Football Closes Out Regular Season Looking to Stay Perfect at Home
From the Gettysburg College Website:
Listen Live (WFNM-FM 89.1 - Lancaster, Pa.)
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006; 1 p.m.; Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium (Gettysburg, Pa.)
The F&M Series: Began in 1890 ... Franklin & Marshall leads 43-41-7
The Last Meeting: Nov. 12, 2005 - Franklin & Marshall 13, Gettysburg 7 (Lancaster, Pa.)
Last Gettysburg Win: Nov. 10, 2001 - Gettysburg 24, Franklin & Marshall 16 (Lancaster, Pa.)
Series Streak: Franklin & Marshall - 4
Radio: WFNM-FM 89.1 (Lancaster, Pa.)
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Today's Centennial Conference game between Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg marks the 92nd meeting in a series dating back to 1890, Gettysburg's first season of football. The Diplomats got the best of the Bullets, 68-0, on Nov. 22, 1890, and would be no worse than tied in the series until Gettysburg won the 1928 meeting, 25-6. The Bullets retained the lead by going 1-1-2 over the next four meetings, but Franklin & Marshall took over again with a victory in 1933. Gettysburg got the advantage again in 1949 and was either ahead or tied in the series for the next 54 years, including a 17-year hiatus from 1959-75. The teams have played every season since 1976, with Franklin & Marshall winning the last four dating to 2002 to retake the lead, 43-41-7. This series is Gettysburg's oldest, as it is the only one that survives from the College's inaugural campaign. It has been played more than any other Bullet rivalry as well. The next-most-contested series for Gettysburg are against Dickinson (72 meetings) and Muhlenberg (71). Last season, Franklin & Marshall used a pair of field goals by Brandon Kline and a Marc Patricelli touchdown to defeat the Bullets, 13-7, at Sponaugle-Williamson Field in Lancaster, Pa. Gettysburg countered with a two-yard touchdown run by Joe Fricchione in the fourth quarter to break up the shutout. Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) ran for 113 yards on 25 carries for the Bullets, while Patricelli toted the ball 28 times for 117 yards and a score. Jeff Harner completed 18 of 31 passes for 211 yards and two interceptions. Gettysburg's Nathan Smith had a game-high 16 stops.
Last Time Out
Ryne Cantwell scored two second-half touchdowns, adding on to a 16-14 third-quarter advantage, to help Dickinson (8-1, 5-0 CC) to a 30-14 win over Gettysburg at Biddle Field. Matt Torchia was 19-of-38 for 214 yards and ran 10 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Cantwell rushed 12 times for a game-high 75 yards and two scores as the Red Devils outgained the Bullets 224-143 yards on the ground. Gettysburg's (4-5, 2-3 CC) Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) was 13-of-30 for 103 yards with one interception, and he rushed for 31 yards on seven carries. He now has 1,305 passing yards for the year, and he moved into seventh place in Gettysburg history in single-season passing yards. Dusty Green (Idaville, Pa./Bermudian Springs) led the Bullets with 72 rushing yards on six carries with one touchdown. Kyle Luciano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's by-the-Sea) paced the defense with a career-high 17 tackles with an interception and three passes defended. Sophomore linebacker Terence Hartigan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) had 10 tackles in his first career start.
At Sponaugle-Williamson Field in Lancaster, Pa., Aaron Harper accounted for 253 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for two scores and throwing a 34-yard touchdown pass to lead Ursinus past Franklin & Marshall, 42-10, last Saturday. Harper rushed for a career-high 219 yards on 23 carries, and Josh Hannum made three touchdown catches for 75 yards to help the Bears (7-2, 3-2 CC) record a season-high 472 yards of total offense to post their first win over the Diplomats (3-6, 2-3 CC) since 2001. Ted Wallingford completed 8-of-12 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns, while Ryan VanWright made two interceptions for 47 yards. Franklin & Marshall's Kyle Turner threw for 297 yards and one touchdown, hitting Paul Sousa five times for 124 yards.
Senior Send-Off
Today marks the final home game for 15 Gettysburg College seniors. Coming into the day, this group has a 12-7 career record here at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium, including an 8-1 mark since the beginning of last season. The members of this year's senior class are captain Dain Alaia (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem), Harold Barton (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling), Rob Brassell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./La Salle College), Glenn Cain (Ewing, N.J./Ewing), Mark Campo (Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville), Spencer Davidson (Dumont, N.J./Dumont), Ryan Dunn (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence), Rick Finnegan (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), Stevenson Foote (Huntingtown, Md./Calvert), John Fulton (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington), Dusty Green, Jerry Jones (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), Scott Sheppard (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston), Mike Szczesny (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) and Danny Tyrrell (White Hall, Md./North Harford). Thanks to all of you for your commitment to the Gettysburg football program and best wishes in your future endeavors!
