Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Nick Palladino accounted for all four touchdowns and tied a conference record for passing accuracy to lead the Muhlenberg College football team to a 28-14 win against local rival Moravian.
With the win, the Mules (8-2, 7-2) clinched their 12th postseason berth in the last 16 seasons. They will most likely host Stevenson in the inaugural Centennial/MAC Bowl Series, while the Greyhounds (8-2, 7-2), who needed a win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, are likely headed to Delaware Valley.
Palladino completed 19 of 21 passes, tying the school and Centennial Conference record for completion percentage in a game (.905). He threw for 137 yards while also rushing 14 times for 71 yards and a pair of scores. In addition, Palladino ran for a two-point conversion, earning the Bianco Award as Muhlenberg's game MVP.
The Mule defense, which came in 12th in Division III against the run, held Moravian to 23 rushing yards on 26 attempts on the strength of seven sacks. The Greyhounds came in averaging 229.3 yards per game.
Palladino scored the game's first touchdown on a 16-yard run with 4:34 left in the first quarter on the first play after a 24-yard punt return by Ryan Delaney and a 15-yard face mask penalty. He then ran in the two-point conversion.
Muhlenberg used a short field again to score its second TD. Early in the second quarter, Mike Luby sacked Moravian quarterback Mike Hayes, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Lenny Smith at the 5-yard line. Two plays later, Palladino hit Delaney for a 7-yard touchdown.
Palladino ended the Mules' next drive with a 5-yard scoring run, extending the lead to 22-0. The Greyhounds followed by putting together their best drive of the first half, but sacks on back-to-back plays by Thomas Cosgriff and Matt Musilli forced them back, and a fourth-down pass into the end zone was broken up.
Hayes threw touchdown passes of 13 yards to Liam Nolan and 1 yard to Justice Anderson in the second half, sandwiched around Palladino's 5-yard scoring pass to Max Cepeda.
Smith made a team-high nine tackles, 1½ for loss, for Muhlenberg to go along with his fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Luby recorded 2½ sacks, and Musilli had two.
Linebacker Brendan Downey was named Moravian's MVP after making 14 tackles, including one for loss. Hayes passed for 216 yards.