bc at hiram

Check out more game notes on the Hiram College website.

It will be the first game of the year for Hiram and for new head coach Mike Meyer, the longtime defensive coordinator for Ohio Northern University. Meyer was hired in June and takes over a program that finished 3-7 last year, which marks the most wins at Hiram since 1996. He takes over for Bobby Thomas, who resigned after nine seasons.

Meyer has a solid nucleus of returners back, however, as 31 letterwinners and a senior class of 21 players aim to keep the Terriers pointed in the right direction. Leading the list of returners is quarterback Dwayne Pavkovich, a three-year starter who has thrown for 3,705 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career at Hiram.

BC quarterback Brad Moore will need more help if the Beaver offense plans to pick up the pace. Last week Moore rushed for a team-high 93 yards and passed for 91 yards and a touchdown. The rest of the BC rushing attack accounted for just 99 yards and didn’t score. Adam Burgess kicked two field goals (20 and 39 yards) to mark the bright spot in the special teams.

This marks the fourth straight season that Bluffton and Hiram have met, with BC winning two of the first three contests, including a 49-14 victory in Salzman Stadium last season. After a back-and-forth first quarter that ended with the score tied 14-14, Bluffton went on a 35-0 scoring run to put the game away. The win was the 89th in the career of BC head coach Carlin Carpenter, which set a new school record. The Beavers are 2-0 all-time on Hiram’s Charles A. Henry Field, with wins coming in 1956 and 1999.

A member of the North Coast Athletic Conference, Hiram is no stranger to tough competition. Bluffton found that out in 1998 when the Terriers visited Salzman Stadium and handed BC a 39-24 loss.

Also back for Hiram is senior running back Kris Giebel, who missed all of 200 after suffering a knee injury during preseaon camp. The third-leading rusher in Hiram history (2,315 yards) will be joined in the backfield by senior Chuck Davis, who moves back to offense after a season as a defensive back.

Hiram was picked ninth in the NCAC coaches and media preseason poll. The Terriers tied for seventh in the league last season with a 2-5 conference record. This is the 104th season of Hiram football.