GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Coming off a victory before the bye week, a rejuvenated Gettysburg College (1-5, 1-4 CC) football squad will host nine-time defending Centennial Conference champion and 25th-ranked Johns Hopkins University (5-1, 4-1 CC) in front of families and friends as part of Family Weekend this Saturday at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday's game will feature live video and live stats courtesy of Wellspan Sports Medicine and Stretch Internet (https://portal.stretchinternet.com/gettysburg/).
 
THE SERIES
Johns Hopkins has won 21 of the last 23 meetings with Gettysburg and holds a slim lead in the all-time series at 23-20-2. The Bullets dominated the early years of the rivalry, posting a record of 18-2-2 from the initial meeting in 1911 to 1994.
 
LAST MEETING
Gettysburg mustered just 139 yards of offense in a 52-0 loss to Johns Hopkins under the lights at Homewood Field last October. The Blue Jays were firing on all cylinders early on with quarterback David Tammaro accounting for three of the team's four first-half touchdowns, throwing for a pair of scores and running into the end zone on another occasion. Time of possession in the game was decidedly in favor of the hosts at 41:19 to 18:41. Junior Jake Skinner (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) led the defense with 16 tackles, while classmate Logan Aikey (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) and senior Frank Olmo each posted eight tackles. Olmo also recovered a fumble. Junior Mike McKnight (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) logged seven tackles and two pass break-ups. Sophomore Evan Tannenbaum (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) averaged 39.2 yards on nine punts. Tammaro threw for 223 yards and a pair of scores, while Ryan Cary and Hogan Irwin combined for 152 rushing yards. Luke McFadden led the receiving corps with 102 yards on six receptions. Mike Kalanik posted 3.5 tackles for a loss for the Blue Jay defense.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Gettysburg scored the final 13 points to pull away from Juniata for a 33-17 victory two weeks ago. The team scored on each of its first four possessions with senior Nick Rella (Denville, N.J./Morristown-Beard) opening the scoring with a one-yard run into the end zone. Following a pair of field goals by junior Justin Geisel (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) in the first quarter, sophomore Mike Welsh (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) opened the second period with a 17-yard touchdown strike to sophomore Kevin O'Hanlon (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) to make it 20-0. Juniata sliced the deficit in half by the break and pulled within a field goal five minutes into the third quarter. Gettysburg ended its victory in strong fashion with junior Andrew Howard (Swansea, Mass./Moses Brown) scoring on a six-yard touchdown and Geisel booting two more field goals. The defense came up big with a pair of interceptions by senior Mike McKnightand sophomore Thomeir Richardson (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Central) late in the game. The Bullets piled up a season-high 241 rushing yards with Rella and Howard each recording personal bests. Rella gained 90 yards on 23 carries, while Howard posted 76 yards on 20 totes. Welsh picked up 49 yards on the ground and threw for 129. Senior Jake Skinner led the defense with nine tackles and classmate Logan Aikey recorded 1.5 sacks, a pass break-up and three hurries on the quarterback. Geisel tied a 34-year old program record with four field goals.
 
Johns Hopkins ran off the first three touchdowns of the game over a nine-minute span and ran away from Franklin & Marshall, last year's conference co-champion, 42-12 at Shadek Stadium on Oct. 6. Stuart Walters started the offense with a touchdown run at the end of the first quarter before David Tammaro fired a pair of scoring throws to start the second period. The Blue Jays ran off three more scores in the third quarter. Johns Hopkins out-gained F&M 479-227 in total offense with Tammaro throwing for 290 yards and two scores. The Johns Hopkins QB also led the way with 89 yards on the ground, while Walters posted 64 yards rushing, 42 yards receiving, and three total touchdowns. Ryan Hubley hauled in a dozen passes for 107 yards and a score. Mike Kalanik and Anthony Davidson each posted two sacks for the defense.
 
GETTYSBURG OVERVIEW
Gettysburg is looking to build momentum after picking up its first victory of the year and using the conference-wide bye week to rejuvenate the squad. Head Coach Kevin Burke '90 secured his first victory as a head coach in 15 years with the team's win over Juniata, which was also the last program Burke coached to a victory prior to his arrival in Gettysburg as offensive coordinator.
 
