FB: Centennial Conference

[Joe Rockhead]

Muhlenberg took care of business this week. Hopkins played hard but the outcome was never in doubt.  JHU is still a very good team, but this game was more about just how good Muhlenberg is. The answer is really good.  JHU was very classy in defeat. This game had to hurt but I get the impression that there's a lot of mutual respect between these two teams.  First time that JHU has lost a game by more than 8 points since 2013.

[Joe Rockhead]

I should have added that the game day atmosphere was phenomenal.  The stadium was packed to capacity both home and visitors' sides, the fence line was two deep. There were tailgates all over campus,  including the Hopkins parents who filled a lot across from the stadium. I was able to eat some great food and drink a couple of beers courtesy of people I never met before. I had a really good time at the game and so did my wife-who I have to give some credit to for riding along with me this fall to games-all so I could avoid yard work.     

[MRMIKESMITH]

Susquehanna looks to be in good position with it's SOS, but should continue to root for Johns Hopkins and Lycoming to win out.

[The Mole]

F&M 44 Ursinus 16 Think Bears stud QB banged up, tie game at 16 headed to 4Q--TD and pick six right after trapped them

Moravian 24 Dickinson 6 In the surprise of the day, Hounds defense came up with 5 picks. Tough to overcome.

Hopkins 57 Juniata 26 Was 28-20 in middle of 3Q and then the Blue Jay offense went into overdrive

Susquehanna 49 McDaniel 7 Expected result on a chilly senior night in Selinsgrove.

Muhlenberg 44 Gettysburg 3 Mules have clinched the auto bid and cannot fall asleep next week

[The Mole]

Wrapping up the last week of the regular season  in the Centennial....

Moravian @ Muhlenberg: Valley Rivalry (D3 Version), Mules have clinched Pool A and want to stay healthy, Greyhounds had a nice W over Dickinson and could sneak into a MAC/Centennial Bowl with a W

Hopkins @ McDaniel: The Maryland Railroad Lantern is at stake. Blue Jays will be bowling next week if they choose regardless of the outcome. Green Terror sport the lowest scoring O in the league, a victory will be hard to scare out for the seniors.

Gettysburg & F&M: The Lincoln Football Trophy will be up for grabs in this 109th meeting all time in a series that is very close. Diplomats will probably get a bowl with a W, Bullets have second lowest scoring O (by two points) and the worst defense in terms of points allowed. Stranger things have happened on this game....

Susquehanna @ Juniata: River Hawks are in the thick of the Pool C conversation, so the Goal Post Trophy rivalry is a must win. The Eagles are in the throes of a 4 game losing streak. Going to be a real challenge to break that....

Ursinus @ Dickinson: This tilt could determine the final bowl spot in the CC/MAC bowls (assuming Susquehanna wins). Red Devils got bitten by the Hounds and Bears got mauled in the 4th quarter by F&M. Should be a good game between teams fighting for another chance to extend the season.

[The Mole]

Stay tuned for upcoming bowl/playoff bids tomorrow....

Hopkins 42 McDaniel 0: no surprise, down year for the Jays, may get cross town Stevenson in what should be interesting....

Muhlenberg 52 Moravian 7: Who will the Mules get in Round 1?

F&M 55 Gettysburg 7: Diplomats will be bowling (maybe Wilkes?)

Susquehanna 63 Juniata 7: with a rash of Pool C hopefuls losing, River Hawks should be fine, just who do they play and where?

Ursinus 27 Dickinson 19: Both finish with identical 5-5/4-5 records and this could mean the Bears get the bowl (Misericordia ?)

[The Mole]

Yikes, I may have spoken too soon, boys from Selinsgrove projected to be out...

[Pat Coleman]

Nobody is just fine in a playoff process with just five at-large bids.

[The Mole]

NCAA & MAC vs Centennial Bowls

MIT @ Muhlenberg: The Mules could not have asked for a better draw in their bracket (no Mt Union). The Engineers won the deceptively competitive NEWMAC and won't roll over, they have some mo' as they ended the regular season on a 5 game win streak. Mules should advance....

