GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College scored the final 10 points and held visiting Juniata College scoreless in the fourth quarter on the way to earning its first victory of the season 31-17 Saturday in a Centennial Conference showdown on Homecoming at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
Three players finished with at least 68 yards rushing led by junior Kyle Wigley's (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) 99 yards. Senior Nick Ulassin (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) carried the ball into the end zone twice for the Bullets, while senior quarterback Zach Miller (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) posted 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a decisive 31-yard heave to junior Brandon Sparks (New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East) with eight minutes left in the game.
Juniata sliced a 21-7 deficit down to four (21-17) with back-to-back scores to end the third period. The Eagles were unable to generate any offense in the fourth quarter, managing just one first down – on the first play of the quarter – on four possessions.
After missing an opportunity to pad the lead on its first drive deep into Juniata territory to start the fourth quarter, Gettysburg made good on its second possession thanks to a 32-yard punt return by senior Fred Caruso (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name). The Bullets rushed the ball five times before Miller found Sparks wide open down the right sideline for the junior wide-out's fourth scoring grab of the season. Sophomore Garrett Long (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) booted in the extra point to make it a 28-17 advantage with eight minutes left.
Gettysburg's defense stepped up again, forcing and recovering a fumble on Juniata's next drive. Wigley carried the ball seven times for a total of 33 yards on the ensuing drive and Long capped his day with a 23-yard field goal to spot the hosts a two-possession lead with just over two minutes on the clock.
The Eagles had no answer as Gettysburg sacked senior quarterback Ward Udinski three times in the backfield on the next possession, including back-to-back takedowns by sophomore Chris Miller (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan).
Gettysburg's rushing total was its best since racking up 382 against McDaniel College last October. In addition to Wigley, junior Travis Andrews (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) averaged 7.1 yards per carry on his way to a career-high 71 rushing yards, while Caruso posted 68 yards on 14 carries.
Wigley led the team with four receptions for 39 yards, while Sparks finished with 48 yards on two catches. Junior Kevin McCarthy (Yardley, Pa./Notre Dame) posted 35 yards and a touchdown and Caruso picked up 40 yards through the air.
Caruso, who came into the game leading the Centennial Conference in all-purpose yards, finished with 189.
Gettysburg held Udinski, the second-leading passer and rusher in the conference in check with just 177 total yards of offense. The Bullets attacked the line, racking up seven sacks and 10 tackles for a loss in the contest. It was the most sacks in a game since posting seven against Ursinus College on Oct. 4, 2008.
Sophomore Michael Pennella (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) led the defense with 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Three of Miller's four stops went for a loss, including eight yards on those two sacks and he posted a pair of pass break-ups. Senior A.J. Hill (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) totaled 1.5 sacks, while junior Dan Ciemniecki (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield) tallied eight stops.
Ethan Wilt led Juniata's defense with 18 tackles and two sacks, while Luke Navin totaled 11 stops, 1.5 sacks, and four tackles for a loss.
Gettysburg drove into Juniata territory on each of its first three possessions of the game. After turning the ball over on downs, the Bullets scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives to open a 14-0 lead. Miller completed a 16-yard pass to McCarthy late in the first quarter and Ulassin scored on a short plunge to cap a 10-play drive to open the second quarter.
Juniata jumped on the board with Udinski doing most of the heavy lifting. The quarterback accounted for three rushes and four pass completions during a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a 20-yard pass to Hunter Phillips.
Gettysburg was poised to add more to its scoring column before the break, but a 16-play drive over the final two minutes ended with a missed field goal.
After receiving the opening kick-off, the Bullets marched down to the other end of the field in just six plays, including a 32-yard reception by Caruso. Ulassin punched it in from 10 yards and Long converted the extra tally to boost the lead to 21-7.
Miller, Wigley, and Caruso all surpassed career milestones in the win. The senior quarterback went over 3,000 career passing yards, becoming just the sixth player in program history to reach the mark. He is now fifth all-time with 3,086 passing yards. Wigley went over 1,000 career rushing yards, while Caruso's all-purpose yardage pushed him past 2,000 for his career.
Gettysburg visits Susquehanna University for a conference contest on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m.
-Go Bullets-