By Tyler Morello
Staff Writer
The scorching hot Lions football team played in an absolute thriller this past weekend against Muhlenberg College. The game had over 100 total points scored and over 1,300 total yards gained between the two schools. The Lions were close to pulling off an impressive comeback but ultimately came up short and lost 55-52.
The Muhlenberg Mules came into the week off of a loss to Salisbury, putting them at 1-1 prior to Saturday. The Lions were coming off back-to-back wins to begin their 2024 campaign, with their high-powered offense leading the way.
Fifth-year quarterback Trevor Bopp has been phenomenal through the air, continuously connecting with fellow fifth-year receiver Malin Jasinski.
Senior running back Jayson Schmidt has been able to control the running game well, reaching at least 99 rushing yards in all three games.
“The offense has a ton of mature players that have been in the system for 2 to 3 years now and know how to handle the speed and intensity that comes with our style of play,” said Schmidt.
On Saturday, the College found themselves trailing 21-7 with two minutes to go before the half, with one last chance to put more points on the board.
Bopp and Schmidt led the Lions down the field efficiently, as Schmidt tallied 38 of his 108 rushing yards on this drive and eventually punched in a 4 yard touchdown to make it a one possession game heading into the break.
The Mules received the ball to start the second half and quickly scored on a rushing touchdown. The Lions countered with a 23 yard field goal from freshman kicker Tim Wellever, who remained perfect on his rookie season for field goals and extra-points in the game.
Muhlenberg scored a touchdown on their very next drive, and after a fumble by the Lions on the very first play of their series, the Mules were able to throw for a 32-yard touchdown.
Down 41-17 with just over 5 minutes to go in the third quarter, the College seemed to be running out of steam while all of the momentum was in the Mules favor.
“We have a ton of trust in each other and know that we are never out of any game because of our ability to score on any given play,” said Schmidt.
Jaskinski caught a 66-yard touchdown from Bopp on the second play of their drive to make it 41-24 in favor of the Mules. Muhlenberg was able to strike back with a touchdown drive of their own, but the Lions responded with a Schmidt touchdown.
The College kicked back off to Muhlenberg and the defense came up with a stop on third down to force a three-and-out which then set up the offense at the Mules 45 yard line.
The Lions worked quickly and Bopp was able to find sophomore Alex Dille for a 42-yard touchdown, capping off a 43 second drive.
With the Lions now being down 10 points, they could feel the game coming back within reach. They forced a huge 4th and 2 incompletion that gave them the ball back as well as the momentum back.
This momentum lasted shortly after the offense went three and out and the Mules put together an eight-play 68-yard drive, ending in a rushing touchdown to put their lead back up to 17.
Now down by three scores with over 7 minutes left, the Lions continued to fight. On a crucial 4th and 1 play for the offense, Bopp and Jasinski hooked up for another 66 yard touchdown.
Jasinski caught 10 passes for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Bopp threw an efficient 27-42 passes for a career high 553 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Senior cornerback and team captain Amir Vick came away with an interception a few plays later, and junior receiver Ryan Gill capped off the sequence with a 31-yard touchdown. Gill finished with 5 catches for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Needing just one more stop to give the offense a chance to score, the Lion’s defense forced an incompletion on 4th down at the College’s 23 yard line with 53 seconds left.
Bopp completed four passes to four different receivers to get the team to the Mules 21-yard line. With just seconds left, the Lions set up for a game tying field goal, but had the attempt blocked to seal the deal for Muhlenberg.
A tremendous effort for the Lions, and even though they came up short, there are still a lot of positives to take away from their play.
“Our talent, effort, and preparation is good enough to play with any team in the country,” said Schmidt. “We just need to make sure we are staying within ourselves and not trying to be something we are not.”