GETTYSBURG OFFENSE
The Bullets have out-scored their opponents 53-17 over the last five quarters of action. Gettysburg recorded a season high 241 yards rushing against Juniata and the team has put up 751 yards of total offense over the last two games. Senior Nick Rella and junior Andrew Howard enjoyed career days on the ground against the Eagles combining for 166 yards on 43 carries and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Rella leads the team with 259 rushing yards with quarterback Mike Welsh second with 217. Welsh completed passes to 11 different receivers in the Juniata game. Howard has been the most targeted receiver with 13 catches for 140 yards, while senior Johnny Davis (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) has hauled in a dozen catches for 228 yards, including a highlight-reel worthy 38-yard third-down reception that set up a score against Juniata.
 
GETTYSBURG DEFENSE
Gettysburg held Juniata to just 30 yards on 21 carries and the Eagles managed just 194 total yards of offense. The Bullets hit the backfield for a season-high five sacks against Juniata, including two by junior linebacker Jordan Mason(Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) and 1.5 by senior defensive end Logan Aikey. Aikey has racked up a conference-best 12 tackles for a loss this season and he leads the team with six sacks. Senior linebacker Jake Skinner is on pace to lead Gettysburg in tackles for the third consecutive season and he currently ranks fifth in the conference. Thomeir Richardson leads the CC in interceptions (4) and ranks second in pass break-ups (6).
 
GETTYSBURG SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior Justin Geisel (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day School) was named the CC Special Teams Player of the Week after tying the program record with four field goals and knocking in three extra points in Gettysburg's victory over Juniata. Geisel tied the record originally set by Jim Flynn '86 against United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1984. The junior kicker leads the conference with eight made field goals this fall. Sophomore punter Evan Tannenbaum(Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) is averaging 37 yards per punt this season and has placed eight inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Thomeir Richardson is second in the league with an average of 21.4 yards per kick return.
 
JOHNS HOPKINS OVERVIEW
Johns Hopkins has finished atop the conference standings every year since 2009. The Blue Jays have won a total of 13 Centennial titles under Head Coach Jim Margraff, who enters his 29th season at the helm. Margraff owns a record of 214-88-3 at Johns Hopkins.
 
JOHNS HOPKINS OFFENSE
The Blue Jays pace the league in scoring (50.2 ppg), yards per game (564.7), passing yards per game (356.7), and rushing yards per game (208). Since losing its Centennial opener to Susquehanna, Johns Hopkins has out-scored its foes 203-35. Junior quarterback David Tammaro has compiled an efficiency rating of 170.5 thanks to 1,963 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He's also added 166 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Senior Stuart Walters paces the rushing attack with 444 yards and eight scores. Walters is averaging a league-high 7.3 yards per carry. Eight receivers have hauled in a touchdown catch this fall with sophomore Ryan Hubley and senior Tyler Messinger each posting four. Hubley leads the team with 35 receptions and 362 yards. The Blue Jays offensive line has allowed just seven sacks this fall.
 
JOHNS HOPKINS DEFENSE
Johns  Hopkins ranks second in the conference in scoring defense (17.2 ppg), total yards allowed per game (288.3) and passing yards allowed per game (161.0). The Blue Jays held Franklin & Marshall to just 84 rushing yards. Senior Anthony Davidson and junior Mike Kalanik have combined for 14 tackles for a loss and seven sacks this season. Freshman linebacker Robert Fletcher leads the team with 39 tackles and has blocked a league-high three kicks. Senior Michael Curry leads the team with three interceptions
 
JOHNS HOPKINS SPECIAL TEAMS
Blue Jay kickers are just 2-of-7 on field goal tries this fall with the longest coming from 22 yards. Senior punter Brandon Hong-Dominguez has averaged 40.7 yards per kick this fall with a long of 75 coming against Dickinson. Stuart Walters has taken back eight kickoffs for an average of 19.9 yards.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Gettysburg follows up this weekend's game with back-to-back road trips beginning with Susquehanna University on Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. The Bullets lead the all-time series with the Riverhawks 10-4-1 and claimed last year's meeting 29-21.
 
COACH TO CURE MD
The Coach to Cure MD program focuses on the battle against Duchenne muscular dystrophy and has raised more than $2 million as it heads into its 11th year. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood, primarily affecting boys of all races and cultures. Football fans can help support the fight to end Duchenne by either going online to CoachtoCureMd.org or by texting the word CURE to 50555 to make a $10 donation in honor of this year's anniversary. As part of the event, Gettysburg will feature two honorary captains, twins Dayton and Blake Biesecker, who will join the Bullets for the opening coin toss.