Although the 2014 football season is just a couple of weeks old, there is already a good candidate for most misleading statistic of the year.
At halftime of Muhlenberg's Homecoming game, Franklin & Marshall held a huge advantage in time of possession, 20:20-9:40. The Diplomats ran 10 more plays than the Mules in the first 30 minutes, and the teams were tied with eight first downs apiece.
A close game, with perhaps a slight edge to F&M? Hardly. Muhlenberg led 28-0 at the half and breezed to a 42-7 win in its home and Centennial Conference opener.
The Mules used explosive plays on offense to outgain the Diplomats, 296-101 in the first half and 434-169 for the game. They combined that with big plays on special teams and defense to build a commanding early lead.
Freshman Max Cepeda rushed for 104 yards on only seven carries, two of which ended in the end zone. Sophomore Nick Palladino completed 16 of 27 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. After gaining 99 yards receiving in his first game last week, junior Nick Lamb caught five passes for 100 yards for his first 100-yard game.
Senior Ian Gimbar led the defense with eight tackles, including a sack, and a pass breakup. Classmate Jeremey Thomas added five tackles, including a sack and another tackle for loss, a breakup and a fumble recovery.
All told, the Mule defense held an opponent under 200 yards for the second straight week, allowing 2.6 yards per play and only 83 yards on 24 passing attempts.
"Our mentality is to always just fly around like our hair is on fire," said junior safety Matt Pagano, who recorded four tackles and a pass breakup. "Everyone on this team loves to hit; that's why we are on defense and wear red in practice."
An 11-yard punt in rainy conditions following F&M's first drive of the game set up the Mules at the Diplomat 42 early in the first quarter. Seven plays later, Cepeda ran around the right side for his first career touchdown, a 9-yard score.
Later in the quarter, on the first play following an F&M punt, Cepeda (pictured left) burst into the clear off right tackle and sprinted 83 yards for his second touchdown. It tied for the fourth-longest rushing play in Muhlenberg history and was the longest in 30 years.
On its next drive, Muhlenberg faced a fourth-and-10 near midfield when juniorMatt Aspinwall ran 17 yards on a fake punt. Three plays later, on the second play of the second quarter, Palladino hit sophomore Luke Primerano in the front of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.
Franklin & Marshall had a golden opportunity to score on its next drive, getting a first-and-goal on the 1. But the Mules came through with a goal-line stand, stopping three straight runs up the middle before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
Palladino hit Lamb from 13 yards out with 24.9 seconds left in the half to extend the lead to 28-0. Pagano returned a blocked punt 25 yards for his first career touchdown – following Muhlenberg's second blocked punt of the game ' to make it 35-0 midway through the fourth quarter.
Freshman Matthew Stickney scored the Mules' final touchdown on an 11-yard run. Only an F&M score in the final three minutes prevented Muhlenberg from opening with back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2007.
"It feels great to start the season with performances like this," said Pagano. "We would have liked the shutout, but seven points in two games is still pretty good.
"We are 2-0 and in the exact right position that we want to be. We've got a big game against McDaniel next week, and we can't take any team lightly. Every team is good and can beat any other team in this conference. We're always looking forward to that next one."
pictured at right: Senior cornerback Khiry Hughes recorded four tackles, one for loss, and a pass breakup.
