BRIDGEWATER, Va. - Gettysburg rushed for a Centennial Conference record 574 yards as the Bridgewater College football team lost its season opener 49-10 on Friday night.

Quarterback Sam McDermott rushed for 183 yards on 21 carries (8.7 ypa) and also added 104 yards and three TDs in the air. Running back Kyle Wigley added 173 yards and two scores on 19 attempts (9.1 ypa), while James O'Rourke rushed 6 times for 69 yards (11.5 ypa).

McDermott was making just his second career start directing a zone read, option offense that beat the Eagles for a running play of at least 35 yards on four of the Bullets' opening five drives.

One bright spot for Bridgewater was three blocked kicks, courtesy of Logan Whitaker, Nicholas Cawthon and Daniel Brent. The BC defense also made a few good stands early in the shadow of their end zone, before things unraveled with a 20-point Gettysburg third quarter.

Whitaker was also key in that area, totaling 2.5 tackles for loss- two of which came on plays from the Bridgewater one-yard line.

Wigley keyed the first two Gettysburg drives out of the zone read. He broke free for 40 yards into BC territory on the game's opening possession, setting up a Robbie Fay field goal. He then gashed the Eagles for 35 yards on the first play of the next GC drive.

Bridgewater held firm on the first Gettysburg opportunity with a Chance Morris sack and a Don Mills Jr. takedown at the line of scrimmage forcing a field goal. The Eagles tightened again in the shadow of their own goaline, forcing a 4th-and-2 try from the 8-yard line and getting the ball back after a fumble on the option pitch.

That fourth down play came after a 40-minute lightning delay, but the Eagles' defense still came up big following the long break.

Whitaker made a big stop in the backfield from the one yard line after O'Rourke had broken free for 50 yards. A jump ball touchdown pass to Fred Pulzello made it 9-0, with the Eagles blocking the PAT.

It was more of the same later in the second quarter as McDermott scampered 42 before Whitaker pushed the Bullets back on a play from the one. That stop saved the Eagles seven points after Brent got a hand on the field goal attempt. Morris also had a big hit on the sequence to keep Gettysburg out of the end zone.

Quarterback Ross Rushing (19-of-28, 215 yards, 1 TD) had some success working the Eagles down the field, picking up first downs in the air and on a keeper to set up a Chandler DeHaven field goal and Bridgewater trailed just 9-3 at the half.

Rushing led Bridgewater's only TD drive in the third quarter. A 42-yard completion to Keith Jennings was followed by Rushing evading the rush and hitting David Robinson for 18 yards while being taken down. A 7-yard strike to Jennings completed the drive.

Bridgewater was already down 22-3 at that point however, with the Bullets scoring twice in 72 seconds. Matt Pisarcik's pass was tipped and intercepted two plays after a 21-yard Matt McFadden score, and it took just two more plays for Wigley to find the end zone.

Jennings finished with 8 catches for 121 yards and a score, with Jeffrey Moore adding 41 yards on five receptions. Defensively, Mills had a game-high seven tackles and Morris totaled six.

Bridgewater falls to 0-1 on the year after losing a season opener for the first time in 10 years. The Eagles still have almost a month until their conference opener, and will look to begin building towards that stretch with a trip to Greensboro next Saturday evening.