Posted: Oct 30, 2010
October 30, 2010
By: Josh Bruner, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University football team hosted Hanover College at Salzman Stadium for an HCAC matchup on Saturday, October 30. The Panthers built a 20-0 lead over the Beavers during the first two periods before Bluffton's offense found its stride in the second half. The Beavers outscored the Panthers 20-7 after the break, but the comeback was not enough as Bluffton fell to the Panthers 27-20. The loss bumped Bluffton back to 3-6 overall with a 2-5 mark in the HCAC. Hanover jumped to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the HCAC after the win with contests against Mount St. Joseph and Franklin in front of the Panthers.
The offenses both started slowly as the teams struggled to move the chains in the first quarter. The Panthers took over on the Bluffton 10 yard line with four minutes left in the quarter thanks to a Bluffton fumble. The Bluffton defense held strong in the red zone and they returned the favor by forcing a fumble of their own to regain possession. The Hanover offense took advantage of a three-and-out by Bluffton when wideout Daniel Passafiume found Shawn Gibson in the end zone with time winding down in the first quarter. The scoring toss gave Hanover a 6-0 lead going into the second quarter.
The first play of the quarter was a Bluffton fumble in its own end zone that was picked up by Hanover for a touchdown. The Panthers used a 41-yard Colton Zeck punt return to set up their next score midway through period two. A seven-play, 27-yard drive resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by C.J. Croft. This pushed the lead to 20-0 with 7:28 left in the half. Bluffton went to the half trailing the Panthers 20-0.
The Beavers put an end to their slow start offensively when Christopher Byrd (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Univ. Prep) connected with Shane Swisher (Findlay/McComb) for a 44-yard pass that put the Beavers on the Hanover one-yard line. Byrd finished the drive by running the ball in for a touchdown. The Beavers went into the last 15 minutes of play trailing 20-6, but starting to show some life with the ball.
The Panthers started strong in the fourth quarter, as their first drive of the quarter resulted in another one-yard scoring rush from Croft. The touchdown put the Panthers up 27-6 with just under 12 minutes left to play. The Beavers put together a nice drive to follow the touchdown as they went 55 yards on 13 plays before an incomplete pass on fourth down gave the ball back to Hanover at their 25-yard line.
The Beaver defense was ready for the challenge on the next possession as they held Hanover to negative yards thanks to a Justin Crosier (Columbus/Hamilton Township) sack for a four-yard loss. This gave the offense another shot with just under seven minutes left in the game. Byrd led the Beavers down the field, pounding the ball into the end zone from seven yards out with 4:11 left in the game, making the score 27-13.
The Bluffton defense gave the offense another shot after Crosier forced a fumble on the next drive. Byrd led the Beavers down the field again, and this time he connected with Swisher for a 13-yard scoring strike. The touchdown brought the Beavers within 27-20 with just under two minutes left. Bluffton recovered the onside attempt following the score, but were called for being offside and forced to kick again. This time the Panthers recovered the ball. Hanover gained possession with 1:43 left in the game, and took three kneeldowns as the Beavers had no timeouts remaining.
The offenses proved even as Bluffton outgained Hanover 265 to 260 yards. The Panthers run game racked up 185 yards, while the Beavers were held to 116 yards. The Beavers added 149 yards of passing, and the Panthers, who came into Bluffton averaging 239 yards through the air, were limited to 75. Both teams struggled holding onto the ball as they each lost two fumbles. The Beavers proved more efficient on third downs, moving the chains on seven of their 20 attempts, while holding the Panthers to four-of-17. Bluffton was perfect in the red zone, scoring all three times. Hanover only managed to score on three of their six opportunities.
Byrd led the Bluffton offense with 149 yards passing, completing 15-of-30 attempts. He also led the rushing game with 73 yards and two touchdowns. Following Byrd was Airic Steagall (Hillsboro) with 57 yards rushing on 14 carries. Leading the Beaver receivers was Swisher with 57 yards and a touchdown on two catches. Steagall and Alexander Carter (Troy) each pulled in five catches for 28 and 29 yards, respectively.
The Bluffton defense was led by Crosier with 11 stops, including three for a loss, and a forced fumble. Jacob Luthy (Ida, Mich./Ida) followed with 10 stops, three for a loss, Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) also added three tackles for a loss. Dominique Chester (Mansfield/Mansfield Comprehensive) pulled in an interception for the Beavers and returned it 39 yards. Mark Herge (Elida), Stephen Miller (Logan) and Justin Hahn (Rocky River) all chipped in with six tackles.
The Beavers have a bye next week but will wrap up HCAC action on Saturday, November 13. They will host the Yellow Jackets of Defiance at Salzman Stadium. The contest is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.
-BEAVERS-