A record performance made for a "Long" day for the McDaniel football team's defense.
Senior Michael Long broke two school records as Muhlenberg rolled up 579 yards of total offense and breezed past McDaniel, 59-10, to remain undefeated and set up a home showdown next week with five-time defending Centennial Conference champion Johns Hopkins.
Long's eight receptions gave win 87 for his career – a school record for tight ends. He is three away from the CC mark for tight ends. His 172 receiving yards also set a school record for tight ends.
It was a breakout performance for the All-American, who caught only four total passes in the first two games of the season.
"Nick [Palladino] and I were working together all week to fix some things and get back to connecting like we were last year," said Long (right, scoring the first of his two touchdowns). "We worked every day in practice and came out here and killed it."
The whole offense killed it. The Mules, who have outscored their three opponents by a combined margin of 135-17, had their most yards since gaining 591 in a 61-21 win at Dickinson two years ago and averaged 7.8 yards per play.
Palladino completed 21 of 30 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns and added a pair of scores on the ground. Freshman Max Cepeda recorded his second straight 100-yard game, rushing for 115 yards on only 14 carries with two touchdowns.
Senior Chris Flynn returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown for a defense that did not allow a touchdown until 16 seconds remained in the game.
Muhlenberg scored on seven of its first eight possessions, stopped only by the clock at the end of the first half. The Mules took the opening kickoff and needed only 2:41 to get on the scoreboard, with Palladino's 10-yard run on third down capping the eight-play, 75-yard march.
The Green Terror (1-2, 0-2) downed a punt at the 2 following its first drive, but Muhlenberg went 98 yards in 12 plays to double its lead. Palladino completed two passes to Long for first downs on the drive before running it in from 5 yards out.
McDaniel kicked a field goal with 1:19 left in the first quarter (the first first-quarter points allowed by the Mules in nine games), but Muhlenberg answered with a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive kept alive by a 20-yard run on a fake punt by sophomore John Feaster. Long finished the drive with a 28-yard touchdown reception.
A little more than two minutes later, he was in the end zone again, catching a career-long 70-yard pass on the first play after a Green Terror punt.
A 40-yard touchdown run by Cepeda made it 35-3 with 3:58 left in the half.
On the first drive of the second half, Flynn picked off a tipped pass and returned it for his first career touchdown. Cepeda added a 2-yard run later in the quarter.
The Mules' final score came on a 36-yard touchdown pass from junior Anthony Schwab to senior Brendan Connolly.
