlier this season.
ALSO OUTSTANDING: Senior DB Nathan Smith (Hanover, PA/Cooperstown Central [NY]) and junior QB Mark Campo (Arendtsville, PA/Biglerville) were tabbed as CC Outstanding Performers for their role Saturday’s win. Smith led the Bullets with eight tackles on Saturday and thwarted two of Dickinson’s fourth-down attempts in Gettysburg territory, once on a tackle and once with a pass breakup. As the Bullet holder, Campo turned a fake field goal into a nine-yard first-down completion to Joe Fricchione (Branchville, NJ/High Point), one play before Tom Sturges’ nine-yard touchdown gave the hosts a 10-0 lead.
MILLENNIUM MADNESS: Tom Sturges flew past the 1,000-yard rushing mark on Saturday, compiling 140 yards against Dickinson to finish the day with a conference-leading 1,072. He leads the CC and ranks 24th in Division III with 119.1 rushing yards per game. Sturges is the first Bullet to reach the 1,000-yard mark in a season since Paul Smith rolled up 1,546 rushing yards in 1999. Sturges would be the first Gettysburg back to lead the CC in rushing since Smith in 1999.
IN THE TRENCHES: In addition to the fleet-footed Sturges, a veteran offensive line is helping Gettysburg lead the CC in rushing offense (160.1 yards per game). The quintet of senior LT John Burger (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.), senior LG Brandon Smith (Lititz, PA/Manheim Twp.), senior C Keith Phillips (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa), junior RG Dain Alaia (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem) and senior RT Enoch Boateng (Vienna, VA/W.T. Woodson) has started every game this season.
UNDER CENTER: Sophomore QB Hunter McMillan (Middletown, DE/Wilmington Friends) has completed 102 of 215 passes for 1,153 yards and six touchdowns in 2005, the most passing yards in one season by a Bullet signal-caller since Dennis Flaherty compiled a program-record 2,095 in 2000. Mark Campo also got into the act on Saturday, completing 6 of 7 passes for 52 yards and driving Gettysburg 59 yards on five plays for a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.
CATCHING ON: Junior HB Dusty Green (Idaville, PA/Bermudian Springs) and junior WR Spencer Davidson (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) are Gettysburg’s leading receivers in 2005. Green has a team-high 28 receptions for 293 yards and two touchdowns while Davidson has made 27 catches for a team-leading 359 yards and one score. Green and Davidson are tied for fifth and seventh, respectively, in the CC with 3.11 and 3.00 receptions per game. In addition, Davidson ranks fifth with 39.9 receiving yards per game.
IN THE RED: In CC games, Gettysburg leads the conference in red zone defense, having allowed its opponents only five scoring plays on 12 trips inside the Bullet 20, a success rate of 41.7 percent. Gettysburg has halted three drives on downs and held opponents to a 1-of-5 showing on field goal attempts.
FOURTH AND TOO LONG: In addition to its red zone defensive prowess against conference foes, Gettysburg leads the CC in opponent fourth-down conversion percentage (18.2). In five conference games, the Bullets have stuffed nine of their opponents’ 11 fourth-down attempts.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Senior DB Nathan Smith (Hanover, PA/Cooperstown Central [NY]) leads the CC and ranks fifth in Division III with an average of 31.3 yards per kickoff return. Smith has already tied the CC single-season record for kickoff-return touchdowns (3) while breaking a tie with Muhlenberg’s Joshua Carter for the conference’s career mark (5).
SACK ATTACK: Junior LB Harold Barton (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) has recorded at least one sack in each of his last four games to lead the team with 6.5 sacks this year. Barton paces the squad with 92 tackles and ranks third in the CC with 10.2 tackles per game. Nationally, he is tied for 18th in Division III with 6.6 solo tackles per game.
ALL BROKEN UP: Nathan Smith leads the team with 11 passes defended in 2005, including eight pass breakups and three interceptions. Smith is tied for third in the CC with 1.22 passes defended per game. Senior DB Jay Cage (N. Charleston, SC/Sterling [NJ]) ranks second among the Bullets with seven pass breakups while senior DB Daniel Silva (Lanham, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt) is tied with Smith for the team lead with three interceptions.
KICKING IT: Freshman K Josh Huson (McLean, VA/McLean) booted his fourth field goal of the season on Saturday, a 31-yarder to open the scoring. Huson is tied for the conference lead in extra-point conversion percentage (89.5), having made 17 of 19 PATs this season.
