Da'Avian Ellington at Hopkins 2019
Bill Wood
Da'Avian Ellington '21
56
Winner Susquehanna SUSFB 7-1 , 6-1
13
Gettysburg GCFB 1-7 , 1-6
Winner
Susquehanna SUSFB
7-1 , 6-1
56
Final
13
Gettysburg GCFB
1-7 , 1-6
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SUSFB Susquehanna 14 14 14 14 56
GCFB Gettysburg 7 0 0 6 13

Game Recap: Football | | Nairem Moran

No. 20 River Hawk Football Routs Gettysburg on the Road

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The No. 20/22 Susquehanna University football team put up a season-best 56 points Saturday afternoon as seven different River Hawks found the end zone, scoring two touchdowns in each quarter for their fifth straight victory. Susquehanna (7-1, 6-1 CC) posted a 56-13 Centennial Conference road win over the host Gettysburg College Bullets on Gettysburg's Family Weekend.
 
This is the fourth time in the series history with Gettysburg that Susquehanna has dropped 50-plus points on the Bullets, the third time it has happened on the Bullets' home turf, and the second time SU has tallied more than 50 points in a win. In its first year with the Centennial Conference, Susquehanna lost a 61-50 decision in Gettysburg but the following season, SU came away with a 56-55 overtime triumph in Musselman Stadium. In 2016, the River Hawks tallied a 55-40 win over Gettysburg in Selinsgrove,
 
With today's win, Susquehanna has now won two straight over the Bullets and three of the last four matchups for a 7-10 all-time record.
 
The Centennial Conference standings remain the same for now as No. 6 Muhlenberg College (8-0, 7-0 CC) knocked off Johns Hopkins University (5-3, 4-3 CC), 31-16, today to stay undefeated and in first place. SU maintains a hold of second followed by Johns Hopkins and Dickinson College (5-3, 4-3 CC) in a tie for third to round out the Top 4 teams in the league.
 
Susquehanna 56, Gettysburg 13
 
How It Happened
First Quarter
  • After a 35-yard Bullet punt, Susquehanna's opening drive began at its own 49 and the River Hawks used a five-play, 51-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead at 11:41. Highlights of the drive included an 18-yard run by junior running back Da'Avian Ellington (Carteret, N.J./Woodbridge) and senior captain Mitch Carsley's (Elverson, Pa./Twin Valley) 17-yard reception for the score.
  • Senior captain Danial Shelton (District Heights, Md./Wise) grabbed his second interception of the season to hold Gettysburg to just three plays and three yards on its second possession.
  • The River Hawks turned the ball over on downs, giving Gettysburg the ball on its own 27 and the Bullets needed just one play to equalize at 8:03 as Logan Edmond connected on a 73-yard strike to Matt LaJoie.
  • The tied score didn't last long as senior wide receiver Mikah Christian (Bowie, Md./Bowie) returned a 53-yard kickoff 88 yards for SU's first special teams touchdown of 2019 and a 14-7 lead at 7:50.
 
Second Quarter
  • Susquehanna's last possession of the first quarter continued into the second and was capped by a four-yard run into the end zone by Ellington, extending the visitors' lead to 21-7 at 13:20. The longest play of the eight-play, 51-drive was a 19-yard completion between sophomore quarterback Michael Ruisch (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland) and sophomore wide receiver Kyle Good (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area).
  • The River Hawks carried a 28-7 lead into halftime following a 22-yard scoring reception by Good to complete a 12-play, 73-yard drive.
 
Third Quarter
  • Another special teams touchdown put Susquehanna up 35-7 nearly four minutes into the second half when senior outside linebacker Craig Roumes (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt and first-year defensive back Chance Singleton (Annapolis, Md./New Town) returned it 80 yards for the score.
  • Following a forced fumble sophomore strong safety L'Trell Bradley (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) and a fumble recovery by Roumes, Ruisch marched the team 67 yards, ending with a 17-yard scoring pass to Good and a 35-point advantage.
 
Fourth Quarter
  • The final quarter opened up with a punt by each side before the Bullets turned the ball over on downs at their own 47.
  • Susquehanna capitalized on great field position once again as sophomore quarterback Hezekiah Patterson (Trenton, N.J./Hamilton West) capped the five-play drive with a 22-yard scoring run, giving his team a 49-7 margin with 5:01 left in the game.
  • Gettysburg added its second touchdown of the afternoon at 4:09 when Justin Suarez completed a 44-yard pass to Mike Vigilano. Justin Geisel would miss the mark on the extra point.
  • Patterson wrapped up the scoring for SU with a 63-yard completion to junior wide receiver Jaden Buchanan (Valley View, Pa./Tri-Valley) with less than two minutes left on the clock.
 
Inside the Box Score
  • The River Hawks put up a season-best 96 kickoff return yards, thanks to Christian's 88-yard return.
  • The SU defense notched season-highs of 13.0 tackles for loss for a total of 58 yards as well as eight sacks. Additionally, they forced three fumbles and recovered two of them.
  • Susquehanna punted six times for the second time this season, punting a season-high 228 yards with a season-long of 54 and three inside the 20.
  • SU finished the game with 446 yards of total offense, including 236 on the ground, while the Bullets collected 258 yards of offense with 212 of it coming through the air.
 
Top Performers
  • Ruisch went 16-of-20 for 134 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while being sacked twice.
  • Ellington collected his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, and second straight, as he notched 150 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.
  • Good paced the receivers with five catches and two touchdowns while Buchanan caught two passes for a team-high 72 yards and his first score as a River Hawk.
  • First-year strong safety David Gilchrist (Upper Marlboro, Md./Wise) led the defense with a season-high six tackles while junior defensive lineman Riley Gaughan (Taylor, Pa./Riverside) registered a season-best two sacks for 11 yards.
  • Bradley and senior captain David Simpson (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) each contributed five tackles to the River Hawks' stellar defensive play with each of them forcing a fumble.
  • Sophomore punter Clay Olley (Galloway, N.J./Cedar Creek) punted a season-best six times for a season-high 228 yards with a season-best three inside the 20-yard line and a season-long of 54.
  • Sophomore kicker Elijah Hoffman (Elysburg, Pa./Southern Columbia) was 8-of-8 on PATs while averaging 54.0 yards on nine kickoffs for a total of 486 yards with one touchback.
  • Jordan Mason racked up a game-high 10 tackles to lead Gettysburg with two tackles for loss and one sack while Edmond, who was sacked five times, threw for 147 yards on 10-of-22 with one touchdown and one pick.
 
Up Next for the River Hawks
  • Nov. 9 vs. McDaniel (3-5, 2-5 CC) – Selinsgrove, Pa. / Stagg Field – Centennial game – Senior Night – 6:00 p.m.
 
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