Tartans Take Down Bullets 21-20 in ECAC Southwest Bowl
From the Gettysburg College Website:
Tartans Take Down Bullets 21-20 in ECAC Southwest Bowl
Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Leading host Carnegie Mellon University 20-7 early in the third quarter of the Eastern Colleges Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southwest Bowl, Gettysburg College looked to be on the verge of its first postseason victory in 22 years. The Tartans still had some tricks left in the bag, however, erasing the deficit and tallying the game-winning touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to pull out a 21-20 victory at Gesling Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) closed his collegiate career in impressive fashion, carrying the ball 26 times for 114 yards and two scores. He finished the season with 1,545 yards, just one yard shy of the regular season regular set by Paul Smith ’00 in 1999. Junior defensive linemen Conor Quinn (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) paced the Gettysburg defense with a team season-high 15 tackles, including 2.5 sacks for a loss of 14 yards. Quinn also recovered a pair of Tartan fumbles which led to a pair of field goals by Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean).
Gettysburg (6-5) was in cruise control at the close of the first half, leading 17-7 on a pair of Sturges’ scores and holding the vaunted Carnegie Mellon (7-4) rushing attack, ranked 10th in the nation entering the game, to just 79 yards in the opening 30 minutes. The third quarter went without a point being put on the board, however, the Tartans controlled the clock for almost 12 minutes. Despite the possession difference, the Bullets ended the quarter in favorable position as Quinn picked up his second fumble recovery following a mishandle by Carnegie Mellon’s special teams unit. Gettysburg pushed down to the host’s three yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, but couldn’t find the end zone, leading to a 20-yard field goal by Huson and putting the lead at 20-7.
The Tartans quickly marched down the field after fielding the kick-off, going from their own 35 to the Gettysburg-36 following a 13-yard pass form Phil Pantolone to Brendan Howe. Carnegie Mellon dug into its bag of tricks for its next play as Howe took a lateral from Pantolone and tossed the ball down the sideline to Jeremy Doo for a 24-yard completion to the Gettysburg-12. Following a seven-yard run by Robert Gimson, Pantolone punched in from five yards out to cut the lead to 20-14.
After a four-and-out by the Bullets, the Tartans put together another long drive from their own 37. Seven rushes and one pass put the hosts in the red zone with a first-and-goal from the Gettysburg eight-yard line. The Gettysburg defense made a stand, allowing just three yards in the next three plays, but once again Pantalone led his team from the brink, converting an eight-yard pass on fourth down to Howe with 2:09 on the clock. The extra point was good by Colin Marks, giving the hosts a 21-20 lead.
Fielding a 59-yard kick-off by Marks, freshman Bryan DiSabato (Cedarhurst, N.Y./Lawrence) drove up the field 29 yards to the Gettysburg-40. The Bullet offense took over the field, but an incomplete pass and a three-yard rush by Sturges left them seven yards short of a first down. Sophomore Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) went for a deep throw down the left side of the field on third down and had an open receiver in freshman wide-out Brian Betley (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), but Jon Scholl made an outstanding defensive play, slapping the ball out of Betley’s grasp and preventing the potential game-winning score. The Bullets ensuing fourth-down conversion attempt failed as Flynn was faced with a Tartan pass rush and was forced into an incomplete pass out of bounds with 1:35 on the clock. Carnegie Mellon held onto the ball with three rushes to preserve the one-point victory.
The opening half was all Gettysburg as the visitors marched down the field for three scores in their opening four possessions. The Bullets notched the game’s opening score as Sturges ended a 15-play, 68-yard drive with a one-yard score. Carnegie Mellon put together its own long drive of 13 plays and 53 yards, but it failed to convert a fourth down on the Gettysburg-16. The Tartans looked to be getting the ball back after shutting down the Bullet offense on the ensuing drive, but the special teams unit failed to secure Andrew Weingart’s (New Egypt, N.J./New Egypt) punt and Quinn jumped on the ball for his first fumble recovery. Gettysburg ended the quarter on a high note, with Huson connecting on a 24-yard field goal set up by a 17-yard run by Sturges.
The Bullets halted Carnegie Mellon at the start of the second quarter as Josh Jerrold (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) sacked Pantalone on fourth down. The Tartans almost managed a four-and-out on the next Gettysburg possession, but the visitors pulled out their own trick with a fake punt on fourth-and-one, resulting in a 20-yard scamper by Michael McInerney (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) down to the Tartan-31. Facing another fourth down, the Bullets once again made the conversion with a 13-yard pass from Flynn to Alex Penta (Swampscott, Mass./Williston Northampton School) and Sturges completed the drive with a pair of seven-yard runs to give Gettysburg a 17-0 lead with 6:48 remaining in the opening period.
