When: Saturday, October 27, 2007, at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Hanover, Indiana - L.S.Ayres Field
On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton University football on WDOH 107.1 FM.
Bluffton University (0-7, 0-4 HCAC) travels to Hanover College (1-6, 1-3 HCAC) for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference battle with the Panthers.
Greg Brooks is currently in his fifth year as the head coach of the Bluffton University football team. The Beavers have put together a 13-34 mark during Brooks’ tenure at the helm. He previously served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Bluffton, leading the Beavers to their best offensive seasons in school history.
Wayne Perry, the winningest coach in Indiana collegiate football history, has compiled a 173-87-2 record with the Panthers. Since becoming head coach in 1982, the Panthers have won eight conference titles (1989, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003), made nine trips to the national playoffs (1984, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003) and posted each of the school’s 10-win seasons (10-0 in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2002). Perry will retire as head coach of Hanover at the conclusion of the 2007 campaign.
Bluffton travels to Hanover for the 31st meeting between the two schools. The Panthers have won 25 of their contests with the Beavers. On Bluffton’s last trip to Hanover in 2005, the Beavers snapped a 10-game losing skid to the Panthers with a 33-19 victory. Hanover scored the game's only touchdown with 1:43 on the clock to pick up a 7-6 win at Salzman Stadium a year ago.
The Bluffton University football team had Anderson University on the ropes late in the fourth quarter before a Chase Thurston sneak and two-point conversion by Denny Kimmel knotted the score at 18 with 3:58 to play in the contest. The teams traded interceptions before a missed 50-yard field goal attempt by the Ravens sent the game to overtime. Similar to the ending of the 2005 Homecoming game with Anderson, Kimmel put the Ravens up 25-18 when he followed his 21-yard gain with a four-yard spurt to paydirt. The Beavers lost six yards on their first two plays of overtime and following a Kyle Coleman (Etna/Watkins Memorial) incompletion, Luke Hurst came up with an interception in the end zone, sealing the 25-18 victory for the Ravens who picked up their first HCAC win of the year and improved to 2-5 overall. Bluffton fell to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in Heartland Conference play.
The Beavers struggled to move the ball until Coleman hit tight end Joel Sienicki (Goshen, Ind./Northridge) over the middle for a 25-yard gain early in the second quarter. The drive stalled at the Anderson 35, but Coleman's pooch punt pinned the Ravens at their own 10-yard line. Two Anderson snaps sailed past the quarterback in three plays and when Kimmel landed on the second one in the end zone, Bluffton picked up two points on the safety.
The Ravens opened up their playbook with a 35-yard completion to Zach Duke and 10-yarder to Ryan Kell, putting the ball on the home 21-yard line. Kimmel was stopped just short of the goal line before Thurston went in from the one-yard line to give Anderson a 10-2 lead at the 6:25 mark of the first half.
Anthony Bryant (Reynoldsburg/Reynoldsburg) gave Bluffton great field position when he took the ensuing kickoff back to the Bluffton 40-yard line. Bluffton was methodical with the ball, going 60 yards on 13 plays as the Beavers capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown strike from Coleman to Drew Lovelace (Trumansburg, NY/Charles U. Dickerson). An unsuccessful two-point conversion left the score at 10-8 in favor of the Ravens at the break.
A missed handoff by the Ravens on the second half kickoff gave Bluffton the ball at the Anderson 15 to start period three. Three Cameron Campeau (Pfafftown, N.C.) rushes later and the Beavers found themselves with a 15-10 lead when he went in from seven yards out.
Late in the third quarter, sophomore cornerback Jordan Simmons (Lorain/Admiral King) jumped in front of an Anderson wideout and picked off the Ravens at the Bluffton 33-yard line. He found a seam and nearly went to the house before Kimmel knocked him out of bounds at the Anderson 12. A personal foul on the Ravens placed the ball at the six. Campeau appeared to find the end zone on the Beavers' second play from scrimmage, but an illegal shift by the Bluffton offense took the touchdown off the board. Two incomplete passes forced Bluffton to kick a field goal. Jonathan Thompson's (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) 30-yarder made the score 18-10 in favor of the Beavers as the third quarter came to a close.