Wilkes @ Susquehanna: Congrats to the Colonels who have turned their program around! They got handled by Del Val and Stevenson so still have improvement to go, but still a great accomplishment by the players and staff to get to this point. They had 4 games decided by one score or less and were victorious in all of them, a sign of learning how to win. This will be a step up in competition versus an old conference foe that will either play really inspired and feels that they were snubbed for the field of 32, OR will sleep walk through the game because it had its eyes on a different goal.

Hopkins @ Stevenson: Juicy cross town Baltimore skirmish. The Mustangs two Ls were early to Pool A squads (Del Val & Bridgewater VA) so you could say they are battle tested, but Wilkes is the only team it beat that has a winning record. Jays had a "down year" by their standards, but those 3 losses were by a total of 19 points to Pool A Muhlenberg and fellow CC bowlers F&M and Susquehanna. Also one W over a winning team, 8-2 Randolph-Macon (runner up in the ODAC).

F&M @ Misericordia: Cougars have turned their program around though. They are limping into this game losing three of their last 4 with the W over second year squad Alvernia. Lost to Albright on 11/9, which broke like a 20 game losing steak for the Lions. They did not play Stevenson or Del Val and did play Wilkes close in a 36-35 loss. Their opponents that they beat combined for 18 wins. Dips had a big W over Hopkins but followed up that W with back to back losses to Dickinson and Moravian. Misericordia played in a bowl last year and got absolutely murdered by Ursinus. These games can be hard to gauge....

[Joe Rockhead]

Didn't realize the MIT-Muhlenberg connection:

NCAA Division III football playoffs: MIT at Muhlenberg features former teammates turned opposing head coaches


A few summers ago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology assistant football coach Brian Bubna came to Allentown with staffers to chalk talk with the Muhlenberg College coaches.

The MIT men toured the tranquil quads, the football facilities, the majestic dining hall.

Bubna (Hobart '04) felt at home breaking bread and breaking down blocking schemes with his former college teammate at Hobart College, Nate Milne (Hobart '03), an assistant on the Mules' staff.

Both were coaching under outstanding head coaches and happy trying to navigate Division III, where they'd once played on Hobart's first tournament teams.

Bubna's return to Scotty Wood Stadium Saturday at noon for an NCAA playoff game might not feel so collegial for the buddies who stay in contact during the season.

Read the full preview at this link:
https://www.mcall.com/sports/college/mc-spt-muhlenberg-football-mit-ncaa-20191122-n6wz5t3elze6leapcdnqfoupzm-story.html

[The Mole]

Great pull, Joe Rock, love it!

Muhlenberg 38 MIT 0: Mules may have backed off in the 4th quarter based upon Joe's comments above. Brockport will be a stiff test this week

Susquehanna 88 Wilkes 24: 55-24 8:08 2Q. Resounding statement. Did they need to go for two to get 90? Hope that was a muffed snap and "FIRE" call.

Hopkins 51 Stevenson 28: Turning point, Mustangs cut it to 24-14 with 1:24 left in the half and allowed Blue Jays to go down and score another TD with just 9 seconds left to make it 30-14 and then a score at 9:14 of 3Q to make it 37-14 was the dagger.

F&M 31 Misericordia 13: Dips were in control the whole time and held the Cougars to 27 yards on the ground.

Another strong year by the CC overall (not as good as last year, but more than respectable) and the Mules are still going. The Centennial continues to soundly handle MAC foes. Congrats to all the seniors in their last hurrah.

[G-manWU]

Great pull, Joe Rock, love it!

Muhlenberg 38 MIT 0: Mules may have backed off in the 4th quarter based upon Joe's comments above. Brockport will be a stiff test this week

Susquehanna 88 Wilkes 24: 55-24 8:08 2Q. Resounding statement. Did they need to go for two to get 90? Hope that was a muffed snap and "FIRE" call.

Hopkins 51 Stevenson 28: Turning point, Mustangs cut it to 24-14 with 1:24 left in the half and allowed Blue Jays to go down and score another TD with just 9 seconds left to make it 30-14 and then a score at 9:14 of 3Q to make it 37-14 was the dagger.