Doing it on the Field and In the Classroom
On Thursday, senior wide receiver Spencer Davidson and sophomore defensive end Conor Quinn (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 College Division team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible, a player must be a starter or key reserve with at least a 3.2 GPA, be at least a sophomore and have completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution. Davidson, a history major with a 3.75 grade point average, has started eight of the Bullets nine games this season. He has 14 catches for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is second on the team in catches and yardage, and he is tied for second in receiving touchdowns. Quinn, an undeclared major with a 3.22 grade point average, has played in all nine games this season, starting twice. He has 20 total tackles, eight solo and 12 assisted. He is tied for third on the team with 2.0 sacks for 19 yards in losses.
Mr. Consistency
After a solid freshman campaign in 2004, junior tailback Tom Sturges has played in 18 of Gettysburg's 19 games since the beginning of the 2005 season. In that stretch, he has rushed for over 100 yards 12 times, including six times this season. He has been named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week three times this season and seven times in his career. He put together a 26-carry, 174-yard performance against Hampden-Sydney, earning conference offensive accolades, and followed it with a 27-rush, 159-yard outing at Rochester. He had a 32-yard touchdown run in each game. Against Rochester, he had three catches for 31 yards and returned four kickoffs for 72 yards to put together a then-career-high 231 all-purpose yards on the day. Against Denison, he earned CC Offensive Player of the Week honors after carrying 31 times for 186 yards and the game-tying touchdown on the Bullets' first possession. After a bye week, he was honored by the Centennial Conference again for a 246-all-purpose-yard effort that featured 189 yards on 32 carries and 53 yards in kick returns. Sturges also tied his career high with two rushing touchdowns. Against Johns Hopkins he rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game, collecting 109 yards on 25 carries. He also scored the game-winning touchdown. Against Ursinus, Sturges toted the ball a season-high 34 times for 152 yards, reaching the 150-yard mark for the fifth time this season, and scored his career-high seventh touchdown of the season. He gained 82 yards on the ground and scored a game-tying touchdown in the second quarter at Muhlenberg. On the year, Sturges has carried the ball 210 times for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns, caught seven passes for 35 yards and returned 10 kicks for 229 yards to rank ninth in the nation with 168.0 all-purpose yards per game and seventh in rushing with 135.0 yards per outing.
Big-Time Opening Act Freshman
Matt Flynn threw six passes in the first two games of the season, but broke out in a big way, coming off the bench late in the first quarter on Sept. 16 at Rochester and tying a Gettysburg record with five touchdown passes in the game. He was 18-for-31 with 288 yards and rushed four times for 17 yards for a 305-yard total offensive performance. The first Bullet to throw five touchdown passes in one game was Ross Sachs against Bucknell in 1949. Chris Adams tied the mark in 1994 against Ursinus. As a result of his big day, Flynn became the second straight Gettysburg player named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Flynn followed that effort with his first career start on Sept. 23 against Denison and threw for three more touchdown passes on 13-of-23 passing and ran for 26 more yards on six carries, and he had another solid performance in the CC opener at McDaniel. Against Johns Hopkins, he threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns to lead Gettysburg to its first win over Johns Hopkins since 1994. Over the last three weeks, he has 440 yards passing and two touchdowns. On the season, Flynn has 1,305 yards on 96 of 190 passing, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is second in the conference with a 122.75 passing efficiency rating, third in passing touchdowns and fourth in passing yardage.
Holding the Freshman Records...
Freshman quarterback Matt Flynn came in late in the first quarter against Rochester, but the offense did not start rolling until the second quarter of that game. He threw five touchdown passes in the last three quarters and added three more before halftime against Denison the following week. What that means, is that in five quarters, Flynn broke the Gettysburg record for single-season touchdowns by a freshman (Dennis Flaherty - 6 - 1997) and went nearly one-quarter of the way to the Bullets' career touchdown record (Flaherty - 33 - 1997-2000). With 1,305 yards passing, Flynn has also broken Flaherty's freshman single-season passing yardage mark of 866.
...Taking Aim at the Overall Records
With his performance through the first nine games of the season, quarterback Matt Flynn has not only smashed the Gettysburg single-season freshman records for passing yardage and passing touchdowns, he has placed himself among the all-time leaders in those categories. With 12 touchdown passes, he is tied with Bob Crawford who connected with his receivers for six 12 times in 1973. That mark is also the highest total by a Gettysburg quarterback since Chris Adams set the school record with 19 touchdowns in 1994. He is also creeping up the single-campaign passing yardage chart. With 1,305 yards passing this season, Flynn stands in seventh place, 63 yards behind Dennis Flaherty's 1999 total of 1,368. He is also within 115 yards of third, a spot held by Jim Ward, who threw for 1,420 yards in 1965.
