Bullets to Face Carnegie Mellon in ECAC Southwest Bowl
From the Gettysburg College Website:
Football to Face Carnegie Mellon in ECAC Southwest Bowl
The Game
After posting a 6-4 regular season record, Gettysburg was rewarded with its first postseason game in 22 years, earning a spot in the ECAC Southwest Bowl against Carnegie Mellon University. Kickoff is set for noon at Gesling Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Bullets, who have clinched their first winning season since 1995, will be facing the Tartans on the gridiron for the first time in school history in a game that will feature the 10th (Carnegie Mellon) and 18th (Gettysburg) ranked rushing offenses in Division III. Gettysburg last competed in the postseason in 1985, when it reached the NCAA Division III semifinals.
Game Coverage
A live audio webcast of the game can be heard at www.wrct.org.
The game can also be followed through Livestats at http://www.enrollment.cmu.edu/athletic/football/xlive.htm.
A Gettysburg Win Would...
• Give the Bullets their most wins in a season since finishing 8-2 in 1994
• Give the Bullets their first postseason win since their 22-6 victory over Salisbury in the 1985 Division III quarterfinals
• Give Gettysburg its first-ever ECAC title
Last Time Out
Ryan Murray rushed for four of his five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, when Franklin & Marshall outscored Gettysburg 28-7 as the Diplomats defeated the Bullets in a shootout, winning 56-38 in a Centennial Conference game and the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday at Sponaugle-Williamson Field in Lancaster. Trailing 31-28 heading into the final quarter, F&M went ahead for good on Murray’s third TD of the game, a 1-yard dive with 7:49 left that made it 42-38. The Diplomats added two late scores following a Gettysburg punt and interception. Filling in for injured tailback Tom Sturges, freshman Jamel Mutunga ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. On his first collegiate carry, Mutunga peeled off a 69-yard run. Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn threw for 260 yards and one touchdown on 14-of-26 passing while freshman receiver Brian Betley caught three passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
Carnegie Mellon concluded its regular season with a 39-21 non-conference win over Washington & Lee on Saturday, giving the Tartans their fourth straight victory. Senior running backs Travis Sivek and Robert Gimson each eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season while Sivek also went over 4,000 for his career. Gimson finished with 161 yards and three touchdowns while Sivek accumulated 125 yards and a touchdown. The Generals led 7-6 midway through the second quarter before Carnegie Mellon broke the game open with a 23-0 run, opening up a 29-13 lead with 2:41 left in the third quarter. However, W&L rallied with a 14-0 spurt to make it a one-possession game (29-21) with 14:47 left. But the Tartans outscored the Generals 10-0 the rest of the way to secure the victory.
All-Conference Awards
The All-Centennial Conference Teams were released on Monday, and Gettysburg was well-represented. Senior tailback Tom Sturges was named to the first team for the third year in a row, and he was also tabbed the offensive player of the year, just the third in school history and the first since tailback Paul Smith ’00 in 1999. Also capturing first-team honors was senior left tackle James Russell while junior kicker Josh Huson and junior defensive end Josh Jerrold were second-team picks. In addition, junior left guard Lou Mastrini, junior defensive end Conor Quinn, and senior linebacker Harold Barton were honorable mention selections.
Climbing the Charts
Senior tailback Tom Sturges reached yet another milestone two weeks ago, becoming just the second player in school history to top 4,000 career rushing yards. A 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past three seasons, Sturges has racked up a career-high 1,431 yards this season, 115 shy of the regular season school record held by Paul Smith ’00. Sturges is currently the ninth-leading rusher in Division III with 143.1 yards per game.
Player Years Att. Yds.
Paul Smith 1996-99 881 5,205
Tom Sturges 2004-07 909 4,173
Dwayne Marcus 1991-94 690 3,852
Scott Dudak 1978-81 736 3,774
Ray Condren 1981-84 667 3,312
hannon Forsythe 1992-95 497 2,747
Paul Martin 1982-85 398 2,053
Moving the Chains
The Bullets are leading the Centennial Conference in numerous offensive categories, including rushing offense (254.7 ypg), total offense (420.3 ypg), and first downs (218). Gettysburg, which is also tied for the conference lead in scoring offense (30.4), is also ranked 18th in Division III in rushing offense.
First-Quarter Success
Gettysburg has outscored its opponents 73-28 in the first quarter this season. The Bullets went five games from Sept. 14 through Oct. 13 without allowing a first-quarter point, outscoring its opponents 35-0 over that stretch before Dickinson scored a first-quarter touchdown against the Bullets on Oct. 20.