F&M 31 Misericordia 13: Dips were in control the whole time and held the Cougars to 27 yards on the ground.

Another strong year by the CC overall (not as good as last year, but more than respectable) and the Mules are still going. The Centennial continues to soundly handle MAC foes. Congrats to all the seniors in their last hurrah.

Hi folks, first time posting on the CC board for me. Longtime Wilkes fan here, worked for the program as a student in the 2004/05/06/07 season, been following the program ever since.

My thanks for the good vibes shown to Colonels on here since the bowl matchups were announced. For longtime fans, this season felt like a breath of fresh air, especially when you consider how far the team has come since going 0-10 two seasons ago.

I made the drive from Scranton to Selinsgrove on Saturday, was hoping it would be at least a little closer. But the River Hawks have a really talented team, no doubt they were worthy of being in the NCAA tournament.

Even with the lopsided score, I'm proud that the Colonels didn't give up. Susquehanna continued to bring it on defense even after posting 40+ points, and the Wilkes touchdowns were well-earned. It would have been easy to roll over and quit, so I'm glad the team kept plugging against a superior foe.

As for the 2-point attempt on the last SU touchdown, my view of the play was blocked by players on the Wilkes sideline. I certainly hope it wasn't a designed 2-point play, as the River Hawks more than made the statement they were looking for at that point.

[The Mole]

GMAN, quite a turnaround and a season to be proud of in W-B. The MAC became a power conference in D3 in the 80s with Widener and then Lycoming, Albright, Wilkes and Susky also had their turns. I think what has "hurt" is that you have 3 teams in W-B now with Kings, Wilkes and Misericordia. In any case, glad to see them back and have success like they did under Joe DiMelfi and Frank Sheptock.

Great pull, Joe Rock, love it!

Muhlenberg 38 MIT 0: Mules may have backed off in the 4th quarter based upon Joe's comments above. Brockport will be a stiff test this week

Susquehanna 88 Wilkes 24: 55-24 8:08 2Q. Resounding statement. Did they need to go for two to get 90? Hope that was a muffed snap and "FIRE" call.

Hopkins 51 Stevenson 28: Turning point, Mustangs cut it to 24-14 with 1:24 left in the half and allowed Blue Jays to go down and score another TD with just 9 seconds left to make it 30-14 and then a score at 9:14 of 3Q to make it 37-14 was the dagger.

F&M 31 Misericordia 13: Dips were in control the whole time and held the Cougars to 27 yards on the ground.

Another strong year by the CC overall (not as good as last year, but more than respectable) and the Mules are still going. The Centennial continues to soundly handle MAC foes. Congrats to all the seniors in their last hurrah.

Hi folks, first time posting on the CC board for me. Longtime Wilkes fan here, worked for the program as a student in the 2004/05/06/07 season, been following the program ever since.

My thanks for the good vibes shown to Colonels on here since the bowl matchups were announced. For longtime fans, this season felt like a breath of fresh air, especially when you consider how far the team has come since going 0-10 two seasons ago.

I made the drive from Scranton to Selinsgrove on Saturday, was hoping it would be at least a little closer. But the River Hawks have a really talented team, no doubt they were worthy of being in the NCAA tournament.

Even with the lopsided score, I'm proud that the Colonels didn't give up. Susquehanna continued to bring it on defense even after posting 40+ points, and the Wilkes touchdowns were well-earned. It would have been easy to roll over and quit, so I'm glad the team kept plugging against a superior foe.

As for the 2-point attempt on the last SU touchdown, my view of the play was blocked by players on the Wilkes sideline. I certainly hope it wasn't a designed 2-point play, as the River Hawks more than made the statement they were looking for at that point.

[The Mole]

Brockport @ Muhlenberg: Mules get a redoubtable Golden Eagles squad Saturday in Allentown. Expect the home team to advance but it will not be a cakewalk. The E8 champs have shown resiliency all year and have played a tough schedule. The victor gets winner of Union and Salisbury.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with family, friends and loved ones.