Two-Grand Man
Junior tailback Tom Sturges' rushing performance in the first nine games of the season has pushed his career rushing total to 2,681 yards, making him Gettysburg's seventh 2,000-yard rusher. He cracked the 2,000-yard plateau with a career-long 53-yard run on his second carry of the game against Denison. He also passed Paul Martin for sixth place on the list during that game. Martin rushed for 2,053 yards from 1982-85. Sturges is 66 yards behind Shannon Forsythe (2,747 yards - 1992-95) for fifth, and he still has a ways to go to reach the top of the list. Paul Smith, who played from 1996-99, is still 2,524 yards ahead of Sturges at 5,205.
One-Grand Man
Junior tailback Tom Sturges' entered the Oct. 28 game at Muhlenberg with 998 yards rushing for the season. He wasted no time in cracking the 1,000-yard plateau for the second season in a row, gaining four yards on his first carry. Last season, he was Gettysburg's first 1,000-yard rusher since Paul Smith gained a school-record 1,546 yards in 1999. Sturges is now the first back with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Smith did it three straight times from 1997-99 (1,256; 1,515; 1,546).
On the National Stage
Several Gettysburg players have reached the national top 100 in various statistical categories. Junior tailback Tom Sturges leads the charge. He ranks seventh in the nation in rushing with 135.0 yards per game and ninth in all-purpose yards with 168.0 per outing. Senior linebacker Harold Barton ranks 22nd with 0.33 forced fumbles per game. Freshman quarterback Matt Flynn is 76th in passing efficiency at 122.75, while senior halfback Dusty Green ranks 51st in scoring with 7.3 points per game. Barton is also 34th with 10.3 tackles per game. Junior linebacker James Holubowich (Mineola, N.Y./Mineola) ranks 63rd with 9.4 tackles per game, and sophomore kicker Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean) is 70th with an average of 0.6 made field goals. Sturges is 51st with a 22.9 kickoff return average, and junior cornerback Adam Fulmer (Halifax, Pa./Halifax) is 92nd with 1.11 passes defended per game. As a team, the Bullets rank 26th in rushing (200.1 yards per game), 58th in total offense (353.1 yards per game), 68th in turnover margin (+0.4 per game) and 95th in scoring offense (22.8 points per game).
Green Means Go
Senior halfback Dusty Green has come up big in the 2006 season. He is the Centennial Conference's leading scorer with a career-high 11 touchdowns; seven receiving (more than triple his career total entering the season), three rushing and one on a fumble recovery. In the Hampden-Sydney game, he rumbled 85 yards on a rushing play to record the Bullets' first 80-yard run in four years. Against Rochester, he caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Matt Flynn. Green followed that performance with another 95 yards on a career-high seven catches and two touchdowns against Denison. Against Ursinus on Oct. 21, he had his third two-touchdown performance of the season, scoring twice in 2:14 to extend the Bullets' lead to 15 points. His 65-yard touchdown catch was Gettysburg's first 60-yard pass play in three years. At Muhlenberg, he caught a 21-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-8 to cap the Bullets' opening drive and give them a 7-0 lead, and last weekend, at Dickinson, he capped a 17-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard score that gave the Bullets a 7-6 lead. Overall, Green has 437 yards rushing on 56 carries, and he leads the team with 468 receiving yards on a team-high 34 catches. Green now has 163 carries for 890 yards and 67 catches for 786 yards, leaving him 110 rushing yards and 214 receiving yards from reaching 1,000 in both categories.
Making the Stops
Gettysburg has four players among the top six tacklers in the Centennial Conference. Junior safety Kyle Luciano is third with 10.8 tackles per game. Senior linebacker Harold Barton and junior linebacker James Holubowich are fourth and fifth, respectively, with 10.3 and 9.4 stops per game. Sophomore safety David Rodriguez (Fort Belvoir, Va./Bishop Ireton) rounds out the group in sixth with 8.2 tackles per game. Barton (34th) and Holubowich (63rd) rank among the nation's top-100. Luciano, who missed the first four games of the season with an injury, is sixth on the team with 54 total takedowns. He made a career-high 17 tackles to go along with an interception and two pass breakups at Dickinson.
At a Loss for Yards
The Bullets have made 52 tackles for losses totaling 209 yards this season, including nine tackles for 29 yards in losses against Muhlenberg. Senior defensive end Stevenson Foote leads the team with 9.0 tackles for 36 yards in losses. Senior linebacker Harold Barton has 8.5 tackles for loss, and junior linebacker James Holubowich has 7.5. Foote is tied for sixth in the conference. With 5.0 sacks for 22 yards, Barton is tied for fourth in the conference.
