GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Juniata College scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to regain the lead and then held Gettysburg College off the scoreboard for 27 minutes on the way to a 41-35 victory in Centennial Conference action at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense in the game. Juniata (3-0, 2-0 CC) avenged a last-minute defeat to Gettysburg (1-2, 1-1 CC) last fall by scoring on each of its first five possessions and forcing a pair of turnovers.
Sophomore Justin Walsh (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) totaled 96 yards rushing and 68 yards receiving for the Bullets. Sophomore Matt McFadden (Morristown, N.J./Morristown Beard) racked up 89 yards on just four carries, including a 53-yard dash to start the third quarter. Senior Danny Thompson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) totaled a pair of touchdowns and 160 total yards, while junior Justin Davidov (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) finished with 134 total yards and one passing touchdown.
Running back David Vidovic led Juniata with 172 rushing yards and three scores. Quarterback Hank Coyne went 21-of-29 for 282 yards and a pair of scores, while wide receivers Kirby Breault and Aaron O'Brien posted 126 and 122 receiving yards, respectively.
Juniata set the tone for an offensive showdown by marching all the way to Gettysburg's one yard-line on the game's opening drive. The Bullets' defense held firm and allowed just a 23-yard field goal.
Gettysburg came right back to take the lead with a 71-yard drive culminating in a nine-yard touchdown grab by sophomore Tyler Frazee (Hopewell, N.J./South Hunterdon) from Danny Thompson. The teams traded rushing touchdowns on the next two possessions with Vidovic scoring for the Eagles and freshman Charles Clewis (Purcellville, Va./Woodgrove) running it in for the Bullets.
A 35-yard pass from Coyne to O'Brien at the end of the first quarter set up the first score of the second period. Coyne found AJ Brocato to give Juniata the lead at 17-14. On Gettysburg's next possession, a botched snap on the punt attempt put the Eagles deep in Gettysburg territory and Vidovic polished off the short drive with another rushing score.
Gettysburg had no luck on its next possession as Davidov's pass was tipped by McFadden into the waiting arms of Joel Reighard. A 25-yard field goal by Kevin Bonalle made it 27-14 with 7:50 left in the first half.
After trimming the margin to 27-21 on a rushing touchdown by Danny Thompson before the end of the half, the Bullets took the lead on an incredible run by McFadden to start the third quarter. Davidov flipped the ball to the sophomore who sprinted down the right sideline, avoiding would-be tacklers and tip-toeing along the line for the longest rushing score of his career to make it 28-27.
Gettysburg missed a golden opportunity on Juniata's next possession when the snap flew over Coyne's head for a 20-yard loss. Despite facing third-and-28, Coyne hurled a pass down the field to Breault for a 42-yard score and the lead.
The Bullets were unable to answer on their next four possessions, turning the ball over on downs twice and suffering an interception. Vidovic recorded his third touchdown to make the score 41-28 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
The hosts cracked the scoring column for the final time when Davidov found sophomore Chase Fee (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) for a 13-yard score with 2:23 left. Gettysburg was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and Vidovic converted a final first down to put the game to rest.
Gettysburg finished with a 536-459 edge in total offense with a season-high 335 yards coming on the ground. Juniata scored on all six of its red zone opportunities.
Sophomore linebacker Jake Skinner (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) led Gettysburg with 11 tackles. Sophomore Mike McKnight (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) added nine stops and a pass break-up.
Gettysburg faces Susquehanna University on the road on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m.