Smith, Bullets Down Moravian, 42-20
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior quarterback Kody Smith racked up a career-high 359 total yards and contributed to three touchdowns, leading Gettysburg to a 42-20 Centennial Conference victory over Moravian College in front of a packed crowd Saturday afternoon during Family Weekend at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
Smith rushed for 127 yards – just two shy of his career-high – and two touchdowns while passing for a season-high 232 yards and one touchdown. He engineered a 99-yard drive in third quarter as Gettysburg (6-2, 5-2 CC) improved to 6-2 for the first time since 1994.
The Bullets entered the game seventh in Division III in rushing offense (298.0 ypg), and despite finishing well below their season average in terms of rushing yards (199), they scored four of their six touchdowns on the ground. They have now tied the 2010 team's school record for most rushing TDs in a regular season (33).
Defensively, senior linebacker Larry DelViscio stayed hot, making a game-high 15 tackles, including 3.0 for loss. Entering the game with a conference-leading 11.9 tackles per game, he has now piled up 51 stops over his last three games.
Six Bullets accounted for a season-high six sacks, the most by Gettysburg since it had seven in a 2008 victory over Ursinus College. The Orange & Blue also came up with five takeaways and scored a defensive touchdown on junior linebacker Cody DiAmore's 33-yard interception return.
Sophomore quarterback Jimmy Lahue passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns for Moravian (2-6, 2-5 CC), which lost its fourth game in a row. Senior receiver Albie Moran caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown for the Greyhounds.
The Bullets, who outgained Moravian 431-344, never trailed after scoring on the second play of the game, when junior receiver Aden Twer caught a pass in the left flat, beat his defender to the outside, and raced to a 70-yard score down the left sideline.
Gettysburg struck for two more touchdowns in the opening quarter, getting a 1-yard touchdown run from senior tailback Ted Delia with 9:07 on the clock to make it 14-0 and a 5-yard scamper from Smith with 2:06 showing to make it a 21-7 game. The Bullets second touchdown was set up by a fumble recovery by DiAmore at the Moravian-12.
After a 69-yard touchdown pass from Lahue to Moran with 8:18 left in the first quarter, Gettysburg stopped the Greyhounds on their final six possessions of the half. The Bullets forced four consecutive punts, then came up with back-to-back takeaways, starting with a strip-sack by senior defensive tackle Mark Wojcik that was recovered by senior defensive end Joe Ventresca near midfield.
The Bullets ended the half with a big defensive stand. Moravian had a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, but rushed for no gain on three straight plays. The Greyhounds then lined up for a field goal, but holder Jimmy McCarthy broke for the right pylon after receiving the snap. He then attempted a pitch-out to the kicker but was off the mark, and junior cornerback Hugo Nolasco pounced on the loose ball at the Gettysburg-5 with eight seconds left in the half, making it a 21-7 game at the break.
Gettysburg also scored on the second play of the second half, with DiAmore leaping high to make an interception at the Greyhound-33 before taking it down the right sideline for his first collegiate touchdown. It was also Gettysburg's first interception return TD since Tyler Fasanella '12 and Rob Pennella '12 each had one in a win over Franklin & Marshall College on Nov. 13, 2010.
The Greyhounds converted an interception into a touchdown when tailback C.J. Billera ran it in from 2 yards out with 6:12 left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 28-14. However, the Bullets put the game away by scoring the next two touchdowns, with a turnover setting up the first one. Jason Fuehring caught a pass over the middle and appeared to heading toward the end zone when freshman safety Michael Kornegay came from behind to strip the ball around the 5-yard line. Senior cornerback D.J. Thompson recovered at the Bullet-1.
Gettysburg then embarked on an 11-play, 99-yard drive that lasted just 2:43. The big play was a 25-yard pass from Smith to senior tight end Matt Brophy to the Moravian-8, and three plays later sophomore tailback Eddie Hutchins ran in from 4 yards out to make it 35-14 with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.
Smith capped the Bullets scoring with a 1-yard keeper with 5:11 left in the game, polishing off a 12-play, 76-yard drive that chewed up over six minutes off the clock. Moravian set the final score with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Lahue to McCarthy, but sophomore linebacker Gordon Prince blocked the extra point.