Line 'Em Up
Coming into preseason camp, one of Gettysburg's biggest question marks was an offensive line that had to replace four starters from the Centennial Conference's best rushing attack in 2005. After an uneven performance at Lebanon Valley on Sept. 2, the Bullets' front five came together. The quintet of seniors Rick Finnegan (C) and Dain Alaia (RG), junior James Russell (Amityville, N.Y./Amityville Memorial) (LT) and sophomores Jay Hagerman (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) (LG) and Sam Walthall (Uniondale, N.Y./Woodlands) (RT) paved the way for Gettysburg's best rushing effort in several years against Hampden-Sydney. Two players gained over 100 yards rushing for the first time since 2002, and Gettysburg rushed for 318 yards as a team, eclipsing the 300-yard mark for the first time in three years. Additionally, quarterbacks Mark Campo and Matt Flynn were not sacked during the game, making Hampden-Sydney the first sackless Gettysburg opponent since 2004. At Rochester, the Bullets gained 534 total yards, including 216 on the ground. They only allowed one sack on the day and helped Flynn tie the Gettysburg single-game record with five touchdown passes. The success continued with the line again not allowing a sack against Denison and helping the offense generate 446 yards of offense. On Oct. 7 at McDaniel, Gettysburg accumulated 423 total yards, and the team added 398 more against Johns Hopkins. The offensive line turned in one of its most impressive performances against Ursinus when it opened the holes for 27 points and 411 yards against a team that had been allowing just 7.3 points (fourth in the nation) and 193.4 yards (ninth in the nation) entering the game. Junior tailback Tom Sturges alone rushed for 152 yards against the Bears, who were allowing just 70.7 yards per game on the ground. Last weekend, sophomore Lou Mastrini (Washington, D.C./Blue Ridge School [Va.]) and David Mell (Summit, N.J./Summit) filled in at left guard and right tackle, respectively, with Hagerman and Walthall finished for the season due to injuries suffered in the Muhlenberg game. Mastrini and Mell helped Gettysburg rush for 143 yards, nearly double what Dickinson, the league's stingiest rushing defense, is averaging. The Bullets have the Centennial Conference's best rushing offense by nearly 35 yards per game over the second-best team and rank 26th in the nation with 200.1 yards per game. Gettysburg has the CC's most prolific offense, averaging 353.1 yards per game and is tied for second in the conference with 11 sacks allowed.
Head of the Class
Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter is the longest-tenured and winningest football coach in Gettysburg history. He surpassed Hen Bream (1927-51), who coached for 22 seasons, in 2000. Streeter won his 105th career game against Muhlenberg in 1995 to take over the career wins lead. Now in his 28th season as head coach, he has a 140-137-5 (.505) career record.
Scouting Franklin & Marshall (3-6, 2-3 CC)
The Diplomats opened the season with a 21-7 victory at home against Washington & Lee. Following a bye week, they dropped non-conference games against Kean, 21-13, and at Carnegie Mellon, 34-14. The team opened the CC slate with a 24-10 victory at Muhlenberg. The Diplomats have lost four of their last five games, including last weekend's 42-10 loss at home to Ursinus. The victory in that stretch was a 31-7 defeat of McDaniel on Oct. 28. Junior quarterback Kyle Turner is the CC's leader in passing, going 155-of-303 for 1,968 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He leads the conference and ranks 19th in the nation with 263.4 total yards of offense per game. His favorite target is the second-leading pass catcher and per-game receiving yards leader in the conference. Sophomore Paul Sousa has average 4.67 receptions per game for 76.4 yards. Franklin & Marshall also has the fourth-leading rusher in the conference in senior Curtis Varner, who has averaged 59.0 yards per contest. Defensively, senior Tim Barry is tied for the CC lead with four interceptions. He is also tied for 92nd in the nation with 1.11 passes defended per game.
Coach's Corner
Streeter on the Dickinson Game
"It was definitely a close game most of the way. We had a nice drive in the second quarter, a good, methodical drive to take a 7-6 lead. The defense had done a good job, bending, but not giving up touchdowns. Going into halftime down 16-7, I thought we would win. The kids were playing hard, and there was no panic. We were in a good position. It was not an insurmountable deal. Even when we were down two scores late, we were moving the ball. We were right in it until the last minute."
Streeter on the Play of Sophomore Linebacker Terence Hartigan
"Hartigan hadn't played at all, but he really stepped up and made some plays. I was really pleased with his intensity."
Streeter on Senior Day
"It's amazing to me. You look at them (the seniors) and say, 'These guys are seniors already?' It's crazy how fast it goes. You get to know them so well, all the work they put in, the dedication and the personalities. You always hate to lose them, but playing their final game at home against a big rival, it should be an exciting day for them."
Streeter on the Importance of Closing the Regular Season With a Win
"I think everybody wants to play well and make a statement for this season, as well as for seasons to come. We would like to have a well-played football game and come out on top."
