Muhenberg wins, advances to national semifinal
Muhlenberg rides defense to its first D-III semifinal berth
Remaining undefeated this season (13-0), the Mules topped 6th-ranked Salisbury Saturday and will play again Friday in Allentown.
SALISBURY, Md. – Great defense trumped gaudy offense in the Division III football quarterfinals.
The fourth-ranked Muhlenberg Mules extended their NCAA shutout streak to 11 quarters Saturday before recording a 24-8 victory over No. 6 Salisbury to reach the semifinals for the first time in school history.
The Mules play No. 5 North Central (Illinois) Saturday at a site to be announced in a matchup of the highest-ranked remaining teams. The Cardinals (12-1) ousted Delaware Valley College 31-14 Saturday after upsetting No. 2-ranked national power Mount Union 59-52.
Muhlenberg has never been to a national championship game in a team sport. The 2019 football team joins the 1995 men’s soccer team by reaching a national semifinal.
The winner of next Saturday’s game will face the winner of the other semifinal between St. John’s College of Minnesota and Wisconsin-Whitewater. St. John’s (12-1) edged No. 3 and formerly unbeaten Wheaton, 3433. Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-1) eliminated defending national champion and top-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor 26-7.
Muhlenberg (13-0) on Saturday held Salisbury’s vaunted triple-option offense to 176 total yards — 300 below its average — by plugging the middle and tackling fast and low on the perimeter. The Sea Gulls (11-1) averaged 51.1 points a game this season and scored 62 and 83 in their first two playoff games.
It’s the first time this season they failed to score in double digits; their previous low was 24.
“The defense was outstanding again today,” Mules coach Nate Milne said. “Defensive coordinator Kory David and his staff were outstanding again. We watched some Division I film against some teams that had played Georgia Tech (another former triple-option team). We moved some guys around again today to make plays. Guys like (senior defensive linemen Frank Lucchesi and Brian Raguseo) — who may not have been credited with a tackle today — were great. They forced the ball to the edge all day.”
Salisbury drove to the Mules’ 13-yard line on its first possession, but running back Chad Gleason fumbled, and linebacker Spencer Kirin recovered. Muhlenberg began a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended in a 23-yard touchdown reception by Kirin’s brother Max, who later made a 9-yard TD catch and nearly had an other score.
Milne said the staff set up Kirin’s first touchdown reception by having him block downfield in prior weeks.
“Today he was faking to block the safety,” Milne said. “When the guy bit on the run, Max ran right down the middle of the field wide open. If he didn’t block people, he wouldn’t have been wide open.”
The Mules led 17-0 at halftime and 24-0 midway through the fourth before Salisbury scored its only points.
Salisbury recorded only 13 first downs, and the Sea Gulls couldn’t maintain possession or control clock with long drives, failing on 13 of 15 third-and fourth-down attempts.
The Mules held Sea Gulls quarterback Jack Lanham to just 4 of 17 passes for 49 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, made by safety Joe O’Hagan. Daymon Fleming led the Mules with eight tackles, and Kevin Olifers added seven.
Salisbury’s defense tried to handicap Muhlenberg’s short passing game. The Sea Gulls partially schemed to limit all-American tight end Ryan Curtiss (two catches, 9 yards), but that left space deep for the Mule wide receivers to win one-on-one matchups.
Mules quarterback Mike Hnatkowsky, the Centennial Conference offensive MVP, completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Kirin finished with six catches for 88 yards, Nick Ugarte caught eight balls for 94 yards, and Mitch Daniel had six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.