Notebook
3 Collect Them All
Nick Palladino holds most of Muhlenberg’s passing records and should collect another major one early in the 2016 season: He needs two touchdown passes to tie the career mark of 64. Two other career school records are in sight - rushing yards by a quarterback (needs 137) and 300-yard passing games (needs one) - and Palladino has a shot at the Centennial Conference all-time passing record. He begins the season fifth in CC history. Palladino is fourth among active Division III quarterbacks in passing yards and has a career record of 24-7 as a starter.
Nick Palladino school records passing yards in a career (7,464) passing yards by end of sophomore season (5,009) passing yards in a season (2,998) passing yards by a freshman (2,011) touchdowns responsible for in a career (79) touchdowns responsible for in a season (32) total offense yards in a career (8,639) total offense yards in a season (3,216) completion percentage in a season (.691) completion percentage in a game (.905) completions in a career (664) completions in a season (266) completions in a game (35) lowest interception percentage in a season (1.0) total offense touchdowns in a season (32) total offense touchdowns in a game (5, tied record) attempts in a career (1,011) attempts in a season (385, tied record)
Possession Obsession Muhlenberg ranked 17th in Division III in time of possession in 2015, averaging 33:18 per game. Dating back to late in the 2014 season, the Mules have won time of possession in 13 of their last 15 games. Last year, they had margins of more than 14 minutes in wins against McDaniel and Moravian. Three starting offensive linemen return, including senior co-captain Willie Britt, who was named to the All-Centennial Conference first team and All-South Region third team after not allowing a sack all season.
Catch of the Century Muhlenberg returns two players with at least 100 career catches. Seniors Nick Lamb and Ryan Delaney rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in team history with 118 and 114 receptions, and if they duplicate their production from last year, both will surpass the school record of 169 career catches, which has stood since 1994. Lamb has accumulated his catches in only two seasons - he played baseball for his first two years at Muhlenberg before joining the football team. His 71 catches in 2015 were five short of the school record, and he is tied for the school record with four career games with double figures in receptions. Lamb’s best game last year was a 14-catch, 212-yard effort against Juniata - the first 200-yard receiving
Palladino began the 2014 season by throwing 195 consecutive passes without an interception, and only one other NCAA quarterback made at least 385 attempts while throwing four or fewer picks for the season - Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
game by a Mule in 15 years.
CC all-time passing leaders player Hewitt Tomlin John Harrison Ward Udinski Matt Flynn Nick Palladino Brian Van Deusen Ron Sermarini Michael McCabe Eric Santagato E.J. Schneider
school Johns Hopkins Franklin & Marshall Juniata Gettysburg Muhlenberg Western Maryland McDaniel Muhlenberg Muhlenberg Franklin & Marshall
years comp-att pct yds 2008-11 851-1375 .619 10,481 2008-11 856-1298 .659 8,886 2011-14 734-1264 .581 8,616 2006-09 577-1059 .545 7,921 2013-15 664-1011 .657 7,464 1992-95 621-1129 .550 7,239 1996-99 619-972 .637 7,197 1997-00 502-928 .541 6,938 2005-08 479-789 .607 6,152 2010-13 534-832 .642 6,124
Delaney enters his senior season with a streak of 24 straight games with a reception. He was fourth in the CC in receptions last year and caught the gamewinning touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter of a 27-24 win against Susquehanna. Also a top kick returner, he was seventh in the CC with 1,081 all-purpose yards last fall.
Nick of Time Mission Complete Muhlenberg has completed two-thirds of its passing attempts over the last two seasons. That ranks fifth in Division III. school Washington & Jefferson Wesley Pacific (Ore.) Gustavus Adolphus Muhlenberg Hendrix Johns Hopkins Rose-Hulman Hardin-Simmons Franklin
2015 2014 combined percentage 258-367 299-453 557-820 .679 360-515 314-486 674-1001 .673 215-326 161-234 376-560 .6714 255-379 279-417 534-796 .6709 241-372 275-402 516-774 .667 207-323 256-375 463-698 .663 245-369 231-351 476-720 .661 234-354 294-449 528-803 .658 213-316 179-281 392-597 .657 306-466 280-428 586-894 .655
Junior Nick Savant was injured in the first game of his freshman season and had to sit out the rest of the year. He came back in 2015 to lead the Mules and rank sixth in the CC in rushing. Savant rushed for 122 yards on only nine carries against McDaniel, becoming the first Muhlenberg player since 1947 to record 120 rushing yards in a game with fewer than 10 carries.
Early Does It One of the keys to Muhlenberg’s success is getting off to a good start. Over the last three years, the Mules have outscored their opponents 235-57 in the first quarter. Of the seven touchdowns allowed in that span, four were by Johns Hopkins and two others came in postseason games vs. Widener and Stevenson. Five times in the last three years, the Mules forced a turnover on the opponent’s first play from scrimmage. In the last five years (54 games), the opponent’s first drive has ended on a turnover 15 times and with a touchdown only five times.
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