Listen Live (WFNM-FM 89.1 - Lancaster, Pa.)
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006; 1 p.m.; Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium (Gettysburg, Pa.)
The F&M Series: Began in 1890 ... Franklin & Marshall leads 43-41-7
The Last Meeting: Nov. 12, 2005 - Franklin & Marshall 13, Gettysburg 7 (Lancaster, Pa.)
Last Gettysburg Win: Nov. 10, 2001 - Gettysburg 24, Franklin & Marshall 16 (Lancaster, Pa.)
Series Streak: Franklin & Marshall - 4
Radio: WFNM-FM 89.1 (Lancaster, Pa.)
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Today's Centennial Conference game between Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg marks the 92nd meeting in a series dating back to 1890, Gettysburg's first season of football. The Diplomats got the best of the Bullets, 68-0, on Nov. 22, 1890, and would be no worse than tied in the series until Gettysburg won the 1928 meeting, 25-6. The Bullets retained the lead by going 1-1-2 over the next four meetings, but Franklin & Marshall took over again with a victory in 1933. Gettysburg got the advantage again in 1949 and was either ahead or tied in the series for the next 54 years, including a 17-year hiatus from 1959-75. The teams have played every season since 1976, with Franklin & Marshall winning the last four dating to 2002 to retake the lead, 43-41-7. This series is Gettysburg's oldest, as it is the only one that survives from the College's inaugural campaign. It has been played more than any other Bullet rivalry as well. The next-most-contested series for Gettysburg are against Dickinson (72 meetings) and Muhlenberg (71). Last season, Franklin & Marshall used a pair of field goals by Brandon Kline and a Marc Patricelli touchdown to defeat the Bullets, 13-7, at Sponaugle-Williamson Field in Lancaster, Pa. Gettysburg countered with a two-yard touchdown run by Joe Fricchione in the fourth quarter to break up the shutout. Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) ran for 113 yards on 25 carries for the Bullets, while Patricelli toted the ball 28 times for 117 yards and a score. Jeff Harner completed 18 of 31 passes for 211 yards and two interceptions. Gettysburg's Nathan Smith had a game-high 16 stops.
Last Time Out
Ryne Cantwell scored two second-half touchdowns, adding on to a 16-14 third-quarter advantage, to help Dickinson (8-1, 5-0 CC) to a 30-14 win over Gettysburg at Biddle Field. Matt Torchia was 19-of-38 for 214 yards and ran 10 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Cantwell rushed 12 times for a game-high 75 yards and two scores as the Red Devils outgained the Bullets 224-143 yards on the ground. Gettysburg's (4-5, 2-3 CC) Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) was 13-of-30 for 103 yards with one interception, and he rushed for 31 yards on seven carries. He now has 1,305 passing yards for the year, and he moved into seventh place in Gettysburg history in single-season passing yards. Dusty Green (Idaville, Pa./Bermudian Springs) led the Bullets with 72 rushing yards on six carries with one touchdown. Kyle Luciano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's by-the-Sea) paced the defense with a career-high 17 tackles with an interception and three passes defended. Sophomore linebacker Terence Hartigan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) had 10 tackles in his first career start.
At Sponaugle-Williamson Field in Lancaster, Pa., Aaron Harper accounted for 253 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for two scores and throwing a 34-yard touchdown pass to lead Ursinus past Franklin & Marshall, 42-10, last Saturday. Harper rushed for a career-high 219 yards on 23 carries, and Josh Hannum made three touchdown catches for 75 yards to help the Bears (7-2, 3-2 CC) record a season-high 472 yards of total offense to post their first win over the Diplomats (3-6, 2-3 CC) since 2001. Ted Wallingford completed 8-of-12 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns, while Ryan VanWright made two interceptions for 47 yards. Franklin & Marshall's Kyle Turner threw for 297 yards and one touchdown, hitting Paul Sousa five times for 124 yards.
Senior Send-Off
Today marks the final home game for 15 Gettysburg College seniors. Coming into the day, this group has a 12-7 career record here at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium, including an 8-1 mark since the beginning of last season. The members of this year's senior class are captain Dain Alaia (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem), Harold Barton (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling), Rob Brassell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./La Salle College), Glenn Cain (Ewing, N.J./Ewing), Mark Campo (Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville), Spencer Davidson (Dumont, N.J./Dumont), Ryan Dunn (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence), Rick Finnegan (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), Stevenson Foote (Huntingtown, Md./Calvert), John Fulton (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington), Dusty Green, Jerry Jones (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), Scott Sheppard (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston), Mike Szczesny (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) and Danny Tyrrell (White Hall, Md./North Harford). Thanks to all of you for your commitment to the Gettysburg football program and best wishes in your future endeavors!