Gotta love playoff football.....

[Joe Rockhead]

In case you want a little bit more about yesterday's game than Muhlenberg "won big in second round action", here's the recap of yesterday's game.  Brockport was quite stout along both lines and their linebackers were very fast. Mules kept after the running game, even though it wasn't easy and eventually put up 124 yards rushing against a defense that had been allowing 27 yards a game. They just made plays in the passing game-Curtiss and Daniel made some incredible catches and Hnatkowski was terrific even when he was under pressure. They were really good on defense as Brockport never made it past the Muhlenberg 40.  It was 42-0 but the Golden Eagles put up a fight the whole way. They were very physical-didn't seem that lopsided until you looked closer at what was happening. Muhlenberg is a deceptively good team. Nothing fancy, they just beat you.

Football Rolls into Quarterfinals

The Muhlenberg football team flexed its muscles on defense again, shutting out Brockport 42-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The fourth-ranked Mules (12-0) set a school record with their 12th win of the season and advanced to the quarterfinals to play at Salisbury, a 62-41 winner vs. Union, in the quarterfinals.

One week after blanking MIT, 38-0, Muhlenberg hung another zero, becoming the first team in the history of the Division III playoffs (dating to 1973) to record shutouts in each of the first two rounds.

Muhlenberg allowed 184 total yards, including only 71 on 21 passing attempts. The Golden Eagles (9-3) took only six snaps inside Mule territory, none inside the 40, and they resulted in a total of -5 net yards.

Junior Joshua Barnett (pictured above) was one of 12 Mules to record a tackle for loss, finishing with a pair of sacks among his six stops. Seniors Dante Lonardo and Mickey Kober also made multiple stops behind the line of scrimmage.

The back-to-back shutouts were the first for the Mules since 2012.

Meanwhile, behind record-breaking performances by junior Michael Hnatkowsky and senior Ryan Curtiss, the offense picked apart a Brockport defense that ranked in the top 10 in Division III in rushing defense (first), total defense (fifth) and pass efficiency defense (ninth).

Hnatkowsky completed 18 of 30 passes for 243 yards and five touchdowns, tying the school record for TD passes in a game for the fourth time this season. With at least one game remaining in his junior season, he now holds the Centennial Conference career mark with 93 touchdown passes.

Curtiss caught eight passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, adding a third TD running out of the wildcat formation in the fourth quarter. He broke the CC and school record for career receptions by a tight end (141) and also tied the school record of 14 touchdown catches in a season.

Senior Todd Spirt also made history, booting all six extra points to become the CC all-time leader in points scored by a kicker (286).

Muhlenberg took the opening kickoff and was forced to punt after gaining one first down. On the punt, the bouncing ball hit one of the Brockport players and was recovered at the 19-yard line by sophomore John Washington.

It was the lone turnover of the game, but it set the stage for what was to come.

Two plays after the fumble, Hnatkowsky connected with Curtiss on a 6-yard score.

Later in the quarter, completions of 12 and 22 yards to Curtiss set up the second touchdown, a 17-yard pass from Hnatkowsky to junior Mitch Daniel.

Trailing 14-0, the Golden Eagles elected to go for it near midfield with 1:03 left in the first quarter, and junior Nick Sirico broke up the pass. Nine plays and 51 yards later, it was Hnatkowsky to Curtiss from 17 yards out to make it 21-0.

Curtiss had seven catches for 100 yards in the first half alone. Daniel, who hauled in a 41-yard scoring pass in the third quarter, narrowly missed a 100-yard game, catching five balls for 99 yards.

Senior Chris Hillburn also caught a touchdown pass to cap a 13-play, 74-yard drive that featured conversions on third-and 13 and third-and-14 against a Brockport defense that was holding opponents to a 20.5-percent conversion rate on third down.

Junior James Diggs rushed for a game-high 76 yards on only 12 carries to lead a rushing attack that gained 124 yards – 97 more than the Eagles' average entering the game.

https://muhlenbergsports.com/news/2019/11/30/football-rolls-into-quarterfinals.aspx