Two big plays in the first half and a spectacular defensive effort in the second half propelled the Muhlenberg football team to a 31-12 win at rival Moravian in the final game of the regular season.
The win gives the Mules a record of 9-1 as they wait to learn their postseason destination. They are in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the field for which will be announced Sunday night. If Muhlenberg is not selected for the NCAAs, it will host Delaware Valley in a Centennial/MAC Bowl Series game next Saturday.
Junior Nick Savant and sophomore Nate Corvil shared the Bianco Award as the Mules' co-MVPs of the game. Savant rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the ninth straight game. Corvil picked off two passes, one of which he returned 94 yards for a touchdown, and recorded eight tackles.
Senior Nick Palladino completed 18 of 27 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown, adding another TD on the ground. The 300-yard passing game was the 10th of his career, and he also broke the Centennial Conference record for completions in a career (861). Additionally, Palladino tied two other school records: most touchdown passes in a season (26) and most touchdowns responsible for in a season (32).
Senior receivers Nick Lamb (5-134) and Ryan Delaney (8-131) both went over 100 yards receiving, while senior John Feaster made a team-leading 11 tackles. Senior Mike Luby had a tremendous game, with nine tackles, including two for loss and a sack that forced a fumble, and three pass breakups.
Palladino, Lamb, Delaney, Feaster and Luby are all part of a senior class that broke the school record for wins in a four-year span. The Mules' 14 seniors are 34-9 with at least one more game to play.
The Greyhounds (5-5) took the opening kickoff and used their hurry-up offense and short passing game to move the ball quickly down the field, advancing to the Muhlenberg 3-yard line. On second-and-goal, Corvil stepped in front of a Moravian receiver, intercepted a pass and sprinted untouched into the end zone. The 94-yard return was the longest by a Mule in 10 years.
The touchdown gave Muhlenberg a 7-0 lead but did not give the defense a chance to rest, and when the Greyhounds got the ball back they again drove down the field. On first-and-goal from the 10, junior Travis Crawford halted the momentum with a sack, and a field-goal try three plays later hit the upright.
The Mules finally sent their offense onto the field with 6:00 left in the first quarter and punted after only four plays. On their second drive, they faced a third-and-4 when Palladino hit Lamb with a middle screen, and the speedster raced 78 yards for his 11th touchdown of the season to make it 14-0.
Moravian threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter but missed both point-after attempts. Senior Willie Britt blocked the first one, and a two-point attempt was stuffed with 5:21 left in the half, keeping the score 14-12.
The Mules had two good chances to score in the second quarter but were stopped twice on fourth down inside the 10.
At halftime, Moravian had 305 yards of total offense against a Muhlenberg defense that came in allowing only 281.4 per game. The defense came alive in the second half, allowing only 135 yards and forcing three turnovers.
Freshman Todd Spirt booted a 31-yard field goal on the first drive of the third quarter, extending the lead to 17-12. Midway through the quarter, Corvil picked off a Greyhound pass at midfield, and on the next play Savant set off on a 40-yard run, carrying would-be tacklers with him for the final 15 yards. Palladino finished the drive three plays later with a 1-yard sneak.
Savant capped the scoring with a 3-yard run on the third play of the fourth quarter - his 20th touchdown of the season.
Junior George DiFiore notched his fourth interception of the season for the Mules, returning it 36 yards. And freshman Frankie Feaster had a "throwback" day, playing on both offense and defense. He caught a 6-yard pass from his normal tight end position and played several downs on the defensive line, recording a pair of sacks.
The Mules ended the regular season with a six-game winning streak, outscoring their final five opponents by a 251-50 margin.