On a stormy day, Muhlenberg dominated Lehigh Valley rival, the Moravian College Greyhounds, by a score of 55-0. The Mules ended the regular season 9-1, clinching the co-Centennial Conference championship with Johns Hopkins University, and an automatic bid to the DIII NCAA football playoffs.
It was a great way to close out the regular season and the perfect way to celebrate Senior Day for the Mules. “Saturday meant the world to me,” said Rory DeLuca ‘22. “Getting to play football with all of my best friends in front of my family on Senior Day was amazing. I cherish every opportunity I get out on that field with my boys.”
Teammate Michael Feaster ‘22 also had a wide range of emotions: “Senior day was a real wake up call to me. It feels like you have all the time in the world with your best friends until you blink your eyes and it’s over,” he said. “Countless memories were made over the course of four years and Senior Day was an awesome day to celebrate everything we accomplished. The bonds I made with my teammates are something I never will let go of. Knowing it’s the beginning of the end is a tough pill to swallow, but right now we’re ready to make this playoff run and make some more memories together.”
Even though it’s easy to lose focus for their last regular-season game, the Mules stayed focused and delivered a statement. “We challenged them to prepare to win no matter the record of our opponent. We had a big install in preparation for this game. The guys had to do a lot of work to understand the scheme and adjustments,” said Defensive Coordinator Kory David. “It was great seeing the game plan work on Saturday because of the focus the defense put into learning some new roles. At the end of the day, the challenge was if you want something, earn it and go take it. Nobody will just hand you something.”
The defense once again took care of business, only allowing 117 yards of offense. Coach David was certainly happy with the strong performance in difficult conditions. “It was some adverse weather condition that we will likely see again during this playoff run. It’s good knowing we can play some good football in some bad weather,” said David. “But we can’t control the weather so all we can do is focus on our next opponent and what we need to do to advance. We will prepare as a staff for whatever might be in front of us (Opponent/Weather/Travel/Food/Etc.) and let our players know what is in front of them so nothing is a surprise.”
The offense also came out strong with the running game coming alive with 293 yards on the ground. DeLuca, who recorded his first career 100-yard game, carried the ball 15 times for 129 yards, leading the team in yards. The Mules will certainly want to bring this performance into the playoffs.
“My biggest takeaway from the game is that we are continuing to progress, and need to keep pushing forward and believing in what we are doing,” said DeLuca.
To make the day even more memorable, Feaster broke the school record for receptions in a season with 81, surpassing the previous mark of 77 held jointly by Nick Lamb ‘17 and Ryan Delaney ‘17: “If I had to pin one emotion, I would probably say grateful. A milestone like this is not feasible without an army of support,” he said. “Having the best quarterback in the country, a savage group of offensive lineman, top-tier coaching staff and teammates that constantly push you towards your goals makes this a lot easier. Seeing years of hard work pay off is a feeling no description can really suffice.”
With the regular season in the books, the Mules will turn their focus to the NCAA playoffs, where the best 32 teams in DIII will battle it out for the chance to play in the Stagg Bowl. The competition will be fierce, but the Mules are more than ready for the grind: “Our focus remains the same every week. We will continue to work hard and focus internally,” said DeLuca.
The majority of the returning players know what it takes to make it far in these playoffs, with their last appearance being in the Final Four in 2019, where they lost to eventual national champions North Central Cardinal.
The team will look to stick to what they have been doing all season: “Our focus for the week was to continue even though it was the last week of the regular season. We wanted to continue to work to get better. We got back to our basic fundamentals in practice,” said David.
The offense and defense will need to continually perform the way they have been all season in order to achieve their goal, the championship game. The margin of error is slim and any play can change the course of the game and in this case, the season: “Our focus right now is Framingham State. Playoffs are a different breed of football and taking it one week at a time is all you can do. A lot of things are out of your control and it is important to just stay grounded,” said Feaster.
If the Mules are able to replicate what they have done this regular season, they will be a dangerous team in this year’s playoffs.
The Mules will open up the playoffs against Framingham State University on Nov. 20 at Scotty Wood Stadium.
