When: Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Bluffton, Ohio – Salzman Stadium
On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton University football on WDOH 107.1 FM.
The Bluffton University football team returns to Salzman Stadium for its first of back-to-back home contests on Saturday, November 8. Hanover is currently 1-6 and 1-4 in the conference, while the Beavers stand 1-7 with a 0-5 mark in the HCAC.
Head Coach Tyson Veidt made his debut on the Bluffton sidelines in the Beavers’ 2008 opener at Alma College. Despite taking over the reins less than one year ago, Veidt and his staff at Bluffton currently have 50 first-year players on the squad. Veidt comes to Bluffton after assistant coaching stints at West Virginia and Indiana. Most recently he was the defensive coordinator for Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. New additions to the Bluffton coaching staff are Chris Krieg, Bo White, Jason Diller and Brian Hefner. Returning to the Beavers are Denny Phillips, Lou Stokes, Bryan Lloyd and Bill Fisher.
Joe Austin is in his first season as Hanover's head football coach. Austin took the reins of Hanover's program after a successful tenure at the University of Dubuque (Iowa), where he served as offensive coordinator for three seasons. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Austin helped guide Dubuque's squad to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 28 seasons. The Spartans finished 7-3 in 2007 and 6-4 in 2006. During his three seasons at Dubuque, Austin's offensive unit set 33 school records. In 2007, the Spartans averaged 35.2 points and 433.4 offensive yards per game.
Bluffton and Hanover will clash for the 32nd time in the history of the two schools on Saturday. The Panthers hold a 26-5 advantage in the series, including 12 victories in the last 13 meetings. Bluffton’s only win during that span was a 33-19 decision at Hanover in 2005.
The Bluffton University football team was within four points late in the first half before Anderson rattled off 24 unanswered for the 38-10 victory on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008.
The Beavers picked up three quick first downs following the opening kickoff, including a 19-yard completion from Derek Dunlap to Todd Trotter and an 11-yard Dunlap to Ross Shoup strike. A penalty on Bluffton followed by an incomplete pass stalled the drive and the Beavers turned the ball over on downs.
Anderson moved the ball down the field, eating up 5:38 on the clock before Chris Payton went in from two yards out with 3:43 to play in the first quarter. The Ravens covered 65 yards, with all but 18 coming on the ground.
Steve Sealscott forced a fumble on Anderson’s next possession and Mitch Dunlap came up with it at the home 49-yard line. Derek Dunlap completed three passes, including a 14-yarder for a first down to Antwane Miller which set up Jonathan Thompson’s 44-yard field goal.
The Ravens took over at their own 10-yard line following a 64-yard Thompson kickoff and they promptly marched down the field, going 90 yards on just 11 plays. John Sims capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run with 5:09 to play in the half.
A 39-yard kickoff return by Drew Lovelace set Bluffton up for business at the Beavers’ 49-yard line. Dunlap completed three passes before he found Ben Hatfield for a 25-yard scoring strike which cut the deficit to four points.
The home team added another touchdown and a field goal in the fourth quarter to seal the 38-10 victory over the Beavers. Brandon Herr (Bluffton) picked off Thurston early in the fourth, but the Beavers struggled to move the ball against the Anderson defense despite having an average starting field position on the Bluffton 40-yard line.
Anderson tallied 493 yards of total offense, including 272 on the ground, while Bluffton was limited to just 171 yards total. The home team picked up 27 first downs and was 6-of-6 in the red zone. The Ravens made good on 7-of-12 third down opportunities and Bluffton moved the chains on third down 5-of-14 times. Although Anderson turned the ball over four times, Bluffton’s lack of a rushing attack helped keep the Beavers from capitalizing on the scoreboard.
Derek Dunlap finished 15-of-26 through the air for 166 yards and one touchdown. He hit Hatfield and Shoup three times each. Todd Trotter picked up two receptions for a team-high 42 yards and Dan Chipka chipped in with a pair of catches.
Steve Sealscott paced the Bluffton defense with 12 tackles. Mitch Agner also recorded double digits in stops with 10, including a sack and an interception. Jacob Luthy and Kyle Coleman added nine tackles each and Luthy led Bluffton with eight solos. Freshman Shane Hubbard finished with eight tackles.
Defiance 31, Hanover 28 (OT)
Defiance College rallied to post a 31-28 overtime victory against Hanover College's football squad in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tilt, Saturday, Nov. 1, at L.S. Ayres Field.
Defiance placekicker Tom Foos nailed a 38-yard field goal in the first overtime session to lift the Yellow Jackets to the squad’s second consecutive win of the season and fourth in a row against the Panthers.
Hanover limited Defiance to just four yards on its overtime possession before Foos hit the game-winner. The Panthers had a first-and-goal from the one-yard-line during the overtime, but could not hit paydirt. Juett and Sharp each slipped inside the final three feet to the goal line during the series.
Nick Sharp, who completed 40-of-65 passes in the game, threw for 346 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Senior wide receiver Tyler Thiems hauled in a school single-game-record 19 passes for 145 yards. He had a two-yard touchdown catch to give the Panthers a 10-0 lead at the end of the first half. The score was Thiems' sixth in seven games this season.
Freshman Jason Johnson leads Bluffton with 220 yards rushing on 73 carries. On the outside, Drew Lovelace leads the Beavers with 199 yards receiving on 14 receptions. Senior tight end Joel Sienicki also has 11 catches for 142 yards. Dan Chipka, Antwane Miller and Ben Hatfield all have touchdown receptions for the Beavers this season. Miller was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week on special teams following an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Nov. 25. Junior quarterback Brock Miller is 64-of-138 for 634 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman signal-caller Derek Dunlap has completed 32-of-66 passes for 340 yards.
Freshman Steven Sealscott has a team-high 59 stops with two breakups, two TFL’s and two forced fumbles. Senior Kyle Rode has six TFL’s, including three sacks, while junior Jordan Achterman has chipped in with five TFL’s for a loss of 22 yards and two breakups. Sophomore Mitch Dunlap has three picks and four breakups on the season. Sealscott and Brandon Herr lead the Beavers with 33 and 31 solo tackles, respectively.
Bluffton will wrap up its 2008 campaign with a battle against long-time rival Defiance College on Saturday, Nov. 15. The contest against the Yellow Jackets is slated to start at 1:30 p.m. Hanover goes on the road to face rival and HCAC heavyweight Franklin College on Nov. 15.
