Muhlenberg Hands Gettysburg First Loss on Fake Field Goal
Allentown, Pa. – Joe Carlucci threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ian Gimbar on a fake field goal with 2:32 left to give the Muhlenberg football team a thrilling 35-31 Centennial Conference win against previously undefeated Gettysburg.
The wild game featured more than 800 yards of total offense and two fourth-quarter touchdowns on fake field goals. It was the Mules' first game in 10 years in which both teams topped the 30-point mark.
Terrence Dandridge rushed for 145 yards and three first-half touchdowns for Muhlenberg (4-2, 3-2) against a Bullet team that entered the game fourth in Division III in scoring defense, having allowed just 41 points in its first five games. Eddie Hutchins rushed for 130 yards on only 14 carries for Gettysburg.
The Bullets (5-1, 4-1) came back from a 21-7 halftime deficit to tie the score in the third quarter, with Kody Smith running for one touchdown and throwing for another.
The Mules (4-2, 3-2) went back on top 28-21 on the third play of the fourth quarter when Dan Deighan found Isaiah Vaughn over the middle from 19 yards out on third-and-9.
Gettysburg faced fourth-and-goal from the 11 on its next drive and sent out its field goal unit. But Smith, the holder, threw to a wide-open Matt Brophy in the back of the end zone to tie the score back up at 28 with 9:29 left.
An interception near midfield by Gordon Prince on the next possession set up the Bullets to take their first lead on Robby Fay's 28-yard field goal with 5:43 on the clock.
Muhlenberg had a fourth-and-7 at the Gettysburg 15 on its next drive and set up for a potential game-tying field goal. But Carlucci, the holder and Mules' backup quarterback, threw to Gimbar in the left flat, and the linebacker, who also recorded two sacks in the game, ran untouched into the end zone.
Smith's 34-yard scramble on the ensuing possession set the Bullets up at the Muhlenberg 34. But Smith was called for intentional grounding while getting sacked by Jeremey Thomas, putting Gettysburg in a long-yardage situation. On third-and-11, Smith scrambled away from pressure and heaved the ball to the left sideline, where Mule defensive back Darnell Davis wrestled the ball away from the intended receiver with 39.9 seconds left for a game-sealing interception.
Smith finished the game 19-of-31 for 211 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Brophy. Larry DelViscio led the Bullet defense with 19 tackles.
Deighan passed for 161 yards for Muhlenberg, completing 13 of 26 passes. Greg DeLade made a team-high nine tackles, while Thomas notched 3½ tackles for loss.
