TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – In a display of offensive prowess that has just one single peer in Division III history, the Illinois College football team battled to the end but fell to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday night by a score of 74-68 in triple overtime. The 142 points by the two teams matches the Division III record for most combined points in a single game, previously held by a 2007 matchup between Hartwick College and Utica College that ended with a 72-70 Hartwick victory in four overtimes.
There was little in the opening quarter to indicate the fireworks that were in store. After Rose-Hulman took its opening drive down the field and went up 3-0 on a Craig Larew field goal, Michael Bates took the reins of the IC offense and needed only four plays – all pass completions – to put the Blueboys in the end zone. A 19-yard strike to Bryce Heaton put IC on top, but only 6-3 after a failed PAT try.
After forcing a turnover on downs, Illinois College was back on the attack, going 76 yards for the second drive in a row and again connecting with Heaton for a touchdown. This time the tandem hooked up from 27 yards to put the Blueboys on top, 13-3.
Following a pair of stalled drives from Rose-Hulman, Illinois College took over from their own 15. A 12-play, 85-yard march followed, culminating in a 16-yard pass from Bates to Josh Gentile. The PAT attempt again failed, but the lead was 19-3 early in the second quarter and the flow of the game was certainly going in the Blueboys' favor. That's when Austin Swenson got started.
The Rose-Hulman quarterback sprang to life in the second quarter after a quiet opening 15 minutes. The Fightin' Engineers got to the end zone on all four of their drives before halftime. The only play that slowed Rose-Hulman in the quarter was a Zach Hanlon interception, but the Fightin' Engineers forced a fumble on the return and regained possession. While the home team roared back into the game, the IC offense sputtered, allowing Rose-Hulman to score 27 unanswered points and take a 30-19 lead. Taking over with 82 ticks left on the first half clock the Blueboys charged downfield, with Bates scampering the final 24 yards to the end zone on his own with 12 seconds to go before the break. At halftime, Rose-Hulman held a 30-26 lead.
Both teams picked up where they left off on their opening possessions of the second half. Rose-Hulman went 80 yards to open the scoring in the third quarter, but was quickly answered when Bates hit Gentile with a 62-yard completion to again draw IC within four at 37-33. The Fightin' Engineers would add another TD on in the third to go up, 44-33, yet the quarter would end with the Blueboys just one yard from scoring after Bates and Dakota Lammy chipped away at Rose-Hulman defense.
The opening play of the fourth quarter resulted in a one-yard plunge from Lammy to bring IC back to within four points again. The teams then traded touchdowns as Bates completed a six-yard pitch-and-catch to Gentile to counter a three-yard run from Swenson earlier in the quarter.
Badly in need of a stop, Illinois College forced a three-and-out to get the ball back in its control. Starting at their own 42, the Blueboys were helped along by a personal foul flag on 3rd and long and were able to score on the next play as Heaton snagged his third touchdown of the contest. The 54-51 lead was IC's first since the second quarter.
Though Rose-Hulman marched down the field to tie the game for the first time with a 23-yard field goal, the time and score situation appeared in IC's favor with less than five minutes remaining. Suddenly, both teams hit the skids on offense momentarily. Three straight three-and-out drives milked the clock down to 2:21 and gave the Fightin' Engineers possession. They wouldn't need that long. Greg Lee found a seam up the middle and burst through for 45 yards to put Rose-Hulman on top, 61-54 with 1:25 to go.
Gentile set the Blueboys up in good position on the subsequent kickoff with a 32-yard return to the IC 40. A seven-yard Bates-to-Heaton out route gave the Blueboys a 2nd and 3. Looking to move the chains, the handoff went to Lammy but the senior had more than a first down in mind. Replicating Lee's run from moments earlier, Lammy split the Rose-Hulman defense and sprinted 53 yards to paydirt to once again tie the game at 61-61.
In the first overtime, IC needed just three plays to regain the lead, with Lammy taking it in over the final six yards for his third touchdown run of the game. Rose-Hulman had the answer with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Swenson.
The IC defense stopped Rose-Hulman in the second overtime, sacking Swenson on 3rd and goal and forcing a field goal try which missed wide right. Needing any kind of score to win the game, the Blueboys could only advance the ball six yards. On fourth down, Logan Uyetake's 36-yard attempt was straight down the middle, but didn't clear the bar.
The third overtime was similar to the second for Illinois College. After moving inside the 10-yard line, a sack backed the Blueboys up and forced a 33-yard attempt from Uyetake. This one had the leg, but veered right. With Rose-Hulman in a position to win, the Fightin' Engineers picked up 16 yards through the air to earn a 1st and goal, then ran it straight ahead for three plays, ending in a three-yard touchdown from Lee that was the game-winner.
Despite the loss, Illinois College will still have its name etched in the record books for some time to come. The 117 offensive plays that IC ran in the game are a new Division III single-game record, as is the 231 plays the two teams combined for. Another combined record from the game are the 13 touchdown passes thrown by Bates and Swenson.
IC set a program record with its 745 yards of total offense. The previous record was 722 set on Sept. 8, 2012 in a game at Grinnell. Needing 146 passing yards to move into fourth place all-time in MWC history in career passing yards, Bates ended the night with 535 yards. His 42 completions and 73 attempts in the game are both second all-time in conference history and his yardage and touchdown totals on the night are third all-time.
Gentile led all receivers in the game with 261 yards and three scores. Heaton added 201 yards in addition to his three touchdowns. Lammy was the leading rusher for IC with 125 yards while Bates had 91 on the ground.
Dylan Ringhausen led the Blueboy defense with 14.5 tackles and a sack. Dylan Sculer chipped in 10.5 tackles.
Illinois College will have a bye week next Saturday. The Blueboys are next in action on Sept. 27, taking on St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. beginning at 1 p.m.
Record-Setting Contest Goes to Rose-Hulman in Triple Overtime, 74-68
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20140913_9t9b.xml
2014
Illinois College
68
Rose-Hulman
74
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois College (1-1) | 13 | 13 | 7 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
| Rose-Hulman (2-0) | 3 | 27 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 74 |
Sep 13, 2014