Doing it on the Field and In the Classroom
On Thursday, senior wide receiver Spencer Davidson and sophomore defensive end Conor Quinn (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 College Division team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). To be eligible, a player must be a starter or key reserve with at least a 3.2 GPA, be at least a sophomore and have completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution. Davidson, a history major with a 3.75 grade point average, has started eight of the Bullets nine games this season. He has 14 catches for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is second on the team in catches and yardage, and he is tied for second in receiving touchdowns. Quinn, an undeclared major with a 3.22 grade point average, has played in all nine games this season, starting twice. He has 20 total tackles, eight solo and 12 assisted. He is tied for third on the team with 2.0 sacks for 19 yards in losses.
Mr. Consistency
After a solid freshman campaign in 2004, junior tailback Tom Sturges has played in 18 of Gettysburg's 19 games since the beginning of the 2005 season. In that stretch, he has rushed for over 100 yards 12 times, including six times this season. He has been named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week three times this season and seven times in his career. He put together a 26-carry, 174-yard performance against Hampden-Sydney, earning conference offensive accolades, and followed it with a 27-rush, 159-yard outing at Rochester. He had a 32-yard touchdown run in each game. Against Rochester, he had three catches for 31 yards and returned four kickoffs for 72 yards to put together a then-career-high 231 all-purpose yards on the day. Against Denison, he earned CC Offensive Player of the Week honors after carrying 31 times for 186 yards and the game-tying touchdown on the Bullets' first possession. After a bye week, he was honored by the Centennial Conference again for a 246-all-purpose-yard effort that featured 189 yards on 32 carries and 53 yards in kick returns. Sturges also tied his career high with two rushing touchdowns. Against Johns Hopkins he rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game, collecting 109 yards on 25 carries. He also scored the game-winning touchdown. Against Ursinus, Sturges toted the ball a season-high 34 times for 152 yards, reaching the 150-yard mark for the fifth time this season, and scored his career-high seventh touchdown of the season. He gained 82 yards on the ground and scored a game-tying touchdown in the second quarter at Muhlenberg. On the year, Sturges has carried the ball 210 times for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns, caught seven passes for 35 yards and returned 10 kicks for 229 yards to rank ninth in the nation with 168.0 all-purpose yards per game and seventh in rushing with 135.0 yards per outing.
Big-Time Opening Act Freshman
Matt Flynn threw six passes in the first two games of the season, but broke out in a big way, coming off the bench late in the first quarter on Sept. 16 at Rochester and tying a Gettysburg record with five touchdown passes in the game. He was 18-for-31 with 288 yards and rushed four times for 17 yards for a 305-yard total offensive performance. The first Bullet to throw five touchdown passes in one game was Ross Sachs against Bucknell in 1949. Chris Adams tied the mark in 1994 against Ursinus. As a result of his big day, Flynn became the second straight Gettysburg player named Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Flynn followed that effort with his first career start on Sept. 23 against Denison and threw for three more touchdown passes on 13-of-23 passing and ran for 26 more yards on six carries, and he had another solid performance in the CC opener at McDaniel. Against Johns Hopkins, he threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns to lead Gettysburg to its first win over Johns Hopkins since 1994. Over the last three weeks, he has 440 yards passing and two touchdowns. On the season, Flynn has 1,305 yards on 96 of 190 passing, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is second in the conference with a 122.75 passing efficiency rating, third in passing touchdowns and fourth in passing yardage.
Holding the Freshman Records...
Freshman quarterback Matt Flynn came in late in the first quarter against Rochester, but the offense did not start rolling until the second quarter of that game. He threw five touchdown passes in the last three quarters and added three more before halftime against Denison the following week. What that means, is that in five quarters, Flynn broke the Gettysburg record for single-season touchdowns by a freshman (Dennis Flaherty - 6 - 1997) and went nearly one-quarter of the way to the Bullets' career touchdown record (Flaherty - 33 - 1997-2000). With 1,305 yards passing, Flynn has also broken Flaherty's freshman single-season passing yardage mark of 866.
...Taking Aim at the Overall Records
With his performance through the first nine games of the season, quarterback Matt Flynn has not only smashed the Gettysburg single-season freshman records for passing yardage and passing touchdowns, he has placed himself among the all-time leaders in those categories. With 12 touchdown passes, he is tied with Bob Crawford who connected with his receivers for six 12 times in 1973. That mark is also the highest total by a Gettysburg quarterback since Chris Adams set the school record with 19 touchdowns in 1994. He is also creeping up the single-campaign passing yardage chart. With 1,305 yards passing this season, Flynn stands in seventh place, 63 yards behind Dennis Flaherty's 1999 total of 1,368. He is also within 115 yards of third, a spot held by Jim Ward, who threw for 1,420 yards in 1965.