The Tartans finally cracked the scoreboard in the second quarter as Pantalone completed a perfect first half with four complete passes, the last to Derek Wisnieski from six yards out to cut the lead to 17-7 right before the half. The Carnegie Mellon quarterback finished the half 5-of-5 for 56 yards.
Pantalone was named the Southwest Bowl’s Most Valuable Player after finishing the day 12-of-14 for a career-high 140 yards and two touchdowns. He accounted for all three Tartan scores, rushing nine times for a dozen yards and the fourth-quarter score. Carnegie Mellon’s rushing attack picked up the pace in the second half, finishing the afternoon with 209 yards. Travis Sivek led the way with 82, while Gimson finished with 69. Howe totaled 64 yards on five catches and Doo reeled in four passes for 52 yards.
Sturges posted his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season and the 21st of his outstanding career at Gettysburg. The Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, he finished his tenure second on the Bullets’ all-time list with 4,287 rushing yards and tied for fifth all-time with 30 rushing touchdowns. He is also the school’s all-time leader in rushing attempts with 935.
Flynn finished 4-of-21 for 61 yards in the game, with a number of those incompletes going off the fingers of the Bullet receiving corp. Penta accounted for a pair of receptions for 19 yards, while McInerney posted a 35-yard reception in the first quarter. DiSabato fielded four kick-offs for 84 yards.
The Gettysburg defense had four players reach double-figures in tackles led by Quinn’s monster afternoon. Senior Harold Barton (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling) finished with 13 stops, giving him a team-high 99 this season and 319 for his career – fourth all-time in school history. Jerrold notched a dozen stops, including 2.5 for a loss, while Nick Duerr (Turnersville, N.Y./Washington Township) tallied 10 tackles. Sophomore Joe Anthes (Hopatcong, N.J./Hopatcong) made the Bullets’ only interception in the third quarter, ending Pantalone’s perfect afternoon at eight straight completions.
Tartans Take Down Bullets 21-20 in ECAC Southwest Bowl
Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Leading host Carnegie Mellon University 20-7 early in the third quarter of the Eastern Colleges Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southwest Bowl, Gettysburg College looked to be on the verge of its first postseason victory in 22 years. The Tartans still had some tricks left in the bag, however, erasing the deficit and tallying the game-winning touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to pull out a 21-20 victory at Gesling Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) closed his collegiate career in impressive fashion, carrying the ball 26 times for 114 yards and two scores. He finished the season with 1,545 yards, just one yard shy of the regular season regular set by Paul Smith ’00 in 1999. Junior defensive linemen Conor Quinn (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) paced the Gettysburg defense with a team season-high 15 tackles, including 2.5 sacks for a loss of 14 yards. Quinn also recovered a pair of Tartan fumbles which led to a pair of field goals by Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean).
Gettysburg (6-5) was in cruise control at the close of the first half, leading 17-7 on a pair of Sturges’ scores and holding the vaunted Carnegie Mellon (7-4) rushing attack, ranked 10th in the nation entering the game, to just 79 yards in the opening 30 minutes. The third quarter went without a point being put on the board, however, the Tartans controlled the clock for almost 12 minutes. Despite the possession difference, the Bullets ended the quarter in favorable position as Quinn picked up his second fumble recovery following a mishandle by Carnegie Mellon’s special teams unit. Gettysburg pushed down to the host’s three yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, but couldn’t find the end zone, leading to a 20-yard field goal by Huson and putting the lead at 20-7.
The Tartans quickly marched down the field after fielding the kick-off, going from their own 35 to the Gettysburg-36 following a 13-yard pass form Phil Pantolone to Brendan Howe. Carnegie Mellon dug into its bag of tricks for its next play as Howe took a lateral from Pantolone and tossed the ball down the sideline to Jeremy Doo for a 24-yard completion to the Gettysburg-12. Following a seven-yard run by Robert Gimson, Pantolone punched in from five yards out to cut the lead to 20-14.
