The Muhlenberg football season closed out its 2023 season with a 23-7 win against Lebanon Valley in a Centennial-MAC Bowl Series game.

In addition to winning a postseason game for the sixth consecutive season, the Mules (10-1) reached the 10-win mark for only the sixth time in program history. 

And the game had additional historical significance involving the number 10. Senior Matt McKenna scored the first touchdown of the game on a 28-yard reception early in the first quarter, giving him 10 touchdown catches on the season. Fellow senior tight end James Nye hauled in Muhlenberg's second TD, his 14th of the season. 

Since 2013, no NCAA team (all four divisions) had ever had two tight ends with double figures in touchdown catches in the same season.

Defense was more the story of the bowl game, though, with the Mules holding the Dutchmen (6-5) to 288 total yards, 95 of which came on one drive, and forcing four turnovers. Senior Matthew Giuliano, who made a team-leading 9 tackles and recovered a fumble, was named game MVP.

The defense set up the game's first points when graduate student Dominick Visintin forced a fumble with a sack. Graduate student Tim Higgins recovered the fumble, and on the next play junior Joe Repetti hit McKenna over the middle in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Mules missed several opportunities to add to their lead in the first half, coming up empty on three trips inside Lebanon Valley 25. The defense made the 7-0 lead stand up, however, not allowing the Dutchmen to advance past midfield until the final drive of the half. Seniors Ethan Brader and Owen Kovacs both picked off passes in the second quarter.

Muhlenberg took possession near midfield with 2:53 left in the half and finally put more points on the board, with Repetti's 12-yard pass to Nye capping a six-play, 51-yard drive. Nye's 14 touchdowns ended up one short of the school record.

Lebanon Valley cut the lead in half by taking the opening kickoff of the second half and marching nearly the length of the field for its lone touchdown. The Dutchmen didn't get many chances to get closer, however: they had only three more possessions in the game, thanks to a Mule offense that put together time-consuming drives of 6:14 - capped by a career-long 33-yard field goal by graduate student Alex Garrido - and 5:33 - capped by a 1-yard touchdown catch by sophomore Matthew Manning.

Repetti's three touchdown passes gave him an even 40 for the season. He finished the year with a quarterback rating of 183.49, shattering the previous mark of 175.81, and also set the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season (591).

Senior Ian Csicsek (70 yards) and sophomore Amari Dunn (66) both averaged at least 7.0 yards per carry to head a rushing attack that rolled up 235 yards. The offensive line did not allow a sack for the second straight game.

Senior Tyler Ekstrom recorded 8 tackles, and Higgins added to his fumble recovery with a fourth-quarter sack that forced a fumble that was recovered by Giuliano and sealed the win.

The Mules' win was part of a Centennial Conference sweep of the MAC in the Bowl Series. Franklin & Marshall defeated King's, 30-7, and Ursinus toppled Stevenson, 31-13