MARIETTA, Ohio – The Heidelberg University football team played a nearly flawless first half and scorched host Marietta College on a rainy Saturday, 63-28. The Student Princes scored on each of their nine possessions in the first half, opening up a 49-point halftime lead.
The win pushed Heidelberg to 3-4 overall, 3-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Marietta dropped to 1-6, 1-5 OAC.
KEY STATS
Heidelberg running back Bryan Lacey had a career day, amassing career highs with 207 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.
Quarterback Tyler Stoyle was an efficient 16-for-21 for 226 yards and five touchdowns.
Heidelberg tallied 562 yards of offense, with 445 coming before intermission.
FIRST QUARTER
Facing the worst passing defense in the conference, the Student Princes opted to keep the ball on the ground for the duration of a six-play 65 yard touchdown drive. Bryan Lacey accounted for 54 of the 65 yards, scoring from seven yards out. Stephen Smith added the extra point to give HU a 7-0 lead.
After a Marietta punt, Lacey scored again – a 34-yard scamper – which gave Heidelberg a 14-0 lead with 10:46 left.
Marietta scored their only points of the quarter on a trick play. On an end-around, receiver Alex Smith stopped and found Darnell Clemm alone in the corner of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Jimmy Embrescia's extra point cut the Heidelberg lead to 14-7.
Heidelberg answered with another touchdown, with Stoyle hitting Tony Morris on a bubble screen that went for a 10-yard touchdown.
Following another Marietta punt, the Tricolor padded their lead with Lacey's third touchdown of the afternoon. The 12-yard run gave HU a 28-7 advantage.
On the ensuing kickoff, A.J. Morrison dropped the kick into an open spot in Marietta's coverage.Joey Wooley recovered the loose ball and Heidelberg regained possession. Six plays later, Heidelberg closed the 35-point quarter with a three-yard touchdown from Stoyle to Nick DeLisa.
SECOND QUARTER
Buoyed by an offsides penalty on 4th-and-2 that gave them a fresh set of downs, the Pioneers moved 78 yards in 16 plays. They scored on a two-yard plunge by Roger Bush.
Heidelberg responded quickly. Stoyle found Morris, who broke through a tackle on his way to a 51-yard touchdown.
Less than 90 seconds later, Stoyle hit tight end Zach Hogya for a 26-yard touchdown.
With 3:21 left in the half, Braden Jerome made a terrific diving catch in the left corner of the end zone on a 15-yard pass from Stoyle. The touchdown – Stoyle's fifth of the game – gave Heidelberg a 56-14 lead.
Just prior to halftime, Lacey scored his fourth touchdown of the afternoon. On the 15-yard touchdown rush, Lacey set a new career high for yards in a game, with 207.
THIRD QUARTER
With most of their starters resting, Heidelberg's offense sputtered in the third quarter. Neither team was able to put points on the board.
FOURTH QUARTER
Bush continued an impressive half of football with a five-yard touchdown rush to start the fourth quarter.
With the Pioneers driving, Nick Coolidge grabbed his second interception of the season. A deep throw bounced off a receiver and into his hands at the five yard line.
Christopher Bledsoe scored the game's final points with one minute remaining. Bledsoe's three-yard touchdown made the score 63-28.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
In the 1,029-game history of Heidelberg football, the Student Princes scored more than 63 points a total of 16 times.
Heidelberg brought 72 players on the trip – and 71 got in the game. The lone holdout missed the game due to an injury.
Nine players recorded carries on the afternoon. Among them, Arthur Slayton had four carries for 55 yards.
The 63 points was the most scored by Heidelberg and the most allowed by Marietta this season.
FOR THE DEFENSE
Will Lance had a team-high eight tackles. Austin Crow added seven stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Linebacker Clay Staib also had 1.5 tackles for loss.
NOTABLE QUOTE
Heidelberg head coach Mike Hallett on Heidelberg's offensive efficiency in the first half: "I thought we had a really good balance ... Bryan Lacey really got us going with the run game, which allowed us to work in some of our run-pass conflict stuff ... It was good that our guys came out and really executed well, especially after last week's loss."
UP NEXT
Heidelberg returns home for a Halloween matchup with Wilmington (1-6, 0-6 OAC). The battle with the Quakers also marks Local Business Day. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.