In the first of two consecutive home games against nationally ranked opponents, the Muhlenberg football team scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to erase a 16-point deficit and defeat 16th-ranked Carnegie Mellon, 27-23.

The Mules (6-1, 3-1) return to Scotty Wood Stadium next Saturday to face No. 3 Johns Hopkins, which staged its own fourth-quarter comeback to beat Carnegie Mellon by one point two weeks ago.

Sophomore Luke Spang came off the bench to engineer the comeback, throwing for a career-high 227 yards and rushing for a career-high 49 yards and two touchdowns. 

Muhlenberg trailed 23-7 after the Tartans (4-3, 2-2) scored a touchdown with 1:01 left in the third but took the game over in the final period, with the offense ending three straight drives in the end zone and the defense not allowing a first down on the two CMU drives in between.

Senior Matthew Manning rushed in for an 8-yard touchdown on the third play of the fourth quarter, and Spang completed a two-point conversion to senior Caden Reph to make it 23-15.

Muhlenberg's next drive included two key third-down conversions, with Spang rushing for 13 yards on third-and-9 and completing a pass to sophomore tight end Chris Holland for 12 yards on third-and-5. Spang ran it in on third-and-goal from the 2, but his two-point conversion attempt was off the mark and the Mules still trailed by two.

The Mules took over at their own 36 with 6:31 left after forcing a Tartan punt and put together another drive with big third-down plays. On third-and-5 from the 31, Spang connected with sophomore Logan Nordeck for a 37-yard completion along the sideline, and on third-and-6 from the 18, Spang hit freshman Caleb Pasols for 15 yards. On the first play after the two-minute timeout, Manning pushed in from 2 yards away to give Muhlenberg the lead at 27-23.

Carnegie Mellon returned the ensuing kickoff to the 21 and passed its way down the field, advancing to the Muhlenberg 18 on a fourth-and-5 completion that was upheld by replay review with 32 seconds left. 

Two incomplete passes and a sack by sophomore Joseph Papa gave the Tartans one last play from the Mule 22, but junior Jeffrey Lopez picked off a pass in the end zone as time expired to seal the win. 

The fourth-quarter comeback was the biggest for the Mules since 2011, when they trailed McDaniel 26-7 in the fourth quarter and came back to win, 34-26. In their last home game, they erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Ursinus. It's the first time since 2007 that they've come back from double digits down to win twice in the same season.

Manning finished with 39 yards rushing, and his two scores gave him 10 for the season, making him the first Muhlenberg player to reach double digits in rushing TDs since 2018. 

Senior John Runfolo recorded his second 100-yard game of the season with eight catches for 102 yards. His 42-yard reception in the second quarter was the key play on a 12-play, 98-yard drive that ended with the Mules' first touchdown.

Sophomore Thomas Cerruti finished with seven tackles, leading a defense that was off the field for much of the second half. Muhlenberg dominated time of possession in the second half, 20:28-9:32, behind the offensive line of senior Michael Powel, sophomore Triquil Monroe, senior Robert Terreros, freshman Ryan Harden, and sophomore Christopher Rausch Jr.

pictured above: Manning (with football) celebrates the game-winning touchdown with Powel (62), Reph (83), and senior Aidan Mack (17).