The Friday Tailgate 10/24

After seven weeks of football ... two things have become clear. One, that the Centennial Conference is an "on any given Saturday" league ... translated, very balanced. Second, through seven weeks ... does not apply to Muhlenberg. The Mules, ranked fourth by the AFCA and fifth by D3football.com, have won 17 consecutive regular-season games and hold a two-game lead in their quest for a second consecutive outright Conference championship. At best, it looks as if two CC losses could get a team a tie for the title, should the Mules stumble. And with five teams with two Conference losses ... every game matters.

Tailgate Recipe of the Week
This one comes from a pair of Oregon State tailgaters, but it was the name of the dish that caught our eye - Darwin's Chili Recipe. So as Dickinson head coach Darwin Breaux goes for his 100th career win on Saturday, we thought it only appropriate.

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Gettysburg at Dickinson
Radio: WDCV-FM 88.3. Live Stats: No.
It's the annual battle for the Little Brown Bucket, which was first presented in 1938 by trustees of the two schools. Saturday’s game will mark the 74th meeting between the two schools, with Gettysburg holding a 40-31-2 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1892. The Red Devils have won the last two meetings and 11 of the last 12. With his team’s victory over Juniata, Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter picked up his 150th career victory. Streeter, who becomes the 32nd Division III football coach to reach the plateau, currently ranks 11th among active Division III coaches in victories. Dickinson coach Darwin Breaux is 99-61-1 in 16 seasons in Carlisle. Gettysburg QB Matt Flynn is 286 yards shy (4,850) of the school's career passing yardage record. Dickinson WR Pat O'Connor tied his own school record with 12 receptions vs. Hopkins for a Dickinson single-game mark of 248 yards. O'Connor amassed a school-record 396 all-purpose yards – the second-highest total in Conference history - and set a school single-season record for yards receiving (826). After running for over 200 yards in each of its first four games, Dickinson has been held under that number in its last two, including just 119 vs. Hopkins

Franklin & Marshall at Muhlenberg
Video: Mule TV. Radio: WMUH-FM 91.7, godiplomats.com. Live Stats: Yes.
The game marks the 90th clash between Muhlenberg and Franklin & Marshall in a series that began in Lancaster 106 years ago with a 69-0 F&M win. Shutouts have been a hallmark of the series, as twenty-five games have ended with at least one team having a goose egg on the board. F&M holds a 50-38-1 series advantage. It is teacher vs. pupil, as Franklin & Marshall head coach John Troxell served on the staff as an assistant to Muhlenberg head coach Mike Donnelly from 1997-2000. The two teams are 1-2 in the Conference in scoring defense, as the Diplomats and Mules allow 14.0 and 15.3 ppg., respectively. Diplomat QB John Harrison is second in the CC in completion percentage (59.1). WR George Eager leads the Conference in kickoff return average (41.9). After starting the season with just eight scores in 18 trips to the red zone, F&M is 7-of-10 in the last two games. Muhlenberg's win at McDaniel gave the Mules a 2-0 record on the year in Maryland - a state in which it went winless from 1990-2000. RB John DeLuca leads the CC with a 156.0 yard rushing average. He has a streak of six 100+ yard games and has 16 for his career. WR Phil Cresta has caught a TD pass in seven straight games, tying the Centennial record. QB Eric Santagato leads the CC with 20 TDs - 16 through the air and four on the ground - and is averaging a CC best 8.2 yards per play. 'Berg has scored on 22 of 25 trips (88 percent) to the red zone.

McDaniel at Ursinus
Radio: WTTR-AM 1470. Live Stats: Yes.
The Green Terror and the Bears meet for the 33rd time in a series that began in 1976. McDaniel RB T.J. Develin is averaging 91.3 yards rushing over the last four games and leads the CC with 6.2 yards per carry. He had a career-high 118 yards vs. Muhlenberg. After throwing for 199 yards in the opener, the Terror passing attack has produced just 284 in the last five contests. LB Mike Weick leads the team and is second in the CC with 69 tackles. McDaniel is just 4-for-38 converting third downs in its last three games. Ursinus was shut out for the first time since Oct. 23, 2004, with a 14-0 loss to Johns Hopkins. The Bears are looking for their first back-to-back wins ever over the Terror in Collegeville. RB Mark Jaskowski, who ran for 150 yards vs. Hopkins, is fourth in the CC with an 89.2 yard per game average.

Moravian at Juniata
Radio: WSAN-AM 1470. Live Stats: Yes.
This will be the 54th gridiron meeting between Juniata and Moravian, with the Greyhounds holding a slim 26-25-2 advantage in the series following last season’s 28-13 win by Moravian at Rocco Calvo Field. Moravian has won the last three meetings in the series, with the most recent Juniata victory coming in 2003 – a 21-14 Eagle win in Bethlehem. Juniata’s last win over the Greyhounds at Knox Stadium was a 39-25 decision in 2001. Juniata and Moravian have a recent history of requiring more than 60 minutes to decide the victor. In five straight meetings between 1995 and 1999, the game was tied at the end of regulation; the 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 contests decided in overtime, with the Eagles winning once (1998). Eagle QB Jay Leonard needs just 172 passing yards to reach 7,000 for his record-setting career. The JC offensive line has surrendered only one sack in the last four games. Moravian RB Tyler McCambridge became the ninth player in school history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards (2,094) with his 168 vs. F&M. PK Brian Reckenbeil is just eight points shy (208) of the school career record of 216 points scored. He has made 59 consecutive PATs.

"Nothing seems to phase him," said head coach Scot Dapp. He doesn't let misses get to him and he's not looking for attention when he makes one. He's a little (flaky). That's OK, because if your kicker is totally sane it's probably not a very good thing."