Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Westminster, Md. - Nick Palladino threw for 243 yards and tied a school record with five touchdown passes to lead the Muhlenberg football team to its third straight win, 42-13 at McDaniel.
The victory sets up a Centennial Conference showdown next week between the Mules and nationally ranked Johns Hopkins (also 3-0). The winner of the Hopkins-Muhlenberg game has represented the CC in the NCAA Tournament every year but one since 2002.
Nick Savant recorded his second straight 100-yard game, rushing for 110 yards on 19 carries and scoring a touchdown on a 42-yard run. Nick Lamb caught eight passes for 82 yards and hauled in three touchdown strikes for the second time in his career.
Palladino completed 17 of 23 attempts and threw scoring passes of 3, 65, 37, 11 and 3 yards before exiting the game with Muhlenberg up 42-0 late in the third quarter. A Mule quarterback had thrown five TD passes four times previously, most recently Michael McCabe vs. Dickinson in 2000.
Palladino has 11 touchdown passes in three games this season.
The Muhlenberg defense, meanwhile, allowed only 60 total yards in opening up a 28-0 lead at the half. McDaniel did not have a drive of more than 25 yards until scoring its first touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Matt Musilli led the defense with eight tackles and a pass breakup, while Gerard Grimes made seven stops and forced a fumble. Nate Corvil intercepted a pass for the second straight week, picking off a pass in Muhlenberg territory after McDaniel recovered a fumble late in the first half.
After punting on their first possession, the Mules scored on their next four. Palladino found Matthew Stickney in the end zone from 3 yards out with 6:31 left in the first, capping a 10-play, 78-yard drive that included a 30-yard run by Palladino.
The next two drives were considerably shorter. On the third play after a Green Terror punt, Palladino hit Josiah Wright deep down the middle for a 65-yard touchdown pass play at the 4:03 mark.
A little more than three minutes later, Palladino connected with Lamb from 37 yards out on the second play after a McDaniel punt to make it 21-0.
Lamb's 11-yard TD grab with 5:47 left in the half capped a 13-play, 82-yard drive.
Savant's touchdown run and a 3-yard hookup between Palladino and Lamb extended the lead to 42-0 with 5:54 left in the third. The Mules played their reserves for the rest of the game.