The Friday Tailgate

We've reached the top of the mountain and we're now heading down the second half of the football season. Muhlenberg holds a one-game lead on Franklin & Marshall with the two teams headed toward a showdown next week. But business remains at hand, as the fifth-ranked Mules take on old nemesis McDaniel, while the Diplomats travel to Moravian. Six teams with two CC losses are in must-win situations with two of them meeting in Collegeville as Ursinus welcomes Johns Hopkins for Homecoming. And Gettysburg looks to continue its resurgence at Juniata.

Tailgate Recipe of the Week
As mentioned above, it is Homecoming Weekend at Ursinus ... and being that close to Philly means that cheesesteaks are the order of the day. You'll have to start preparation today ...but the effort will be well worth it while you're catching up with old friends.

Want to get Centennial Conference football scores on your cell? Sign up at Twitter.com. Send the message "follow centennialconf" to 40404 and you're set to go.

Can't get enough info on today's game? Go to our Gameday site.

Muhlenberg at McDaniel
Radio: WMUH-FM 91.7 and WTTR-AM 1470. Live Stats: Yes.
The Mules and the Green Terror meet for the 37th time in a series that began in 1927. McDaniel holds a 21-14-1 advantage and has won nine straight games from Muhlenberg at Bair Stadium since a 24-14 loss to 'Berg in Westminster in 1988. 'Berg QB Eric Santagato is sixth in DIII in passing efficiency (181.07), while his favorite target - WR Phil Cresta - is fifth in yards per game (128.6). Santagato needs 318 yards of total offense to reach 6,000 for his career. RB John DeLuca is one of just nine backs in Conference history to amass 3,000 career rushing yards (3,101). McDaniel LB Mike Weick is 28th in the nation in tackles, averaging 11.0 per game. The Terror looks for its first win against a ranked opponent since defeating Bridgewater in 2005.


Franklin & Marshall at Moravian
Radio: WSAN-AM 1470 and godiplomats.com. Live Stats: No.
This is the 21st meeting between the Diplomats and the Greyhounds since 1932 with F&M holding a 16-4 advantage. The 'Hounds won the last meeting in Bethlehem in 1992 by a 14-7 count, while the Dips won the previous meeting at Rocco Calvo Field in 1981. Two of the top runners in the CC will be on display in Moravian's Tyler McCambridge (101.0) and F&M's John Kaschak (83.2). The Diplomats' are 16th and 17th nationally in total defense (247.0) and scoring defense (12.2), respectively. Moravian PK Brian Reckenbeil is eighth nationally with eight FGs and needs three more points to reach 200 for his career. Franklin & Marshall WR Jarrell Diggs was responsible for three TDs last week vs. Ursinus, running for a TD, catching a scoring toss and throwing for the third score.


Gettysburg at Juniata
Radio: WKVR-FM 92.3. Live Stats: Yes.
The Bullets and the Eagles meet for the 23rd time in a series that began in 1923. Gettysburg is 10th in the nation in total offense (455.0) behind high-flying QB Matt Flynn. He tied the school career mark for TD passes (33) and shattered the G-burg record for total offense (5,363) last week. Flyn is 14th in DIII in total offense (292.17). Charles Curcio amassed 295 all-purpose yards against Moravian, including a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Juniata's "Black Flag" defense is allowing just 293.83 yards per game. KR Brandon Spayd accounted for the Eagles' lone points vs. Muhlenberg with a 90-yard kickoff return. He is 17th nationally with a 28.11 average. Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter can win his 150th career game today. He has a 149-146-5 career record.


Johns Hopkins at Ursinus
Radio: none. Live Stats: Yes.
The Blue Jays and the Bears meet for the 51st consecutive year in a series that began in 1958. Hopkins holds a 28-18-4 advantage, but Ursinus has won three straight. The Jays have averaged 39.5 points in their four victories and 16.5 in their two defeats. RB Andrew Kase has run for over 100 yards in each of his last four games and is 20th nationally with 133.83 yards per game. PK Alex Lachman's streak of 42 consecutive PATs came to an end in the 2nd quarter vs. Dickinson. The sophomore has missed three kicks in his collegiate career - two FGs and a PAT - all against the Red Devils. QB Hewitt Tomlin has thrown for 1,210 yards and eight TDs - third on the all-time Centennial list for freshmen. The Bears have surrendered an average of 40 points in their three losses. The UC rush defense has allowed just 98.20 yards per game. P Greg Zara leads the Conference with a 40.0 yard average. Hopkins is 7-7 all-time in games played on Oct. 18. For the first time in school history, Johns Hopkins had two players with 100 yards receiving (Wernick-205, Michels-108), a 100-yard rusher (Kase-128) and a 300-yard passer (Tomlin-387) as the quartet turned the trick last week against Muhlenberg.