After a four-and-out by the Bullets, the Tartans put together another long drive from their own 37. Seven rushes and one pass put the hosts in the red zone with a first-and-goal from the Gettysburg eight-yard line. The Gettysburg defense made a stand, allowing just three yards in the next three plays, but once again Pantalone led his team from the brink, converting an eight-yard pass on fourth down to Howe with 2:09 on the clock. The extra point was good by Colin Marks, giving the hosts a 21-20 lead.
Fielding a 59-yard kick-off by Marks, freshman Bryan DiSabato (Cedarhurst, N.Y./Lawrence) drove up the field 29 yards to the Gettysburg-40. The Bullet offense took over the field, but an incomplete pass and a three-yard rush by Sturges left them seven yards short of a first down. Sophomore Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) went for a deep throw down the left side of the field on third down and had an open receiver in freshman wide-out Brian Betley (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), but Jon Scholl made an outstanding defensive play, slapping the ball out of Betley’s grasp and preventing the potential game-winning score. The Bullets ensuing fourth-down conversion attempt failed as Flynn was faced with a Tartan pass rush and was forced into an incomplete pass out of bounds with 1:35 on the clock. Carnegie Mellon held onto the ball with three rushes to preserve the one-point victory.
The opening half was all Gettysburg as the visitors marched down the field for three scores in their opening four possessions. The Bullets notched the game’s opening score as Sturges ended a 15-play, 68-yard drive with a one-yard score. Carnegie Mellon put together its own long drive of 13 plays and 53 yards, but it failed to convert a fourth down on the Gettysburg-16. The Tartans looked to be getting the ball back after shutting down the Bullet offense on the ensuing drive, but the special teams unit failed to secure Andrew Weingart’s (New Egypt, N.J./New Egypt) punt and Quinn jumped on the ball for his first fumble recovery. Gettysburg ended the quarter on a high note, with Huson connecting on a 24-yard field goal set up by a 17-yard run by Sturges.
The Bullets halted Carnegie Mellon at the start of the second quarter as Josh Jerrold (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury East) sacked Pantalone on fourth down. The Tartans almost managed a four-and-out on the next Gettysburg possession, but the visitors pulled out their own trick with a fake punt on fourth-and-one, resulting in a 20-yard scamper by Michael McInerney (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) down to the Tartan-31. Facing another fourth down, the Bullets once again made the conversion with a 13-yard pass from Flynn to Alex Penta (Swampscott, Mass./Williston Northampton School) and Sturges completed the drive with a pair of seven-yard runs to give Gettysburg a 17-0 lead with 6:48 remaining in the opening period.
The Tartans finally cracked the scoreboard in the second quarter as Pantalone completed a perfect first half with four complete passes, the last to Derek Wisnieski from six yards out to cut the lead to 17-7 right before the half. The Carnegie Mellon quarterback finished the half 5-of-5 for 56 yards.
Pantalone was named the Southwest Bowl’s Most Valuable Player after finishing the day 12-of-14 for a career-high 140 yards and two touchdowns. He accounted for all three Tartan scores, rushing nine times for a dozen yards and the fourth-quarter score. Carnegie Mellon’s rushing attack picked up the pace in the second half, finishing the afternoon with 209 yards. Travis Sivek led the way with 82, while Gimson finished with 69. Howe totaled 64 yards on five catches and Doo reeled in four passes for 52 yards.
Sturges posted his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season and the 21st of his outstanding career at Gettysburg. The Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, he finished his tenure second on the Bullets’ all-time list with 4,287 rushing yards and tied for fifth all-time with 30 rushing touchdowns. He is also the school’s all-time leader in rushing attempts with 935.
Flynn finished 4-of-21 for 61 yards in the game, with a number of those incompletes going off the fingers of the Bullet receiving corp. Penta accounted for a pair of receptions for 19 yards, while McInerney posted a 35-yard reception in the first quarter. DiSabato fielded four kick-offs for 84 yards.
The Gettysburg defense had four players reach double-figures in tackles led by Quinn’s monster afternoon. Senior Harold Barton (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling) finished with 13 stops, giving him a team-high 99 this season and 319 for his career – fourth all-time in school history. Jerrold notched a dozen stops, including 2.5 for a loss, while Nick Duerr (Turnersville, N.Y./Washington Township) tallied 10 tackles. Sophomore Joe Anthes (Hopatcong, N.J./Hopatcong) made the Bullets’ only interception in the third quarter, ending Pantalone’s perfect afternoon at eight straight completions.
posted by Pat McConnell | 6:05 PM
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