Protecting the Quarterback
Thanks in part to the offensive line of James Russell, Lou Mastrini, Matt DeFranco, Alex Bonder, and Sam Walthall, Matt Flynn has been sacked only 11 times this season. Gettysburg leads the Centennial Conference and is tied for 21st in Division III in sacks against.
Sack Attack
Gettysburg has reached opposing quarterbacks for a sack 25 times this year, a mark that ranks second in the Centennial Conference. Junior defensive end Josh Jerrold is tied for the conference lead with 7.0 sacks while senior linebacker Harold Barton and junior defensive end Conor Quinn have added 6.5 and 5.0 sacks, respectively.
Heavy Hitter
Senior linebacker Harold Barton leads the Bullets and ranks fourth in the Centennial Conference with 8.6 tackles per game. He is currently tied for fourth on the school’s top-10 list, which is as follows:
Player Years Tackles
Ryan Moore 1998-2001 430
Hayes Reilly 1978-81 374
Grant Acker 2001-04 333
Miguel Yanes 1982-85 306
Harold Barton 2003-07 306
Kevin Schmidt 1991-94 303
Kevin Gurski 1994-97 293
Jeff DeLisi 1992-95 264
Richard Swartz 1978-79 262
Cliff Mason 1999-2002 259
Special Teams Specialist
Freshman wing/return specialist Charles Curcio is averaging 11.1 yards per punt return, 40th in Division III. He has also averaged an impressive 23.1 yards per kick return. Curcio has exceeded 100 all-purpose yards in four games and has scored six touchdowns for the season.
Tough Against the Run
When Franklin & Marshall’s Ryan Murray rushed for 240 yards against Gettysburg on Saturday, it marked the first time in 12 games that the Bullets allowed a 100-yard rusher, dating back to last season.
Giving it the Boot
Junior kicker Josh Huson has enjoyed a solid season at kicker for the Bullets. He has drilled 36 of 37 extra-point attempts and is 10-for-17 on field goals with a season-long 42-yarder. Huson leads the Centennial Conference in kick scoring with 66 points and is tied for 22nd in Division III with 1.0 field goals per game.
Head of the Class
ith the Bullets’ 27-20 win over Moravian on Oct. 6, Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter picked up his 78th Centennial Conference victory, making him the all-time winningest coach in conference history. He passed former Franklin & Marshall coach Tom Gilburg, who went 77-60-1 from 1983-2002. Streeter has gone 80-81-3 in Centennial play since the inception of the conference in 1983. Streeter is also 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 29th season as head coach, he has a 147-140-5 (.512) career record.
With Honors
Gettysburg has received numerous player of the week awards this season. A complete list is as follows, with the date of the game in which the player was honored in parentheses:
CC Offensive Player of the Week
Tom Sturges (Sept. 1)*
om Sturges (Oct. 6)*
Tom Sturges (Oct. 13)
CC Defensive Player of the Week
Harold Barton (Sept. 14)
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)*
Jason Taylor (Nov. 3)
CC Special Teams Player of the Week
Charles Curio (Oct. 13)
ECAC Southwest Def. POW
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)
D3football.com Team of the Week
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)
* Co-Player of the Week
Scouting Carnegie Mellon
The Tartans ended their regular season with a flourish, winning their last four games. Three of those contests were won by at least 18 points. The Tartans have been in every game they have played, losing three of their four games by a field goal or less, including one overtime loss. Their worst defeat was a 21-10 setback at Randolph-Macon. To say Carnegie Mellon has relied on its running game is an understatement, with the Tartans running the ball nearly eight times more times (626) than they have passed it (81) and scoring 27 of their 31 offensive touchdowns on the ground. The team leads the University Athletic Association and ranks 10th in Division III in rushing (283.8 ypg) and boasts two players who have averaged 100 yards rushing per game in seniors Travis Sivek (103.3) and Robert Gimson (100.7). Sivek, who has rushed for over 4,000 yards in his career, has scored 16 touchdowns this season while Gimson has found the end zone seven times. Carnegie Mellon has platooned at quarterback, with Doug Facemyer and Phil Pantalone combining to complete 40.0% of their passes, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions. No Tartan receiver has caught more than nine passes for the season. Defensively, Carnegie Mellon has been tough against the run, leading the UAA in rushing defense (105.8 ypg). Safety Jon Scholl leads the team with 107 tackles while defensive tackles Richard Hauffe and Clay Crites have added 6.5 and 6.0 sacks, respectively. In addition, cornerback Steve McGovern and safety Josh Kresge have made four interceptions apiece.
