BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Gettysburg College football team saw its season opener spoiled by one of the top teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) as Bridgewater College capitalized on a handful of big plays to scamper by the Bullets 41-10 in a non-conference match up at Jopson Field Saturday night.
| Final Results | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Bridgewater (1-0) | 20 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| Gettysburg (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
Top Performers - Gettysburg
- Matt Harris '21 (Dennisville, N.J./Middle Township) – 7-20, 142 Yards, INT
- Logan Edmond '23 (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) – 9-23, 96 Yards, TD, 2 INT, 16 Rush, 69 Yards
- Mike Welsh '21 (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) – 8 Rush, 28 Yards, 2 Rec, 22 Yards
- Matt Lajoie '22 (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape Valley) – 4 Rec, 87 Yards
- Sebastian Gibbs '23 (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) – 4 Rec, 41 Yards
- Ryan Greene '20 (Easton, Pa./Easton) – 7 Tackles, 0.5 TFL
- Justin Lessel '21 (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) – 6 Tackles, Fumble Recovery
- Alex Raimondo '22 (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) – 4 Tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.0 Sacks
- Joey LaMore '20 (Millersville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) – 3 Tackles, 1.0 TFL, 2 Break-ups
Top Performers – Bridgewater
- Jay Scroggins – 14-22, 206 Yards, 3 TDs 5 Rush, 33 Yards
- Jarrod Denham – 2 Rush, 107 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 Rec, 41 Yards, TD
- Demetrius Jalepes – 13 Rush, 38 Yards
- Trey Stephens – 3 Rec, 94 Yards, TD
- Gary Ramey, Jr. – 9 Tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
- Re'Shaun Myers – 9 Tackles, 1.0 Sack
- Chase Rosenthal – 2 Int, 44 Yards, TD
Game Summary
First Quarter: Bridgewater scored on its opening drive as Scroggins completed three passes, including a 41-yard heave to Denham for the first touchdown of the game. Gettysburg went 3-and-out on its first three possessions with its fourth ending in a pick-six by Rosenthal to put the Eagles up 13-0. A 58-yard toss by Scroggins to Stephens pushed the margin to 20-0.
Second Quarter: The Bullets mounted a 14-play, 60-yard drive to start the second quarter, but came up empty inside the red zone and turned the ball over on downs. On the ensuing possession, Denham busted loose for the second-longest rushing score in Eagles history, racing 93 yards to put the hosts up 27-0 at the end of the period. Despite grabbing possession via a fumble recovery on a punt by Lessel, the Bullets couldn't make the turnover count as Rosenthal picked off another pass to set up a touchdown throw by Scroggins to make it 34-0 heading into halftime.
Third Quarter: Gettysburg held Bridgewater to negative-five yards on the first two possessions of the third quarter with Raimondo laying down a sack on Scroggins on the second drive by the Eagles. The Bullets offense drove into Eagles territory, but was unable to convert as Harris was chased deep into the backfield for a sack. Gettysburg put up its first score of the season on a 24-yard field goal by Cummings for the only points in the period by either team.
Fourth Quarter: Bridgewater closed the third quarter with its longest drive of the contest, eating up six minutes and going 74 yards before a final 14-yard rushing score by Denham at the start of the fourth period. The Bullets held the Eagles to just 22 yards on their final four possessions. Raimondo posted his second sack of the night, hitting back-up quarterback Matt Lawton for a six-yard hit on the host's second-to-last full possession. Gettysburg ended the game on a high note, marching 82 yards in 11 plays to pay-dirt. Edmonds led the drive with six completions for 64 yards, including four to Gibbs for 41 yards. The first-year quarterback posted his first collegiate touchdown and gave senior wide-out Ryan Loftus (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) his first career score with a 10-yard toss in the end zone with two seconds remaining.
Preseason Notice
Following an impressive four-game winning streak to close out the 2018 campaign, Bridgewater was tagged No. 2 behind Randolph-Macon College in the ODAC's preseason poll. Each of the team's top skill players returned in addition to the top eight tacklers.
Stats of the Night
Gettysburg managed more first downs (19-16) and won time of possession (31:05-28:55). Bridgewater out-gained the Bullets 428-354 and benefited from a handful of big plays to average 6.6 yards per play.
Where the Series Stands Now
Bridgewater improved to 5-1 all-time against Gettysburg since the series started in 2014. The Eagles are 2-1 against the Bullets on their home turf.
Next Up
Gettysburg opens Centennial conference play at home against Ursinus College next Saturday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m. Follow along with the Bullets with live stats and live video.