Hanover College passed for 410 yards and three touchdowns Saturday in leading the Panthers to a 34-15 win over Bluffton College on homecoming in Salzman Stadium.
Bluffton’s Jovan Johnson rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries, but the Hanover defense kept the Beavers out of the endzone in the fourth quarter as BC attempted a comeback.
Bluffton quarterback Brad Moore completed 13 of 24 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown in the game.
In the battle of last year’s Heartland Conference co-champions, Hanover (2-4, 1-1 HCAC) extended their winning streak over Bluffton (2-4, 1-2 HCAC) to seven games.
Bluffton went 80 yards in their opening drive in 14 plays, the last of which was an eight yard touchdown run by Johnson.
The BC defense held Hanover out of the endzone on their first possession, but the Panthers pinned Bluffton deep on a punt, then blocked a BC punt to set up their first score to take a 7-6 lead.
Bluffton's Adam Burgess kicked a 33-yard field goal with 12:41 left in the first half to give BC a 9-7 lead. It would be the Beaver's last lead of the game, as Hanover scored two touchdowns before halftime to take a 21-9 lead at the intermission.
Moore hit Jon Spradling on a 16-yard TD strike late in the third quarter.
2,715 fans packed Salzman Stadium for the homecoming showdown, which qualifies as the fifth-highest attendance figure in the nine year history of Salzman Stadium.
Bluffton grounded out 232 yards rushing in the game and held the football for 13 more minutes than Hanover, but the Panthers were a blistering nine for 12 on third down conversions (75%) in the game.
Cam Staley led the defense with nine tackles, while Darin Riffle recorded six stops and an interception, which he returned six yards. Josh Slaughter and Jon Richardson also had six tackles each and Matt Scholz recovered a fumble.
