Box Score

Junior Nick Palladino threw for two touchdowns and ran for one more as the Muhlenberg football team opened the 2015 season with a 35-7 win against Wilkes in its first Friday night home game.

Palladino completed his first 12 passes and finished 19-of-24 for 189 yards. He also rushed for a career-high 109 yards on 10 carries.
 
Ahead only 12-7 at halftime, the Mules pitched a shutout in the second half and put the game away with long fourth-quarter touchdown runs by sophomores Nick Savant (54 yards) and Anthony Bassolino (35).
 
A 57-yard return of the opening kickoff put the Muhlenberg defense under pressure from the start. After an exchange of punts, Wilkes drove to the Mule 15-yard line, where a fourth-down pass fell incomplete – one of six failed fourth-down conversions for the Colonels.
 
Muhlenberg fumbled on its next play, but again Wilkes was not able to capitalize on the short field, missing a 29-yard field goal try.
 
The Mules responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive, capped when junior Ryan Delaney (7 catches, 61 yards) took a short pass on the left and reversed field for a 13-yard touchdown.
 
After the Colonels were again stopped short on fourth down, Muhlenberg doubled its lead to 12-0 on a 31-yard touchdown run by Palladino early in the second quarter.
 
Wilkes scored its lone touchdown in the final minute of the first half.
 
Two plays after the Colonels muffed a punt, Palladino hit senior Mike Harris in stride in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter. The first of two two-point conversions from senior Anthony Schwab to sophomore Kyle Wilczynski made it 20-7.
 
Savant (7 carries, 58 yards) and Bassolino (pictured at left) appeared to be tackled on their long touchdown runs, but both broke out of the pack.
 
Muhlenberg outgained Wilkes, 427-318, despite running 17 fewer plays.
 
Senior Lenny Smith led the Mule defense with nine tackles, including two sacks. Sophomore Christian Lopez and freshman Luke Wiley recorded their first career interceptions. In addition to scoring four points, Wilczynski started at linebacker and made seven stops. Senior Ronald Christian added five tackles, including two for loss.