OPENING KICKOFF: Today's Centennial Conference (CC) game marks the 67th meeting between McDaniel (1-3, 0-3 CC) and Gettysburg (2-2, 2-1 CC) in a series that dates back to 1891. The Bullets lead the all-time series 48-18-1, including a 50-28 win last season. The last Green Terror victory was by a 36-30 margin in 2010.
WHEN LAST WE MET: Last season, Gettysburg rolled up 636 yards of total offense en route to a 50-28 victory over McDaniel. Joe Rollins racked up 313 yards himself, including 269 rushing yards on 32 carries to lead the Green Terror, who registered a season-high 436 yards of offense as a team. Zach Miller led the Bullets with 253 yards passing on 17 of 22, throwing for a pair of touchdowns. Aden Twer caught four of those passes, including a 61-yad touchdown late in the third quarter.
LAST TIME OUT: Ursinus opened up a 35-0 lead through three quarters en route to a 42-13 victory over McDaniel last week. Matty Callahan (Germantown, Md./Northwest) threw for 239 yards to lead the Green Terror on offense, going 19-for-37 in his first significant action at quarterback. Corey Kelly led the Bears with 145 of their 260 rushing yards. Taylor Paul added 98 yards on 13 carries. Both rushed for a touchdown.
WITH HONORS: Matty Callahan was named the CC Weekly Honor Roll last week. Callahan earned a spot on the offensive ledger after throwing for 239 yards on 19 of 37 passing.
LEADING THE WAY: Brandon Jones (Middle River, Md./Eastern Tech) and Mike Oliveto (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) captain the squad in 2014. The two captains mark the fewest under Mike Hoyt and is the first time in program history since 2007 that just two players will serve in the role. This is the second straight year that Oliveto will serve as a captain.
SPREADING THE LOVE: Through the first four games of the season, 16 different Green Terror players have caught a pass. Only Mike Oliveto, Nick O'Melia (Taneytown, Md./Francis Scott Key) and Sean Montgomery (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) have double-digit receptions this season. Oliveto leads the conference with 25 receptions while O'Melia and Montgomery have each snagged 15 balls. JT Kotowski (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) has nine receptions. No other player has more than five catches. In total, 20 players have contributed yards on offense. Outside of the three quarterbacks who have seen action, Perry Stefanelli (Rockville, Md./Good Counsel) is the only player who has rushing yards but has not caught a pass.
200-LEVEL COURSE: McDaniel has thrown for 200 or more yards in each of the first four games this season. The Green Terror currently leads the league, averaging 249.8 yards per game. Only Muhlenberg, which ranks second at 248.2 yards per game passing, has thrown for 200 or more yards in every game this season.
200-LEVEL COURSE, PART II: Matty Callahan recorded his first 200-yard passing game last Saturday. In the first significant action of his career, Callahan entered the game after a second-quarter drive was extended by a roughing-the-kicker penalty and went 19-for-37 the rest of the way. He threw for 239 yards, including a pair of connections that went for 30-plus yards. He hit Sean Montgomery for a 39-yard gain late in the second quarter before connecting with Nick O'Melia for a 46-yard pass play on the first play of the fourth quarter.
TWO FOR ONE: Freshman John Chamberlin (Franklinville, N.J./Williamstown) found the end zone for his first two collegiate touchdowns. Both scores were one-yard dives that capped long fourth-quarter drives. Chamberlin carried the ball five times and netted just nine total yards.
