Hanover vs. Anderson, Oct. 4
Panthers drop decision at Anderson in HCAC opener
Hanover College's football squad opened its 2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference slate with a 56-12 loss at Anderson University. The tilt was played Saturday, Oct. 4, in Anderson, Ind.
After Hanover grabbed a 6-0 lead with a touchdown late in the first quarter, Anderson countered with 49 consecutive points to put the contest out of reach. The Ravens (2-2; 1-0 HCAC) piled up 620 yards of offense in the win, marking its most-lopsided victory against Hanover in the 60 meetings between the schools.
Hanover (0-3; 0-1 HCAC) amassed 281 yards of total offense in the game. The Panthers collected 241 yards through the air, but were limited to 40 yards on 31 attempts on the ground. The squad's quarterbacks were intercepted five times.
Freshman quarterback Nick Sharp (Indianapolis, Ind.) completed 22-of-43 passes for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first collegiate start. He was picked off three times and sacked once.
Sharp connected with senior receiver Tyler Thiems (Indianapolis, Ind.) for a 13-yard touchdown at the 5:44 mark of the first period. Sharp later hit junior receiver Adam Miller (Franklin, Ind.) with a seven-yard touchdown pass to make the score 49-12 with 11:59 left in the contest.
Thiems ended the contest with nine receptions for 76 yards. Miller added 64 yards on five catches.
Anderson running back Darryl Stott and receiver Chris Russell did most of the damage for the Ravens. Stott rushed for 200 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns. Russell caught six passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns for the Ravens, which scored on eight of the team's 16 possessions.
Junior linebacker Daniel Cornely (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) paced Hanover's defense with 16 tackles, including a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection. Freshman defensive back Rory Mannering (Walton, Ind.) added 10 tackles.
