GETTYSBURG, Pa. – A strong second-half effort guided the Bridgewater College football team to a 29-14 win against Gettysburg at Shirk Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles move to 1-0 to start the season for the seventh straight season, while the Bullets fall to 0-1.
Gettysburg started the scoring early on in the contest capping off an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run from Logan Edmond to go up 7-0 with 5:26 left in the first quarter. The Bullets added to the lead after a 12-play 95-yard drive ended with another touchdown to go up 14-0. Bridgewater was able to tack on a field goal from Jackson Hendren late in the second quarter to set the score at 14-3 at the break.
The second half was all Bridgewater as the Eagles finished off the game with 29-unaswered points, including the late field goal before halftime. After a slow start in the third quarter, the Eagles upped the tempo marching 81 yards on five plays to cut the lead to 14-9. Jaylen Wood went 5-for-5 through the air for all 81 yards on the drive that was capped by a nine-yard touchdown grab by Tyler Gilliam, but the extra point was blocked.
Each side alternated drives before the Bridgewater defense stepped up late in the third quarter. A deep pass down the sideline was completed and looked to be going for a 30-yard gain before Val West punched the ball free and the fumble was picked up by Noah Hines inside Gettysburg territory to set up a short drive for the BC offense.
A pair of quick plays garnered a first down, but the Bullets defense held to force a 3rd & 14 for the offense. A deep ball into the endzone was grabbed by Jordan Hughes to convert on the third down and give Bridgewater its first lead of the day after the PAT, 16-14 as the third quarter came to a close.
The first drive of the fourth quarter was a quick one as the Eagles forced another turnover this time from the shoulder of Noah Robinson who forced a fumble that was picked up by Justin Holley and advanced to the Gettysburg two yard line. Albert Mensah took a handoff up the middle to extend the lead 23-14.
Both sides exchanged possessions that led to the Bullets starting a drive deep in their own territory. An incomplete pass and a sack by Preson Turner forced a third and long situation, but Gettysburg scrambled for a 17-yard game to keep the drive going. The very next play GC quarterback Edmond launched a pass over the middle right into the hands of Aaron Moore who scampered 44 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 29-13.
Gettysburg looked to gain momentum after a quarterback change and a long drive, but the chances were cut short as Hines forced the fourth Bullet turnover of the half with an interception in the endzone to essentially ice the game.
Malcolm Anderson took the first snap under center for the Eagles and finished the game 12-for-22 with 109 yards passing and a touchdown, while Jaylen Wood was 6-for-9 for 102 yards in the air and a touchdown.
Leading the way on the ground was Ronald Robinson Jr who had 12 carries for 44 yards, while Anderson pitched in with 36 yards on the ground. Mensah scored the lone rushing touchdown of the day for BC.
Viante Tucker grabbed six passes for 59 yards, while Gilliam had three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Hughes had two catches, including the 33-yard touchdown, and Derrick Jenkins also pitched in with three caches.
Defensively, West led the way with eight tackles, including 1.0 TFL and a forced fumble, while Harris finished with seven stops of his own and two pass breakups. Jaelen Mathews and Hines each recorded six tackles, while Moore and Samuel Adkins each had five of their own. Trey Trenary and Turner recorded a sack each as both of Turner's tackles on the day went for a loss.
In total, the Eagles defense forced four turnovers with each one coming in the second half.
The Gettysburg offense actually outgained the Eagles, 384-310, while the Bullets also held a small edge in time of possession with nearly 33 minutes.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, September 10, as they host Southern Virginia in nonconference action to open the home slate. Kickoff is set for 2 pm as the team celebrates Family Weekend at the Jopson Athletic Complex.
Strong Second Half Lifts Bridgewater to Season Opening Victory
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20220903_dyxj.xml
2022
Bridgewater
29
Gettysburg
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater (1-0) | 0 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 29 |
| Gettysburg (0-1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Sep 03, 2022