Muhlenberg Football Gameday
Mules vs. Ursinus
Friday, October 4, 2024
CC Opener: Following a bye week for all teams, the 41st season of Centennial Conference football kicks off tonight. In the CC preseason poll, Muhlenberg was picked second and Ursinus fourth. The Mules are seeking their 13th CC championship and their first since 2021. The Bears have won two titles, most recently in 2010.
Series: Muhlenberg leads the all-time series, 53-25-7, including a 30-12-5 advantage in Allentown. Since 1989, 21 of the 34 meetings have been decided by eight points or fewer, including the last three. The Bears are 1-10 in their last 11 trips to Scotty Wood Stadium, with the lone win coming in their last visit in 2021.
Last Year: It was a tale of two games when Muhlenberg won 28-20 in Collegeville last year. The Mules opened up a 28-0 lead on four long touchdowns, including a 69-yard reception by Timothy Buda and a 30-yard run by Amari Dunn, with 6:25 left in the first half. The Bears shut out Muhlenberg the rest of the way, however, closing to within eight points on a TD with 5:10 left in the fourth. Ursinus got the ball back at its own 25 with 1:16 remaining and advanced to near midfield before the game ended on a desperation pass. Joe Repetti passed for 313 yards and rushed for 114 for Muhlenberg. Jalen Bradford passed for 274 yards for the Bears, but Tony Holden was held to 39 yards on 19 carries.
Polls: Ursinus has received votes in the D3football.com and AFCA polls each of the two weeks. Muhlenberg was ranked as high as 18th earlier this season.
Ursinus Last Game: Ursinus rushed for 438 yards in a 58-14 home win against Rowan. The game was tied 7-7 in the second quarter before the Bears scored touchdowns on six straight possessions to pull away. Tony Holden rushed for 226 yards - the most by an Ursinus player since 2006 - on only 18 carries.
Muhlenberg Last Game: In the highest-scoring game in program history - breaking the record set the previous week at Salisbury - Muhlenberg held off TCNJ, 55-52. The Mules led 41-17 late in the third quarter but had to block a field goal on the final play of the game to preserve the win. Joe Repetti passed for a career-high 395 yards, while Amari Dunn rushed for a career-best 131 and scored three TDs.
Returns: Muhlenberg sophomore Christopher Short was named CC special teams player of the week for the second time this season after returning kickoffs for 189 yards - 4 short of the school record - vs. TCNJ. He ranks third in Division III with 409 yards on kickoff returns this season ... Ursinus senior Cameron Dennis leads Division III with 225 yards on punt returns this season and was the CC special teams player of the week the week that Short wasn’t.
More Stats Leaders: Ursinus ranks in the top 10 in Division III in rushing defense (second), third-down defense (sixth), total defense (10th) and sacks (10th). Two Bears - Aaron Rios (fourth) and Connor Carter (eighth) are in the top 10 in sacks, and Tony Holden is fifth in rushing yards per game and sixth in rushing touchdowns ... Muhlenberg is second in passing offense, third in total offense and eighth in third-down conversions. Joe Repetti leads Division III in total offense and is second in passing yards per game.
Century Club: Joe Repetti recorded his 100th career touchdown in the TCNJ game. He ranks fourth among active Division III players with 102 TDs - 83 passing and 19 rushing. The school record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback is 24.
Under the Lights: This is the fifth night game for the Mules at Scotty Wood Stadium, and they won each of the first four: 35-7 against Wilkes in 2015, 45-21 vs. Ursinus in 2019, 21-6 vs. Johns Hopkins in 2021 and 53-12 vs. Moravian in 2023.
Home Sweet Home: Muhlenberg is 28-4 at Scotty Wood Stadium since 2018.
Centennial Conference Schedule
Ursinus (3-0, 0-0) at Muhlenberg (2-1, 0-0) - Friday
McDaniel (1-2, 0-0) at Gettysburg (1-2, 0-0) - Friday
Rowan (2-1) at Johns Hopkins (2-1) - Friday
Dickinson (2-1, 0-0) at Franklin & Marshall (2-1, 0-0) - Saturday
Welcome Tartans: The Centennial Conference recently announced the addition of Carnegie Mellon University as an associate member for football. The Tartans will begin competition in the Centennial in the 2025 football season. The addition of Carnegie Mellon will expand the Centennial's football membership to eight teams. The Tartans will compete alongside the seven CC full-time members that sponsor football - Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg and Ursinus.
