What a difference a week makes.

Held to 40 yards of total offense in a 10-7 loss at Johns Hopkins last week, the Muhlenberg football team rolled up 499 yards in a 54-14 defeat of Gettysburg in its final home game of the season.

The 54 points were the most scored by the Mules (4-4, 2-3) since a 56-6 win against Mass.-Dartmouth in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. They broke open a close game by scoring 33 points in the fourth quarter

DeLuca’s scoring run was the longest for the Mules since 1999. The last time Muhlenberg had three players rush for at least 70 yards was 2001, also against Gettysburg.

alone, one short of the school-record 34 points scored in the second quarter of a 1968 game against Swarthmore.

Sophomore Eric Santagato accounted for 274 of the yards and five touchdowns. He rushed 16 times for 72 yards and tied a school record for quarterbacks with three rushing touchdowns. Santagato completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards and another two scores without an interception.

The Bullets (4-4, 2-2), who lost their 15th straight road game, took the opening kickoff and drove 77 yards in 11 plays to take an early lead. Muhlenberg tied the score later in the quarter on a 44-yard scamper by Santagato.

The teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter as well, with the Mules going ahead on a 3-yard run by junior Matt Johnson and Gettysburg answering on the next drive.

Muhlenberg opened the second half with an onside kick that was recovered by kicker Anthony Acquafredda. Although the Mules failed to score on that possession, they got the ball back on the Gettysburg 39-yard line after an exchange of punts, with the Bullets kicking into the wind.

It took Muhlenberg only three plays to score the go-ahead touchdown, a 19-yard pass from Santagato to

Junior defensive end Chris Swensen recorded six tackles. The Bullets were held 11 points and 157 yards below their CC-leading averages, and the conference leader in passing efficiency was only 11-of-30 for 140 yards.

senior tight end Derek DiMattina.

Later in the quarter, Gettysburg had a drive extended by a roughing the kicker penalty, but freshman Cameron Ahouse picked off a pass at the 8-yard line, his third interception in two weeks. The Mules drove 94 yards in 14 plays, going up by two touchdowns when Santagato sneaked in on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter.

Muhlenberg scored on its next three possessions to put the game out of reach. Santagato ran in from 4 yards and found freshman fullback Matt Boland for a 9-yard touchdown pass, and sophomore John DeLuca ripped off a 67-yard scoring run with 24 seconds left.

On the final play of the game, freshman Frank Emmett returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown. The Mules scored touchdowns on their first and last plays at Scotty Wood Stadium in 2006.

DeLuca finished with 102 yards on only nine carries for his second career 100-yard game, while Johnson rushed for 94 yards. Senior Chris Musselman led a defense that held the top offensive team in the CC to 78 yards and no points in the second half. He had eight tackles, including 1½ sacks.

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