HANOVER, Ind. - The Bluffton University football team battled HCAC pre-season favorite Hanover College for 60 minutes on Saturday, March 20, coming up just short as the Panthers scored with 15 ticks remaining for a 51-44 victory over the Beavers. Bluffton dropped it first game of the year (3-1, 2-1 HCAC), while Hanover improved to 2-0 (2-0 HCAC).
A pair of first quarter touchdowns for the home team had Hanover up 14-0 before Zachary Nobis (Bryan) connected with tight end Drew Mace (Johnstown/Northridge) on the first play of quarter two to make it 14-7. Down 21-7 late in the first half, workhorse Darian Greeley (Belleville, Mich./Chippewa Valley) punched it in from one yard out, but the extra point attempt went awry and Hanover took it the other way for two points, making it 23-13 with 52 seconds on the clock.
A Hanover fumble with 21 seconds left gave Bluffton the ball at the visitor 36-yard line. Nobis hit Jeremy Locklear (Lincoln Park, Mich./Harry S. Truman) for a pair of first downs before finding Deonta Hall (Cincinnati/Mount Healthy) with a 39-yard scoring strike as Bluffton pulled within 23-20 at the break.
Freshman Daniel Blanford (Delphos/Clearwater) drilled a 35-yard field goal and Laurenz Johnson (Huber Heights/Wayne) hauled in a 30-yard touchdown reception from Nobis in the third stanza, but Hanover hit paydirt three times in the quarter as the home team opened a 44-30 lead heading to the final 15 minutes.
Bluffton cut the deficit in half with seven minutes to play when Maalik Tucker (Fostoria) found the end zone from six yards out. A 29-yard Nobis run had the Beavers all square with 4:44 to play as Bluffton fought back to make it a new game. A three and out deep in Hanover territory gave the Beavers great field possession at the home 40 with 3:29 on the clock.
Hanover's defense returned the favor and forced a quick punt that gave the Panthers possession at their own 9-yard line. They marched down the field and went up 51-44 when quarterback Matthew Weimer capped off the 12-play, 91-yard drive with a 1-yard run.
Nobis completed 21-of-43 passes for 357 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. He also churned out 89 yards on the ground. Greeley went for 59 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Plummie Gardner (Lima/Perry) caught three balls for 90 yards, while Johnson's four catches netted 66 yards and a score. Hall finished with 61 yards receiving with the 39-yard touchdown.
Brady Hauenstein (Findlay/Columbus Grove) led the defense with 14 stops on Saturday. Senior Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) paced the secondary with nine solo stops and he forced a fumble to go along with his TFL. Freshmen Montez Archer Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) and sophomore Martez Nabors (Redford, Mich./Thurston) chipped in with seven tackles apiece. Archer returned six kickoffs for 190 yards, including a 78-yarder at the end of the first quarter that set up Bluffton's first touchdown.
Hanover (549) and Bluffton (511) combined for 1,060 yards of total offense. The Panthers put up 393 on the ground, while the Beavers went for 357 through the air. The home team was 7-of-14 on third down opportunities, compared to 5-of-14 for the Beavers. Hanover converted touchdowns on all five of its red zone chances.
Bluffton will welcome Franklin College to Alumni Field on Saturday, March 27. Kickoff in Salzman Stadium is slated for 1:30 p.m.
-BEAVERS-