Eagles Face Gettysburg in First Home Centennial Game of Season

By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net

Game Notes

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The Juniata College football team opens Centennial Conference play at home against the Bullets of Gettysburg College. Juniata is enjoying a 2-0 start to its season for the first time since 2002.  The 2013 Eagles are one of only five teams in program history to average 20+ point win margins in their first two games along with the 1938, 1957-59 squads with the 1973 team coming in close behind.

Series History
This is the 28th gridiron meeting between Juniata and Gettysburg, with the Bullets holding a 19-8 advantage in the series. Gettysburg has won the last seven games in the series, including all six meetings since Juniata joined the Centennial Conference in 2007. The closest of the three Centennial games was the 2008 contest in Huntingdon, with Gettysburg escaping with a 24-20 win. The teams played sporadically until a hiatus from 1980-2007.  Juniata's last win over the Bullets came in 1979, with a 28-14 victory at Musselman Stadium in Gettysburg.  The last Juniata win in Huntingdon was three seasons prior to that, with a 20-3 triumph in 1976.

Last Meeting
The Juniata football team managed to keep a high-scoring Gettysburg College offense to the least amount of points and offensive yards the Bullets have accumulated in a game so far this season, in a 28-7 Centennial Conference loss in Gettysburg, Pa.

For the first time all season, the Bullets, who were averaging 616 yards per game and allowing just 165 yards per game in offensive production, did not score in their opening drive and was forced to punt. The Juniata (1-2) defense only allowed them to move 33 yards in the first quarter and kept Gettysburg (3-0) off the scoreboard to allow the Eagles' offense to take an early lead.

Offensive Fire
Juniata has scored 78 points this season and averages over 500 total yards per game.  The Eagles have defeated both opponents by over 20 points, scoring 10 touchdowns, six on the ground, four in the air.  

Hitting a Wall
The Eagle defense has been phenomenal this year, giving up only 17 points per game.   They have recorded 144 tackles this season with 11 sacks and held opponents to under 300 yards per game.

Golden Toe
Senior Ken Kysor was named Centennial Conference special teams player of the week (Sept. 15) after scoring a career-high 13 points to help lead the Eagles to a 37-14 win over Dickinson in their conference opener.  He booted two shots over 35 yards, with one clearing from 38-yards out, a career-best mark. Kysor went 3-for-4 in field goals and a perfect 4-for-4 in PATs.

Gone Streaking
Juniata is one of three Centennial Conference teams to start the season 2-0.  The Eagles, No. 16 Johns Hopkins and Ursinus are the only unbeaten teams.

Team First
Juniata ranks top 30 nationally as a team in nine different categories.  The Eagles are tied for No. 1 in winning percentage, passes had intercepted and fourth down conversion percentage.  The defense ranks No. 6 in nation for team pass sacks at 5.5 per game.

Eagles Flying High
There are five Eagles individually ranked nationally in the top 30, headlined by senior captain Ward Udinski, who appears in six offensive categories, ranking 10th in the nation in points responsible for.  Also appearing is place kicker Ken Kysor.  The senior is 17th in field goals per game.  Defensively, senior Greg Nixon is 25th in total tackles, while seniors Brandon Felus and Kevin Gorman are both 26th in pass sacks per game.

Juniata in the Centennial
Ward Udinski and Ken Kysor currently top the league in their respective specialties. Udinksi is first in passing (317 yds/g) and Kysor is first in kicking with 18 total points.

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