Bluffton travels to Hanover to face the Panthers

By Bill Hanefeld Jr., interim sports information director
October 17, 2005

The Matchup

When: Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. ( Indiana time)
Where:  Hanover, Indiana - L. S. Ayers Field
On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton University football on WDOH 107.1 FM.

Bluffton University (2-4, 1-1) dropped a double overtime thriller to Anderson (4-2, 1-1) 13-10 in the 2005 Homecoming contest on Saturday, October 15. Hanover College (3-4, 2-1) fell to Defiance 28-14 as the Yellow Jackets upset a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference leader for the second straight week.     

The Head Coaches

Head coach Greg Brooks is in his third season at the helm of the Bluffton University football team. Brooks' teams have collected nine wins during his tenure as head coach of the Beavers. Prior to assuming the head coaching duties at Bluffton, Brooks was the quarterbacks' coach and offensive coordinator for the Beavers.

The Panthers are led by Wayne Perry who is entering his 24th season as the head coach at Hanover. He is a 1972 graduate of Depauw where he starred on both the offensive line and the defensive line. Perry, whose Panther teams have compiled a 167-73-2 record, became the winningest coach in Indiana football history when Hanover defeated Mount St. Joseph 41-35 on October 1, 2005.

Bluffton-Hanover Series History

Hanover holds a 24-4 advantage in the all-time series with Bluffton. The Beavers fell to the Panthers in 2004 by a score of 37-20 at Salzman Stadium.

Last Week for the Beavers and Panthers

Bluffton and Anderson treated the 2005 Homecoming crowd to a double overtime thriller that the Ravens pulled out 13-10 on October 15. The Beavers opened quickly as Ben Dodds took a short screen pass from Jared Owens and went 66 yards to give Bluffton a 7-0 advantage that held up until the fourth quarter. Although Anderson finished with 435 total yards of offense, the Ravens were held scoreless until the 11:56 mark of the fourth quarter when Klint Rupley hauled in a 12-yard reception from injured quarterback Chris McKee to knot the game at seven and set the stage for overtime. Bluffton could not capitalize on a Raven fumble in the first overtime as penalties took the Bluffton offense out of its rhythm and it had an Owens pass picked off to send the game to a second extra session. Bluffton, who took possession first in the second overtime, was forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal when the offense stalled at the four yard-line. Three points was not enough as the Ravens opened their second possession with a reverse from Denny Kimmel to Hyman Smith which went for a 21-yard gain and set up a four-yard touchdown run by Clifton Jones to give the Ravens a 13-10 victory.

Hanover became the second straight HCAC victim to fall to upstart Defiance when the Yellow Jackets used late turnovers to drop the Panthers 28-14. Hanover entered the fourth quarter tied at 14 but Defiance capitalized on two Panther turnovers to hand them their first conference loss this season. The Hanover offense put up 320 yards but it gained only 41 of those on the ground. Senior quarterback Rick Webster completed 23-54 passes for 279 yards, but the Defiance defense picked him off four times on the day. Senior wingback Mike Russel hauled in a team-high 10 receptions for 106 yards. Senior split end Todd Miller and sophomore running back Corey Fogle both caught touchdowns for the Panthers. The Hanover defense was paced by sophomore linebacker Alex Middendorf who finished with 17 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Eric Cook also had a big day for the Panthers as he recorded 13 tackles, including two sacks. The Yellow Jackets kept the Hanover defense on the field for a whopping 39:20 as the Panthers turned the ball over on five of their final six possessions.

Last Season's Contest

Hanover defeated Bluffton 37-20 at Salzman Stadium on October 23, 2004. The loss dropped the Beavers to 2-1 in the Heartland Conference after it had opened HCAC action with victories over Manchester and Anderson. Tight end Mark Gable had an outstanding day as he finished with seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Ben Dodds went for a team-high 87yards on the ground. Seth Burkholder kicked a pair of field goals for Bluffton. Sam McCullough and Scott Steiner paced the Beaver defense with 12 tackles each.

Hanover gained 402 total yards, including 330 through the air. CJ Karpiak led the Panthers in receiving as he caught three passes for 95 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown reception. Adam Stevenson picked up 53 yards on 12 carries to lead the Hanover ground game. Quarterbacks Greg Gogel and Nick Orsini combined for 18 completions and three touchdowns in the Panther victory. Jason Allen led Hanover with 11 tackles.

Leading the Beavers

Senior Ben Dodds leads the Bluffton rushing attack with 130 carries for 705 yards and five touchdowns. Junior fullback Ben McCullough has gained 221 yards on 47 carries while reaching the end zone three times. Quarterback Jared Owens has completed 49 passes for 579 yards and four touchdowns while also finding the end zone four times on the ground. One of his favorite targets has been tight end Jeremy Haselman who has hauled in 11 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown. Aaron Whitlock has four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore linebacker Sam McCullough leads the Beaver defense with 65 tackles (23 solos, 42 assists), including 8 TFL's for a total loss of 20 yards. Sam has forced two fumbles while also recovering one this season. Sophomore safety Taylor Iceman and junior cornerback Jeremy Anderson have both picked off three passes this year. Senior defensive tackle Rashid Morton and freshman defensive end Kyle Rode lead the Beavers with three sacks apiece.

Next up for the Beavers and the Panthers

Bluffton will host Mount St. Joseph on Saturday, October 29, 2005. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Hanover travels to Anderson on October 29. The game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.