Football to Face Carnegie Mellon in ECAC Southwest Bowl
The Game
After posting a 6-4 regular season record, Gettysburg was rewarded with its first postseason game in 22 years, earning a spot in the ECAC Southwest Bowl against Carnegie Mellon University. Kickoff is set for noon at Gesling Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Bullets, who have clinched their first winning season since 1995, will be facing the Tartans on the gridiron for the first time in school history in a game that will feature the 10th (Carnegie Mellon) and 18th (Gettysburg) ranked rushing offenses in Division III. Gettysburg last competed in the postseason in 1985, when it reached the NCAA Division III semifinals.
Game Coverage
A live audio webcast of the game can be heard at www.wrct.org.
The game can also be followed through Livestats at http://www.enrollment.cmu.edu/athletic/football/xlive.htm.
A Gettysburg Win Would...
• Give the Bullets their most wins in a season since finishing 8-2 in 1994
• Give the Bullets their first postseason win since their 22-6 victory over Salisbury in the 1985 Division III quarterfinals
• Give Gettysburg its first-ever ECAC title
Last Time Out
Ryan Murray rushed for four of his five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, when Franklin & Marshall outscored Gettysburg 28-7 as the Diplomats defeated the Bullets in a shootout, winning 56-38 in a Centennial Conference game and the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday at Sponaugle-Williamson Field in Lancaster. Trailing 31-28 heading into the final quarter, F&M went ahead for good on Murray’s third TD of the game, a 1-yard dive with 7:49 left that made it 42-38. The Diplomats added two late scores following a Gettysburg punt and interception. Filling in for injured tailback Tom Sturges, freshman Jamel Mutunga ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. On his first collegiate carry, Mutunga peeled off a 69-yard run. Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn threw for 260 yards and one touchdown on 14-of-26 passing while freshman receiver Brian Betley caught three passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
Carnegie Mellon concluded its regular season with a 39-21 non-conference win over Washington & Lee on Saturday, giving the Tartans their fourth straight victory. Senior running backs Travis Sivek and Robert Gimson each eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season while Sivek also went over 4,000 for his career. Gimson finished with 161 yards and three touchdowns while Sivek accumulated 125 yards and a touchdown. The Generals led 7-6 midway through the second quarter before Carnegie Mellon broke the game open with a 23-0 run, opening up a 29-13 lead with 2:41 left in the third quarter. However, W&L rallied with a 14-0 spurt to make it a one-possession game (29-21) with 14:47 left. But the Tartans outscored the Generals 10-0 the rest of the way to secure the victory.
All-Conference Awards
The All-Centennial Conference Teams were released on Monday, and Gettysburg was well-represented. Senior tailback Tom Sturges was named to the first team for the third year in a row, and he was also tabbed the offensive player of the year, just the third in school history and the first since tailback Paul Smith ’00 in 1999. Also capturing first-team honors was senior left tackle James Russell while junior kicker Josh Huson and junior defensive end Josh Jerrold were second-team picks. In addition, junior left guard Lou Mastrini, junior defensive end Conor Quinn, and senior linebacker Harold Barton were honorable mention selections.
Climbing the Charts
Senior tailback Tom Sturges reached yet another milestone two weeks ago, becoming just the second player in school history to top 4,000 career rushing yards. A 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past three seasons, Sturges has racked up a career-high 1,431 yards this season, 115 shy of the regular season school record held by Paul Smith ’00. Sturges is currently the ninth-leading rusher in Division III with 143.1 yards per game.
Player Years Att. Yds.
Paul Smith 1996-99 881 5,205
Tom Sturges 2004-07 909 4,173
Dwayne Marcus 1991-94 690 3,852
Scott Dudak 1978-81 736 3,774
Ray Condren 1981-84 667 3,312
hannon Forsythe 1992-95 497 2,747
Paul Martin 1982-85 398 2,053
Moving the Chains
The Bullets are leading the Centennial Conference in numerous offensive categories, including rushing offense (254.7 ypg), total offense (420.3 ypg), and first downs (218). Gettysburg, which is also tied for the conference lead in scoring offense (30.4), is also ranked 18th in Division III in rushing offense.
First-Quarter Success
Gettysburg has outscored its opponents 73-28 in the first quarter this season. The Bullets went five games from Sept. 14 through Oct. 13 without allowing a first-quarter point, outscoring its opponents 35-0 over that stretch before Dickinson scored a first-quarter touchdown against the Bullets on Oct. 20.
