HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Looking to rebound after last week's 10-0 loss to Dickinson in its Centennial Conference opener, Juniata welcomes Gettysburg to Goodman Field at Knox Field this Saturday. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.
The Eagles will be celebrating their Glory Years teams from 1947-1962. During that time period, Juniata only had two losing campaigns. The 1955 season was highlighted by the school's 100th victory (54-0 over Susquehanna) and its first postseason appearance (a 6-6 tie with Missouri Valley State in the Tangerine Bowl). The 1958 squad went 7-0-1 for Juniata's last undefeated record. That team also captured Juniata's first Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship. JC boasted not a single losing campaign from 1948-60. Juniata's longest unbeaten streak, 27 games from 1956-59, remains among the best for a small college in NCAA history. The Blue and Gold won 23 straight contests from 1953-55 and sported a 36-game home winning stretch from 1952-61.
As for the current team, the Eagles are coming off their first shutout loss in nearly three years. The Red Devils dominated in the run game as they piled up 339 yards and achieved 19 first downs on the ground. Dickinson had the ball for 39:52 to Juniata's 20:08. The JC defense played well as it allowed all 10 points in the first quarter and shutout Dickinson the rest of the way as it only surrendered 48 total yards passing on the afternoon.
On special teams, Jonah Plymire and James Dougherty combined to punt seven times for 281 yards. Plymire booted five times for 223 yards, had two punts inside the 20-yard line, and hit a game-high 53-yard kick to back up the Red Devils in their own territory. Dougherty had two punts total 58 yards with one inside of the 20.
Gettysburg held off Ursinus last week, 22-15. Brian Calatozzo picked off a Bear pass with 90 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Sam McDermott threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, including two end zone tosses to Ryan Thompson. Linebacker Kodie McNamara piled up a career-high 20 tackles in the victory and became just the ninth Bullet to reach 300 career stops. Michael Kornegay added a personal best 13 tackles. Kyle Wigley carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards and added 37 yards on two receptions. Ryan Thompson finished with five catches for 79 yards and junior Jordan Kelso caught four balls for 46 yards. Robbie Fay averaged 40.2 yards on six punts with five of those falling inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Joey DeCristofaro posted nine tackles, while Calatozzo and Chris Miller each finished with seven stops.
Saturday's game is the 30th meeting between Juniata and Gettysburg with the Bullets holding a 20-9 lead in the series. The Eagles snapped Gettysburg's seven-game winning streak in 2013 with a 38-16 victory in Huntingdon. It was Juniata's first win over the Bullets since 1979 and first time at home since 1976. The Bullets won last year in Gettysburg, 31-17.
