Football beats Moravian for Sodexo Trophy
Saturday marked the final game of the Mules 2016 regular season, as ‘Berg traveled to Bethlehem to take on the Moravian Greyhounds. The rival game was a Centennial Conference affair, and contributed to the Matte Awards.
The Muhlenberg sideline was quiet as the Greyhound offense marched down the field on their opening drive. The 16 play 86-yard drive the hounds put together seemed to be coming to a Moravian score until cornerback Nate Corvil ‘19 jumped in front of a pass for the interception and had a lot of grass in front of him. Corvil took off down the opposing sideline for the 94-yard interception return for six points, which turned to seven when kicker Todd Spirt ‘20 knocked the PAT through the uprights. Just like that, the Mules bench and crowd went from 0 to 100.
Big plays were the theme of Mules scoring plays in the first quarter. After a missed Moravian field goal attempt and a punt by each team, the Mules found themselves trying to spark a scoring drive. With five minutes left in the first quarter, quarterback Nick Palladino ‘17 dumped a short screen pass to wide receiver Nick Lamb ‘17 and weaved in and out of the grasp of defenders to find the end zone. The quarter closed with the Mules on top 14-0.
Moravian countered with two scores in the second half. Their first score of the game was via airmail, but Moravian was denied on the point after attempt when Mules’ Willie Britt ‘17 exploded through the Moravian offensive line to get a hand on the kick.
The next drive was a tough one for Muhlenberg. They cruised from their own 32 to the opposing 6, where they were unable to make a final push into the end zone. They attempted to run the ball three times and passed to running back Nick Savant ‘18 on fourth down, but Savant came just short of a touchdown.
The Greyhounds took advantage and went 94 yards on 12 plays, completing the drive on a 12-yard touchdown pass. Moravian then elected to try and run the ball for a two-point conversion. The Mules strong defense was able to stuff the attempt for another failed extra point attempt. Halftime arrived and the Mules went into the locker room leading 14-12 in the Matte Cup contest.
The second half was all Muhlenberg. All three scores of the second half were by the Mules, and by three main contributors to ‘Berg’s success this season. The opening drive ended as Spirt lined up to attempt the 31-yard field goal. “I think about it like it’s just another practice rep,” said Spirt when asked about trying to extend the lead in a close game. Spirt knocked his eighth field goal of the season through the uprights to put the contest at 17-12.
The Mules’ next scoring drive was set up by a 40-yard carry by Savant. Savant ran up the Mules sideline and initially was contacted at the opposing 20-yard-line. However, Savant didn’t go down. The running back kept his feet moving and was pushed by tight end Matthew Stickney ‘18 and a couple offensive linemen 11 yards, to reach the 9-yard line. The drive, which consisted of four run plays, was capped by a Palladino one-yard touchdown run and another successful PAT by Spirt.
Savant’s spectacular game wasn’t over. In the first minute of the fourth quarter, the running back found the end zone yet again. Savant ran for his 16th rushing touchdown and 9th consecutive 100-yard game of the season. He finished with 168 yards on the day. Savant expressed the balance of not over preparing, but having a strong game plan when taking on a tough opponent: “We prepared for Moravian just like we do for every game and try not to overanalyze anything.” With that said, the Mules certainly had a game plan. “We knew that this team was very good up front and knew if we could get outside on them we could create some running lanes. We could use it to our advantage in the pass game to move the pocket with play action to allow for Palladino, and our receivers to do their thing,” explained Savant.
A post-game ceremony awarded the Sodexo Trophy to Muhlenberg for winning the annual rivalry matchup. Savant and Corvil were named co-winners of the Bianco award. This award is given to the team MVP’s of the Moravian-Muhlenberg matchup. “It is very humbling being a co-winner of the Bianco trophy knowing that there were many other players on our team that deserved it just as much as me and Nate,” said Savant.
Savant is a name that is now scattered around the Muhlenberg football record books. His accomplishments include being tied for third with 16 rushing touchdowns in a season, first and second for most scores in a single game. Additionally, he is third for rush yards in a season (1511), sixth in career rush yards (2215), and he has the most rushing yards in a single game with 277 against Juniata. Also, the 31st point of this game marked Spirt’s 74th point of the season, which puts him third highest for total points in a single season for kickers in the Mules’ record books. Spirt pointed to consistently good snapping, holding, and blocking all season during field goal attempt, “They never get enough credit.”
Muhlenberg ended their fantastic season with only one loss against John Hopkins early in the year, going 9-1 for the season. Also, the team is in contention for a NCAA bid. The Mules have qualified for a bowl game against Delaware Valley University. The second annual Centennial-Mac Bowl Series will take place at Scotty Wood Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19 for a 12:00 pm kickoff.