Protecting the Quarterback
Thanks in part to the offensive line of James Russell, Lou Mastrini, Matt DeFranco, Alex Bonder, and Sam Walthall, Matt Flynn has been sacked only 11 times this season. Gettysburg leads the Centennial Conference and is tied for 21st in Division III in sacks against.
Sack Attack
Gettysburg has reached opposing quarterbacks for a sack 25 times this year, a mark that ranks second in the Centennial Conference. Junior defensive end Josh Jerrold is tied for the conference lead with 7.0 sacks while senior linebacker Harold Barton and junior defensive end Conor Quinn have added 6.5 and 5.0 sacks, respectively.
Heavy Hitter
Senior linebacker Harold Barton leads the Bullets and ranks fourth in the Centennial Conference with 8.6 tackles per game. He is currently tied for fourth on the school’s top-10 list, which is as follows:
Player Years Tackles
Ryan Moore 1998-2001 430
Hayes Reilly 1978-81 374
Grant Acker 2001-04 333
Miguel Yanes 1982-85 306
Harold Barton 2003-07 306
Kevin Schmidt 1991-94 303
Kevin Gurski 1994-97 293
Jeff DeLisi 1992-95 264
Richard Swartz 1978-79 262
Cliff Mason 1999-2002 259
Special Teams Specialist
Freshman wing/return specialist Charles Curcio is averaging 11.1 yards per punt return, 40th in Division III. He has also averaged an impressive 23.1 yards per kick return. Curcio has exceeded 100 all-purpose yards in four games and has scored six touchdowns for the season.
Tough Against the Run
When Franklin & Marshall’s Ryan Murray rushed for 240 yards against Gettysburg on Saturday, it marked the first time in 12 games that the Bullets allowed a 100-yard rusher, dating back to last season.
Giving it the Boot
Junior kicker Josh Huson has enjoyed a solid season at kicker for the Bullets. He has drilled 36 of 37 extra-point attempts and is 10-for-17 on field goals with a season-long 42-yarder. Huson leads the Centennial Conference in kick scoring with 66 points and is tied for 22nd in Division III with 1.0 field goals per game.
Head of the Class
ith the Bullets’ 27-20 win over Moravian on Oct. 6, Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter picked up his 78th Centennial Conference victory, making him the all-time winningest coach in conference history. He passed former Franklin & Marshall coach Tom Gilburg, who went 77-60-1 from 1983-2002. Streeter has gone 80-81-3 in Centennial play since the inception of the conference in 1983. Streeter is also 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 29th season as head coach, he has a 147-140-5 (.512) career record.
With Honors
Gettysburg has received numerous player of the week awards this season. A complete list is as follows, with the date of the game in which the player was honored in parentheses:
CC Offensive Player of the Week
Tom Sturges (Sept. 1)*
om Sturges (Oct. 6)*
Tom Sturges (Oct. 13)
CC Defensive Player of the Week
Harold Barton (Sept. 14)
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)*
Jason Taylor (Nov. 3)
CC Special Teams Player of the Week
Charles Curio (Oct. 13)
ECAC Southwest Def. POW
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)
D3football.com Team of the Week
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)
* Co-Player of the Week
Scouting Carnegie Mellon
The Tartans ended their regular season with a flourish, winning their last four games. Three of those contests were won by at least 18 points. The Tartans have been in every game they have played, losing three of their four games by a field goal or less, including one overtime loss. Their worst defeat was a 21-10 setback at Randolph-Macon. To say Carnegie Mellon has relied on its running game is an understatement, with the Tartans running the ball nearly eight times more times (626) than they have passed it (81) and scoring 27 of their 31 offensive touchdowns on the ground. The team leads the University Athletic Association and ranks 10th in Division III in rushing (283.8 ypg) and boasts two players who have averaged 100 yards rushing per game in seniors Travis Sivek (103.3) and Robert Gimson (100.7). Sivek, who has rushed for over 4,000 yards in his career, has scored 16 touchdowns this season while Gimson has found the end zone seven times. Carnegie Mellon has platooned at quarterback, with Doug Facemyer and Phil Pantalone combining to complete 40.0% of their passes, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions. No Tartan receiver has caught more than nine passes for the season. Defensively, Carnegie Mellon has been tough against the run, leading the UAA in rushing defense (105.8 ypg). Safety Jon Scholl leads the team with 107 tackles while defensive tackles Richard Hauffe and Clay Crites have added 6.5 and 6.0 sacks, respectively. In addition, cornerback Steve McGovern and safety Josh Kresge have made four interceptions apiece.
posted by Pat McConnell | 11:19 AM
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