GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Bridgewater College opened with the first 31 points on the way to a 38-22 victory over Gettysburg College in non-conference football action at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium on Saturday.
Junior quarterback Justin Davidov (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) finished 12-of-17 for 150 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing 16 times for 97 yards and another score. Senior quarterback Danny Thompson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) totaled 138 yards of offense and scored a rushing touchdown. Junior linebacker Frank Olmo (Eatontown, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) paced the defense with 15 tackles.
Bridgewater jumped out to a hot start as Davonta Womack returned the opening kick-off 44 yards. The Eagles marched all the way down to the Gettysburg 25-yard line, but on fourth down Brendan Maturey's completion to Keith Jennings was knocked away by sophomore Mike McKnight (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin). Senior Derek Singer (New Providence, N.J./New Providence) recovered the fumble and ran it back 14 yards.
Gettysburg was unable to take advantage of the turnover, marching down to the Bridgewater 40-yard line before the drive stalled. The Bullets advanced to Eagle territory on their next drive as well before punting the ball away.
Bridgewater turned in its first score on a 65-yard toss from Maturey to Jennings with 3:19 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Davidov put the Bullets in Eagle territory with a 35-yard dash down the sideline. Gettysburg was unable to convert and Bridgewater picked up another score on a Maturey-Jennings connection to make it 14-0 heading into the half.
A Bridgewater field goal was the only points put on the board in the third quarter, but both offenses picked up the pace in the final period of play, combining for 43 points.
Poised inside the red zone to start the fourth quarter, the Eagles quickly jumped on the board again with a 16-yard pass from Maturey to Malivai Barker. The defense came through for Bridgewater on the next drive as Davey Hardesty picked off a pass by Davidov and ran it back 48 yards to the end zone to make it 31-0 with 14:30 to play.
After stopping the Eagles on fourth-and-seven from its own 22, Gettysburg mounted a 12-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard plunge by Thompson for the score. The two-point conversion failed to put the score at 31-6.
Gettysburg answered Bridgewater's final touchdown with one of its own. Davidov completed four passes and capped the drive with a two-yard run to pay-dirt. He completed a two-point toss to senior Jordan Kelso (Cookstown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) to set the score at 38-14 with 2:21 left.
The Bullets added another score just before time expired with Davidov heaving a 35-yard aerial to junior Ty Abdul-Karim (Washington, D.C./Woodberry Forest (Va.)). Davidov rushed in for two points to set the final score.
Bridgewater finished with a 445-416 edge in total offense. After getting pounded for 574 rushing yards by the Bullets a year ago, the Eagles allowed just 186 yards on the ground. Bridgewater also racked up five sacks for a loss of 20 yards.
Sophomore Justin Walsh (Northfield, N.J./North Warren Regional) toted the ball nine times for 32 yards and caught four passes for 30 yards. Kelso corralled four passes for 26 yards, while junior Ryan Thompson (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) caught three passes for 35 yards. Junior Kamau Bridges (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) totaled nine tackles and forced a fumble.
Maturey finished 13-of-19 for 193 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 101 yards on 16 carries. Jennings finished with five catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Miller posted nine tackles and a sack, while Hardesty finished with six stops and a sack to go with his pick-six.
Gettysburg will look to bounce back with its Centennial Conference opener next weekend. The Bullets travel to Ursinus College Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.