Hanover vs. Defiance (Ohio), Nov. 1
Hanover drops overtime decision to Defiance
Defiance College (Ohio) 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 forced the extra session when junior Bobby Smart (Coral Springs, Fla.) converted a 30-yard field goal with no time remaining in regulation to tie the game at 28-28. Smart later missed a 17-yard attempt on the Panthers' possession in overtime.
Trailing 17-7 in the fourth quarter, Defiance scored on an 11-yard run, a 50-yard pass play and a 20-yard interception return during a nine-minute span to bolt into a 28-17 lead with just three minutes to play.
Sophomore running back Josh Juett (Owenton, Ky.) capped an 11-play, 67-yard drive with a one-yard dive into the endzone to cut the margin to 28-23 with 1:01 left. Freshman quarterback Nick Sharp (Indianapolis, Ind.) hit freshman receiver Daniel Passafiume (Louisville, Ky.) for the two-point conversion to get Hanover within a field goal at 28-25.
Sophomore kicker James Dowdy (Martinsville, Ind.) dribbled an onside kick, which bounced off a Defiance player at the Hanover 37-yard-line and was recovered by the Panthers with 58 seconds on the clock.
Sharp then led Hanover 54 yards in nine plays to set up Smart's game-tying field goal.
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.
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 (Indianapolis, Ind.) 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.
Sophomore linebacker Michael Spillmann (Franklin, Ind.) led Hanover's defense with 16 tackles. Junior defensive back Chris Snyder (Liberty, Ind.) added eight stops for the Panthers.