Two-Grand Man
Junior tailback Tom Sturges' rushing performance in the first nine games of the season has pushed his career rushing total to 2,681 yards, making him Gettysburg's seventh 2,000-yard rusher. He cracked the 2,000-yard plateau with a career-long 53-yard run on his second carry of the game against Denison. He also passed Paul Martin for sixth place on the list during that game. Martin rushed for 2,053 yards from 1982-85. Sturges is 66 yards behind Shannon Forsythe (2,747 yards - 1992-95) for fifth, and he still has a ways to go to reach the top of the list. Paul Smith, who played from 1996-99, is still 2,524 yards ahead of Sturges at 5,205.
One-Grand Man
Junior tailback Tom Sturges' entered the Oct. 28 game at Muhlenberg with 998 yards rushing for the season. He wasted no time in cracking the 1,000-yard plateau for the second season in a row, gaining four yards on his first carry. Last season, he was Gettysburg's first 1,000-yard rusher since Paul Smith gained a school-record 1,546 yards in 1999. Sturges is now the first back with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Smith did it three straight times from 1997-99 (1,256; 1,515; 1,546).
On the National Stage
Several Gettysburg players have reached the national top 100 in various statistical categories. Junior tailback Tom Sturges leads the charge. He ranks seventh in the nation in rushing with 135.0 yards per game and ninth in all-purpose yards with 168.0 per outing. Senior linebacker Harold Barton ranks 22nd with 0.33 forced fumbles per game. Freshman quarterback Matt Flynn is 76th in passing efficiency at 122.75, while senior halfback Dusty Green ranks 51st in scoring with 7.3 points per game. Barton is also 34th with 10.3 tackles per game. Junior linebacker James Holubowich (Mineola, N.Y./Mineola) ranks 63rd with 9.4 tackles per game, and sophomore kicker Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean) is 70th with an average of 0.6 made field goals. Sturges is 51st with a 22.9 kickoff return average, and junior cornerback Adam Fulmer (Halifax, Pa./Halifax) is 92nd with 1.11 passes defended per game. As a team, the Bullets rank 26th in rushing (200.1 yards per game), 58th in total offense (353.1 yards per game), 68th in turnover margin (+0.4 per game) and 95th in scoring offense (22.8 points per game).
Green Means Go
Senior halfback Dusty Green has come up big in the 2006 season. He is the Centennial Conference's leading scorer with a career-high 11 touchdowns; seven receiving (more than triple his career total entering the season), three rushing and one on a fumble recovery. In the Hampden-Sydney game, he rumbled 85 yards on a rushing play to record the Bullets' first 80-yard run in four years. Against Rochester, he caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Matt Flynn. Green followed that performance with another 95 yards on a career-high seven catches and two touchdowns against Denison. Against Ursinus on Oct. 21, he had his third two-touchdown performance of the season, scoring twice in 2:14 to extend the Bullets' lead to 15 points. His 65-yard touchdown catch was Gettysburg's first 60-yard pass play in three years. At Muhlenberg, he caught a 21-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-8 to cap the Bullets' opening drive and give them a 7-0 lead, and last weekend, at Dickinson, he capped a 17-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard score that gave the Bullets a 7-6 lead. Overall, Green has 437 yards rushing on 56 carries, and he leads the team with 468 receiving yards on a team-high 34 catches. Green now has 163 carries for 890 yards and 67 catches for 786 yards, leaving him 110 rushing yards and 214 receiving yards from reaching 1,000 in both categories.
Making the Stops
Gettysburg has four players among the top six tacklers in the Centennial Conference. Junior safety Kyle Luciano is third with 10.8 tackles per game. Senior linebacker Harold Barton and junior linebacker James Holubowich are fourth and fifth, respectively, with 10.3 and 9.4 stops per game. Sophomore safety David Rodriguez (Fort Belvoir, Va./Bishop Ireton) rounds out the group in sixth with 8.2 tackles per game. Barton (34th) and Holubowich (63rd) rank among the nation's top-100. Luciano, who missed the first four games of the season with an injury, is sixth on the team with 54 total takedowns. He made a career-high 17 tackles to go along with an interception and two pass breakups at Dickinson.
At a Loss for Yards
The Bullets have made 52 tackles for losses totaling 209 yards this season, including nine tackles for 29 yards in losses against Muhlenberg. Senior defensive end Stevenson Foote leads the team with 9.0 tackles for 36 yards in losses. Senior linebacker Harold Barton has 8.5 tackles for loss, and junior linebacker James Holubowich has 7.5. Foote is tied for sixth in the conference. With 5.0 sacks for 22 yards, Barton is tied for fourth in the conference.
