Playing for the first time in 630 days, the Muhlenberg football team looked very much like the outfit that reached the NCAA semifinals in 2019.

The Mules combined a stingy defensive with an efficient offense and rolled past The College of New Jersey, 41-0, in their 2021 season opener.

The shutout was the first for Muhlenberg in the opening game of the season since 2014, when it won at Wilkes, 34-0. To find the last season-opening shutout at home, you'd have to go back 46 years and a 41-0 blanking of Western Maryland in 1975.

The Mules have recorded three shutouts in their last four home games and 27 in total in the last 23 years.

Muhlenberg held TCNJ to 211 total yards. The Lions drove into Mule territory three times and were stopped on downs each time, the final time on the last drive of the game when senior Jack Carroll and junior Josh Ferro recorded back-to-back sacks on third and fourth downs.

On the other side of the ball, Muhlenberg scored on six of its first seven drives. Senior Michael Hnatkowsky completed his first 16 passes and finished 26-of-33 for 266 yards and two touchdowns. The two scoring passes brought his career total to 99.

Three Mule players - juniors Thomas Jenkins and Seth Paluck and senior Rory DeLuca - scored their first career touchdowns. Sophomore Nick Stannard was perfect on seven kicks in his collegiate debut, drilling five PATs and a pair of field goals.

After the defense forced a three-and-out on the game's first series, the offense needed just four plays to reach the end zone. Senior Thomas Murphy, playing for the first time since 2018, caught a 14-yard pass for his sixth career touchdown to cap the drive. 

Junior John Lohrer, who broke up two passes as a safety, recovered a muffed punt later in the quarter, and on the very next play Hnatkowsky threw a perfect 28-yard pass to Jenkins in the end zone to make it 14-0. It was the first career reception for Jenkins.

Paluck, who rushed for a game-high 52 yards in his first career start, pushed in from 3 yards out early in the third quarter. On the next play from scrimmage, sophomore Anthony Sargenti picked off a tipped pass and returned it to the 3-yard line. DeLuca burrowed in to the end zone to cap the Mules' second one-play drive. 

Freshman Joseph Repetti accounted for the final points with a 9-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter after keeping the drive alive with a nifty 26-yard scamper on fourth-and-13.

Seniors Mitch Daniel and Michael Feaster each caught a career-high eight passes.

pictured above: An offensive line that featured five first-time starters, including sophomores Jack Kinerney (64) and David Barr (62) allowed only one sack and paved the way for the offense to gain 392 yards.