BULLET POINTS: With the win against Dickinson, Gettysburg went 4-1 at home for the first time since 1994. Conversely, the Bullets are looking to snap a 10-game road losing streak this Saturday. Gettysburg’s last win away from Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium was a 14-3 decision at Ursinus on Oct. 25, 2003… Jesse Jeffers’ rushing touchdown against the Red Devils was his first since a two-touchdown day against St. Lawrence in 2002… The Bullets have won three conference games for the first time since 1996. Gettysburg is seeking its first four-win CC slate since 1994… Nathan Smith (8th, 8.0 tackles per game), senior LB Michael Schmidt (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) (T-12th, 7.2) and senior LB Ryan McGarry (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) (T-20th, 6.6) all rank among the CC’s top 20 tacklers… The Bullets are 1-9-1 in their last 11 trips to Lancaster.
THE WORD ON FRANKLIN & MARSHALL: Gettysburg won’t be the only team with title aspirations on Saturday. Franklin & Marshall would claim a share of the CC crown for the second straight season with a win over the Bullets and a Johns Hopkins loss to McDaniel. The Diplomats were part of the CC’s five-way tie at the top in 2004. F&M kept its title hopes alive with a 19-17 victory at Ursinus last Saturday, a win fueled by four second-half field goals off the foot of freshman K Brandon Kline. Senior QB Jeff Harner, a first-team All-CC selection in 2004, has completed 96 of 228 attempts for 1,104 yards and four touchdowns this season, ranking fifth in the conference with 122.7 passing yards per game. He was selected as a CC Outstanding Performer after accounting for 191 total yards and one touchdown against Ursinus. Harner is the team’s second-leading rusher with 235 yards and a team-high four rushing touchdowns. Freshman RB Marc Patricelli is the squad’s leading rusher with 126 carries for 451 yards. He ranks third in the CC with 50.1 rushing yards per game. Junior WR Rob Donofrio paces the Diplomats with 27 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He is tied for seventh in the CC with 3.00 receptions per game and ranked eighth with 36.0 receiving yards per game. Senior DB Ryan Sychterz and senior LB Chris Stepien have each recorded a team-high three interceptions. Stepien is also the team leader with 74 tackles, including 11.5 stops for loss and 3.5 sacks. Senior LB Joe LoCastro and sophomore DL Mickey Rehring ranks second and third on the team, respectively, with 63 and 61 tackles. In CC games, Franklin & Marshall ranks second in the conference in total offense (308.2 yards per game) and fifth in total defense (299.2). The Diplomats are fourth in both scoring offense (14.8 points per game) and scoring defense (15.6).
COACH’S CORNER: Barry Streeter is in his 27th season as the head coach at Gettysburg, the longest coaching tenure in program history. He has posted a 136-130-5 record while guiding the Bullets to three CC championships and a pair of NCAA playoff victories. He ranks first among active CC coaches in both conference victories (74) and overall wins (136). Shawn Halloran has posted a 16-14 record in three seasons at Franklin & Marshall, including a share of the 2004 CC championship. A former starting quarterback at Boston College, Halloran succeeded Doug Flutie as the Eagles’ signal-caller in 1985. He received his coaching start at BC in 1991 and spent six seasons as an assistant at Yale before coming to Lancaster in 2003.
STREETER ON REGAINING THE BUCKET: “It feels good. It was a good win for our kids and for our team this season. It was one of those games where there was a lot riding on the game other than The Bucket and the rivalry. So it was great. It’s about time.”
STREETER ON HIS DEFENSE: “(Defensive coordinator) Tyson (Silveus) and the defensive staff have really done a great job of creating a sense of pride in that defensive unit. I’ve seen us – maybe more so than I can remember in a long, long time on short-yardage plays – stuffing the plays for no gain and causing a punt or getting the ball back. We did that on Saturday.”
STREETER ON BEING IN THE CC TITLE PICTURE: “It’s like old times. It’s kind of neat being in the last week or two weeks and giving yourself a chance to win the thing or get a part of it. We just have to take it a step at a time and our kids have done a good job of being able to do that.”
STREETER ON FRANKLIN & MARSHALL: “They have excellent talent on offense and defense, and it’s amazing to me that they haven’t score more points. Their quarterback is impressive. He throws the ball well, he has good feet and he’s a big kid. They’re a talented team, so we have to run the ball successfully and our offense has to be able to stay on the field and sustain drives.”
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