Line 'Em Up
Coming into preseason camp, one of Gettysburg's biggest question marks was an offensive line that had to replace four starters from the Centennial Conference's best rushing attack in 2005. After an uneven performance at Lebanon Valley on Sept. 2, the Bullets' front five came together. The quintet of seniors Rick Finnegan (C) and Dain Alaia (RG), junior James Russell (Amityville, N.Y./Amityville Memorial) (LT) and sophomores Jay Hagerman (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) (LG) and Sam Walthall (Uniondale, N.Y./Woodlands) (RT) paved the way for Gettysburg's best rushing effort in several years against Hampden-Sydney. Two players gained over 100 yards rushing for the first time since 2002, and Gettysburg rushed for 318 yards as a team, eclipsing the 300-yard mark for the first time in three years. Additionally, quarterbacks Mark Campo and Matt Flynn were not sacked during the game, making Hampden-Sydney the first sackless Gettysburg opponent since 2004. At Rochester, the Bullets gained 534 total yards, including 216 on the ground. They only allowed one sack on the day and helped Flynn tie the Gettysburg single-game record with five touchdown passes. The success continued with the line again not allowing a sack against Denison and helping the offense generate 446 yards of offense. On Oct. 7 at McDaniel, Gettysburg accumulated 423 total yards, and the team added 398 more against Johns Hopkins. The offensive line turned in one of its most impressive performances against Ursinus when it opened the holes for 27 points and 411 yards against a team that had been allowing just 7.3 points (fourth in the nation) and 193.4 yards (ninth in the nation) entering the game. Junior tailback Tom Sturges alone rushed for 152 yards against the Bears, who were allowing just 70.7 yards per game on the ground. Last weekend, sophomore Lou Mastrini (Washington, D.C./Blue Ridge School [Va.]) and David Mell (Summit, N.J./Summit) filled in at left guard and right tackle, respectively, with Hagerman and Walthall finished for the season due to injuries suffered in the Muhlenberg game. Mastrini and Mell helped Gettysburg rush for 143 yards, nearly double what Dickinson, the league's stingiest rushing defense, is averaging. The Bullets have the Centennial Conference's best rushing offense by nearly 35 yards per game over the second-best team and rank 26th in the nation with 200.1 yards per game. Gettysburg has the CC's most prolific offense, averaging 353.1 yards per game and is tied for second in the conference with 11 sacks allowed.
Head of the Class
Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter is the longest-tenured and winningest football coach in Gettysburg history. He surpassed Hen Bream (1927-51), who coached for 22 seasons, in 2000. Streeter won his 105th career game against Muhlenberg in 1995 to take over the career wins lead. Now in his 28th season as head coach, he has a 140-137-5 (.505) career record.
Scouting Franklin & Marshall (3-6, 2-3 CC)
The Diplomats opened the season with a 21-7 victory at home against Washington & Lee. Following a bye week, they dropped non-conference games against Kean, 21-13, and at Carnegie Mellon, 34-14. The team opened the CC slate with a 24-10 victory at Muhlenberg. The Diplomats have lost four of their last five games, including last weekend's 42-10 loss at home to Ursinus. The victory in that stretch was a 31-7 defeat of McDaniel on Oct. 28. Junior quarterback Kyle Turner is the CC's leader in passing, going 155-of-303 for 1,968 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He leads the conference and ranks 19th in the nation with 263.4 total yards of offense per game. His favorite target is the second-leading pass catcher and per-game receiving yards leader in the conference. Sophomore Paul Sousa has average 4.67 receptions per game for 76.4 yards. Franklin & Marshall also has the fourth-leading rusher in the conference in senior Curtis Varner, who has averaged 59.0 yards per contest. Defensively, senior Tim Barry is tied for the CC lead with four interceptions. He is also tied for 92nd in the nation with 1.11 passes defended per game.
Coach's Corner
Streeter on the Dickinson Game
"It was definitely a close game most of the way. We had a nice drive in the second quarter, a good, methodical drive to take a 7-6 lead. The defense had done a good job, bending, but not giving up touchdowns. Going into halftime down 16-7, I thought we would win. The kids were playing hard, and there was no panic. We were in a good position. It was not an insurmountable deal. Even when we were down two scores late, we were moving the ball. We were right in it until the last minute."
Streeter on the Play of Sophomore Linebacker Terence Hartigan
"Hartigan hadn't played at all, but he really stepped up and made some plays. I was really pleased with his intensity."
Streeter on Senior Day
"It's amazing to me. You look at them (the seniors) and say, 'These guys are seniors already?' It's crazy how fast it goes. You get to know them so well, all the work they put in, the dedication and the personalities. You always hate to lose them, but playing their final game at home against a big rival, it should be an exciting day for them."
Streeter on the Importance of Closing the Regular Season With a Win
"I think everybody wants to play well and make a statement for this season, as well as for seasons to come. We would like to have a well-played football game and come out on top."
posted by Pat McConnell | 2:21 PM
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