Bluffton carries momentum into HCAC matchup with Hanover
By Ben Risinger, Sports Information Director
October 20, 2004
The Matchup
When: Saturday, October 23, 2004 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Bluffton, Ohio – Salzman Stadium
On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton University football on 107.1 FM.
On the Web: Listen live to Bluffton University football at www.wdoh.com
Bluffton University (4-2, 2-0 HCAC) defeated Anderson University 24-17 on the road last Saturday. Hanover College (3-4, 2-1 HCAC) defeated Defiance College 28-7 to pick up their second conference win of the season.
The Head Coaches
Head coach Greg Brooks is in his second year at the helm of the Bluffton University football team. Brooks now posts six wins as the head coach of the Beavers. Before his tenure as head coach, Brooks was the offensive coordinator for 22 years.
Hanover is led by longtime coach Wayne Perry. Perry’s record is 161-69-2 at the helm of the Panthers. He has coached Hanover for the past 23 years and is in second place for the winningest football coach in Indiana history. Perry sits at second behind legendary Butler University coach Tony Hinkle who finished his career with 165 wins.
Bluffton - Hanover Series History
Hanover leads the all-time series with Bluffton 23-4. The last time the Beavers defeated Hanover was in 1990 when they beat the Panthers at home 22-7.
Last Time for the Beavers and Panthers
Bluffton won their second conference game on the road at Anderson 24-17. The Beavers started the game quickly as they held a 17-0 lead after the first quarter. Anderson would tie the game early in the fourth quarter 17-17, but Bluffton would not be outdone. Fullback Ben McCullough took the game winning touchdown into the end zone with 8:29 left in the game. Quarterback Tim Koontz completed three passes for 75 yards and one touchdown for the contest. Ben Dodds led the Beaver rushers with 32 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown. Leading the receivers was Leon Payne with two catches for 63 yards and one touchdown. Senior Matt Chiles led the defensive effort with 11 solo tackles, three forced fumbles and one pass deflection.
Hanover easily defeated Defiance College 28-7 last weekend at home. Running back Adam Stevenson led Hanover’s ground attack with 156 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run. Freshman Corey Fogle posted 153 yards on the ground and touchdown runs of 48 and 69 yards. Linebacker Mike Creeden led Hanover’s defensive effort with 15 tackles. The Panthers tallied 374 yards of offense and did not let Defiance score until late in the fourth quarter with only 1:25 left in the game.
Leading the Beavers
Quarterback Tim Koontz has thrown twenty completions for 235 yards and one touchdown this season. Ben Dodds leads the rushing attack with 134 carries for 528 yards and seven touchdowns. Ben McCullough posts 187 yards and one touchdown rushing on 30 attempts with Terence Clayton running the ball 46 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Leon Payne leads the receivers with 295 yards and three touchdowns on 14 receptions. Senior Scott Steiner leads the defense with 75 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four pass break ups and one blocked kick.
Leading the Panthers
The Panthers split time at the quarterback position with both Greg Gogel and Nick Orsini taking snaps. Greg Gogel currently shows 104 completions for 884 yards in the air. Nick Orsini posts 17 completions for 179 yards passing. Adam Stevenson leads the rushers for Hanover with 81 carries for 676 yards and five touchdowns. Stevenson is also Hanover’s lead receiver with 29 catches for 228 yards and one touchdown. The Panther defense is led by Mike Creeden who has 57 tackles for the year with six tackles for loss, one sack and one pass break up. Brian Michitti posts 43 tackles with three fumble recoveries for Hanover.
Last Year’s Contest
Hanover defeated Bluffton 52-10 last season on the road. The Panthers accumulated 635 total yards of offense to Bluffton’s 372 for the day. The Beavers two scores of the day came early and late in the game. Kicker Matt Cooper posted the first points on the board for Bluffton with a 23-yard field goal with 12:59 left in the second quarter. Bluffton’s next score would come early in the fourth quarter when Ben McCullough would post a 1-yard run (Cooper kick) to post the final Beaver points on the day. Sophomore quarterback Jared Owens went 17-for-22 for 184 yards in the air. He also put up 10 rushes for 33 yards. Ben Dodds led the ground attack, however, with 18 carries for 89 yards. Dodds also posted six catches for 35 yards to lead the receivers. Chris Sommers led the defense effort with eight tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection.
Next up for Bluffton and Hanover
Bluffton University will travel to Mount St. Joseph next Saturday. The Heartland Conference matchup is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Hanover will host Anderson University with a start time of 2:30 p.m.