An Anderson flea flicker which saw wide receiver Brady Church throwing down the field to Ryan Kell drew a 15-yard pass interference flag, giving Anderson the ball on the home 34-yard line. Thurston found Terry Perky for a 14-yard gain before Kimmel moved he chains to the one-yard line. Thurston jumped across the goal line and when Kimmel went around the right end for two points, Anderson found itself in an 18-18 tie with less than four minutes in regulation. Both teams traded interceptions late in the game, setting up another Bluffton-Anderson Homecoming overtime finish.
Kimmel need only two plays to give the Ravens a seven-point lead in overtime. The Anderson defense pushed Bluffton back to the 31-yard line after the Beavers' first two plays. Coleman's pass intended for Lovelace on third down was off the mark and Hurst ended the game with his fourth down pick in the end zone as Anderson won 25-18, knocking off the Beavers in their 2007 Homecoming contest.
Greg Mason (Cleveland/Collinwood) led the Beavers with 70 yards on 18 carries. Coleman completed 10 passes for 71 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Sienicki hauled in four passes for 51 yards. Fifth-year senior Denny Kimmel, who has led the team in rushing each of his five years at Anderson despite playing only three games due to an injury in 2006, netted 155 yards on the ground for the Ravens and his touchdown in overtime proved to be the game-winner.
Sam McCullough (Bluffton/Bluffton) notched a game-high 15 tackles and a sack, giving him 100 stops for the season with three games to play. Senior Gordon Hagen (Toledo/Libbey) tallied 10 tackles for the Beavers. Junior defensive ends Kyle Rode (Delphos/Jefferson) and Mitch Agner (Leipsic/Leipsic) added eight stops apiece.
Defiance 33, Hanover 7
Defiance College reeled off 26 unanswered points to pull away for a 33-7 victory against Hanover College's football team in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tussle, Saturday, Oct. 20, in Defiance, Ohio.
Defiance, now 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the Heartland Conference, limited Hanover to just 154 total yards of offense. The Yellow Jackets allowed the Panthers to gain only 90 total yards through the final three quarters of action.
Hanover junior quarterback Tyler Thiems completed 17-of-33 passes for 100 yards. He was intercepted twice by Defiance's defense.
Miller caught seven balls for 48 yards in addition to his touchdown pass.
Sophomore linebacker Daniel Cornely piled up 17 tackles to lead Hanover's defense, which surrendered 551 total yards to Defiance.
Senior linebacker Alex Middendorf added 12 tackles for the Panthers, including two tackles for loss.
Vetter completed 18-of-34 passes for 183 yards for Defiance. He threw one interception. The Yellow Jackets' Lewis Caralla rushed for 195 yards on 18 carries, including a 70-yard touchdown dash in the third period.
Sophomore tailback Greg Mason, coming off a 70-yard day against Anderson University on Homecoming, leads the Bluffton rushing attack with 207 yards and two touchdowns. Cameron Campeau has picked up 184 yards on the ground with a pair of scores. Junior quarterback Kyle Coleman has completed 54-of-124 passes for 584 yards and two touchdowns. Joel Sienicki is pacing the Bluffton receivers with 23 receptions for 222 yards and one of the Beavers’ four receiving touchdowns. Mike Brown and Drew Lovelace have 13 catches each through the first seven contests. Lovelace has two touchdown receptions, including one against the Ravens last week.
Two-time first team All-HCAC linebacker Sam McCullough has a conference-high 100 tackles, including 45 solos, four sacks, two interceptions and a blocked punt. Senior safeties Taylor Iceman, who has three interceptions on the year, and Ryan Christy have chipped in with 51 and 37 tackles, respectively. Kyle Rode has anchored the defensive line with 35 tackles, including six sacks for a loss of 47 yards and a fumble recovery.
Bluffton returns to Salzman Stadium for its final home game of the 2007 season against HCAC power Mt. St. Joseph on Saturday, November 3. Kickoff against the Lions is scheduled for 1 p.m. Hanover travels to Anderson University for a matchup with the Ravens on Saturday, November 3. Kickoff at Anderson is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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