STANDSTILL AT RUSH HOUR: The Green Terror enters today's game ranked last in the conference in rushing offense, averaging just 83.8 yards per game. The team has failed to reach 100 rushing yards in each of the last three games and could muster only 41 net yards on 28 attempts last week – its fewest in a game since rushing for just 40 on 27 carries to close the 2010 season at Johns Hopkins. McDaniel had just one running play go for more than 10 yards against Ursinus. Sophomore Nick Bianco (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) ripped off a 12-yard gain on his first collegiate carry late in the fourth quarter.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The Green Terror has scored 47 of its 64 points in the fourth quarter of games this season. In the last two weeks alone, McDaniel has tallied in the final 16 seconds for 13 of the 23 points scored against the conference's top two ranked defenses. Against Muhlenberg, which had allowed just 10 points in the 179 minutes prior to that, the Green Terror found the end zone with 15.1 seconds left when Matty Callahan connected with Connor Allen (Germantown, Md./Northwest) from 30 yards out. Against Ursinus, which is allowing a CC-low 14.5 points per game, John Chamberlin crossed the goal line as the clock expired. By rule, the extra point was not attempted.
THIRD AND NONE: McDaniel enters today's game with the conference's worst third-down conversion rate. The Green Terror has converted just 17 of its 63 third-down attempts (27.0 percent). McDaniel does get better as the game goes along, however. In the first quarter of games, the Green Terror offense is just 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) in extending drives. The percentage increases to 20 percent (4-for-20) in the second quarter and 23.1 percent (3-for-13) in the third quarter. However, in the fourth quarter, McDaniel is 9-for-18 on third downs.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Luke and Jake Fernandez (Manchester, Md./Manchester Valley) saw more time together on defense last Saturday. The duo combined for six tackles and a pass breakup.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: The Green Terror enters this week with 104 players on its roster. Of that 104, 75 are either freshmen or sophomores (72.1 percent), including 45 first-year players. McDaniel has just 11 players listed as seniors on the roster, seven of which have an additional year of eligibility if they choose to use it.
TERROR TIDBITS: Green Terror running backs have had just nine plays for negative yards this season and just two combined in the last two games… John Chamberlin is the only McDaniel player to find the end zone twice this season.
COACHES' CORNER: Mike Hoyt is in his third season at the helm of the Green Terror with an overall record of 3-21, picking up his first win on Sept. 14, 2013 – a 21-14 victory over Moravian. He spent the previous eight seasons as the defensive coordinator, culminating with being a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2011. In his first season at Albright, his defense went from allowing an average of 235.4 yards per game to 175.1 yards per contest, helping to guide Albright to an ECAC South Atlantic championship. His tenure as defensive coordinator was marked specifically by stout run defense, ranking in the top half of the Middle Atlantic Conference in rush defense, total defense and scoring defense in four of his last five seasons. His 2008 defense led the conference and ranked 33rd nationally, allowing just 16.9 points per games and appeared in the ECAC South Central Bowl… Barry Streeter, the dean of CC coaches, is in his 36th season guiding the Bullets. His 180-173-5 record not only ranks best amongst those to guide Gettysburg but is also the most wins of anyone to coach in the conference. He has three CC titles to his credit and one appearance in the NCAA semifinals (1985). He now ranks as the longest tenured current football coach in all of Division III. His 180 wins ranks seventh among active Division III coaches.
THE WORD ON GETTYSBURG: The Bullets enter today's game off a 31-21 win over Susquehanna last week… Gettysburg rolled up a season-high 342 rushing yards. Kyle Wigley rushed for 169 yards on 21 carries while Zach Miller added 78 yards and Nick Ulassin rushed for 66. All four of the Bullets' touchdowns came on the ground… Gettysburg is now averaging a CC-best 244.5 yards per game on the ground and ranks second in the league in total offense (432.2 ypg)… Defensively, the Bullets rank eighth against the pass (231.8) but second against the run (103.2)… Wigley has run for 344 yards this season… Miller has added 132 rushing yards to his 751 passing yards. The senior is 61-for-107 on the year with five touchdowns… Brandon Sparks has caught four of those touchdown grabs and leads the receiving corps with 172 yards on just nine catches… Michael Pennella is second in the CC with 3.5 sacks to lead the Bullet defense… Kodie McNamara has a team-high 30 tackles while Joseph Vegso ranks second with 28. Pennella and Gordon Price have 26 each.
-30-
