The Gettysburg College defense scored on a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns in the second half to provide the difference in a 20-7 win over McDaniel in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams and the first-ever night football game on Gettysburg’s Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
Nate DeLorenzo had the first pick-6 for the Bullets while adding a team-high nine tackles to go with a pass breakup. and Nathan LaRosa sealed the victory with the second interception returned for a score, adding a pass breakup and four stops.
After Gettysburg went three-and-out on its first series, McDaniel put together an 11-play drive that marched into the red zone, but the Bullets defense got a stop on third-and-20, and the Green Terror pushed a 34-yard field goal attempt wide right. Taking over at its own 20, Rocco Abdino engineered an 11-play drive of his own, but Gettysburg was able to pay off the drive with a three-yard Michael Zrelak run up the middle. The PAT was tipped at the line, however, to keep it a 6-0 game with 1:06 to play in the opening quarter.
McDaniel responded with a nine-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown grab by Kyle Silver. Falling down on the attempt, Connor Schoene still got the ball over the crossbar for a 7-6 lead with 11:35 showing in the second quarter. The Green Terror drove to the Bullets 5 with 2:27 to play in the opening half, but the Gettysburg defense came up with a stop on fourth-and-1 for a turnover on downs. The teams then traded three-and-outs before connected with Jason Roskam (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) for 20 yards, then scampered for another 13 to move inside the McDaniel 20. However, the half ended before the hosts could find the end zone.
A fourth-down turnover gave McDaniel the ball near midfield midway through the third quarter. Three plays later, DeLorenzo picked off the pass and sprinted 52 yards down the far side for a 12-7 lead with 6:10 remaining. With the ball at its own 9 after an interception that caromed off the intended receiver, McDaniel moved 19 yards in four plays, but Nathan LaRosa stepped in front and took a second pick to the house. The two-point conversion was successful for a 20-7 lead with 8:25 to play. The Gettysburg defense forced another three-and-out, and the offense turned to its running game, milking 6 minutes, 20 seconds off the clock over 11 plays before the Green Terror had one last chance but only 61 seconds remaining, down two scores.
It was the first-ever night game hosted by Gettysburg at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium. It was the 22nd time the Bullets had played a Friday night game
Peter Schelling finished with 66 yards rushing on 11 carries, while Michael Zrelak had 56 yards on 14 totes. As a team, the Bullets finished with a 137-126 edge in the run game, while the Green Terror had the overall edge in total yards, 301-248. Angel Granada led the McDaniel with a 17-for-30 night for 175 yards but had the two interceptions and just one touchdown. He also ran the ball 20 times for 82 yards.
Gettysburg’s Josh Burke reeled in five passes for a career-high 56 yards.
Gettysburg returns to action at home against No. 21 Johns Hopkins next Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
This article first appeared on the Gettysburg College website.