Football beats Juniata with record-breaking performance

Although it was a slow start for the Muhlenberg Mules, they finished strong with a 56-17 win against Juniata. Juniata (4-3) wasn’t going to be an easy win for the Mules, as they put up a fight in the first quarter and led 10-0. However, this did not discourage Muhlenberg. Once they finally woke up half way through the first quarter, wide receiver Ryan Delaney ‘17 received a five-yard pass from quarterback Nick Palladino ‘17 in the seventh minute of the game for the Mules’ first touchdown. Three minutes later, running back Nick Savant ‘18 ran in for his first touchdown of the game. Savant had four touchdowns and a total of 277 yards, which broke a school record for most yards in a game. Palladino threw for 121 yards and ran for 62 yards and had two touchdowns.

After the first quarter, the Mules came out strong with a touchdown within the first four minutes of the second quarter. Savant ran for thirty yards for the touchdown, making the score 21-10. Six minutes later, Palladino walked into the end zone to score a touchdown for himself, now making the score 28-10. With a minute left in the second quarter, defender Kyle Wilczynski ‘18, intercepted a pass made by Juniata’s quarterback, Hank Coyne, and ran it in for a sixty-yard touchdown. Wilczynski’s pick six was not the only big play he made, as he also caused a fumble after sacking Coyne. Another key player stopping Juniata from doing any offensive work was linebacker Mike Luby, who led the defense with 11 tackles, breaking his previous record set against John Hopkins in 2015. Heading into the third quarter, Savant came out strong once again by running in another touchdown in a four minute span, making the score 42-10. Nick Lamb ‘17, for his first touchdown of the game, scored on a 15 yard pass with only ten seconds left of the third quarter, now making the score 49-10.

In the final quarter, Savant scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a large run of 61 yards, making the score 56-10. Four minutes later, Juniata was finally able to break free from the defense and make it within the Mules’ 40 for the first time in three quarters. With eight minutes left, Juniata scored their second touchdown of the game on a 37-yard reception by Kirby Breault from Hank Coyne, making the score 56-17. Muhlenberg’s kicker Todd Spirt ‘20 had a perfect game and was eight for eight on extra points. With the final score of 56-17, the Muhlenberg Mules did a great job holding off Juniata after they came out strong in the first quarter. Although the Mules came out a little sleepy, they woke up rather quickly and stopped Juniata in their tracks.

Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Errickson.