HANOVER, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rallied from a 28-7 deficit to earn a 48-42 double overtime victory at Hanover College in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both schools on Saturday.
Sophomore Austin Swenson set a single-game school record for pass completions by finishing 44-64 through the air for 467 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Fightin' Engineer comeback. Sophomore Alec Fisher was the top target with 13 catches (fourth in single-game school history) for 153 yards and two scores.
Swenson and Fisher connected on an acrobatic touchdown in the second overtime to provide the final margin of victory. Swenson lofted a 14-yard pass into the corner of the endzone, and Fisher made a leaping grab to snag the game winning score. The catch secured Rose-Hulman's first 3-0 start to a season since the 1987 team won its first nine games.
Rose-Hulman gained 615 yards in 105 plays for the third-highest single-game yardage performance in school history. Senior Greg Lee provided much of the balance with 81 rushing yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns.
Hanover's two quarterbacks combined to finish 24-41 through the air for 282 yards and two scores, led by Trent Downs at 18-27 for 227 yards. Layne Taylor made eight receptions for 84 yards for the Panthers, and Spencer Corrao rushed for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Rose-Hulman defense allowed just seven points from the 12:06 mark of the second quarter until the start of overtime to provide an opportunity for the comeback. Senior Josh Sonneberger led the defensie with nine solo tackles and one forced fumble. Sophomore Kevin Nowak had three pass breakups, and junior Andrew Schuelke added one sack and one breakup for the Engineers.
Hanover jumped out to a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter. Corrao scored on touchdown runs of nine and two yards, and quarterbacks Downs and Adam Gutermuth had one touchdown run each. The Fightin' Engineers scored their first quarter touchdown on a 10-yard stike from Swenson to junior Aaron Abbott.
Rose-Hulman brought the score within 28-14 at the half. Freshman Michael Iacono scored his first career touchdown on a three-yard run with 4:24 left in the second quarter to cap a 16-play, 89-yard march.
In the second half, Rose-Hulman took the opening kickoff and marched 72 yards in 13 plays to trim the score to 28-21. The drive featured two fourth down conversions, as Swenson and Fisher connected on a nine-yard pass on 4th-and-8 and a 10-yard pass on 4th-and-5. Lee capped the drive with a one-yard scoring run.
Hanover increased its lead to 35-21 with its only scoring drive of the second half. Downs and Taylor hooked up on a 40-yard scoring strike with 4:25 left in the third quarter to cap the drive.
Rose-Hulman scored on its first drive of the fourth quarter to trim the margin to 35-28. On 3rd-and-8 from the 12-yard line, Swenson and Fisher connected on a 12-yard strike to bring the margin within seven points with 13:05 remaining.
After two more defensive stops, Rose-Hulman knotted the score at 35-35 with 3:29 left in the contest. The Fightin' Engineers reached another critical fourth down situation, and Swenson hit sophomore Joe Moehrle for a 23-yard touchdown strike in the left side of the endzone to tie the score.
Neither team could score in the final minutes of regulation, and Rose-Hulman went into overtime for the second consecutive week. Last Saturday night, the Fightin' Engineers made history with a 74-68 triple overtime win over Illinois College. This week, the game would take two extra periods to decide.
Rose-Hulman had the first possession of the first overtime, and Swenson hit junior Jacob Dye on a 19-yard pass on the first play. Lee would cap the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. Junior Craig Larew booted home the extra point to make the score 42-35.
The Fightin' Engineer defense forced Hanover into a 4th-and-6 on its first overtime possession, and Schuelke nearly ended the game with a hit on Gutermuth. The pass left his hand a split second before contact, and Ricky Windell made a 21-yard touchdown catch to bring the margin within 42-41. Ben Wheeler made the extra point to force a second overtime.
Hanover had the first possession of overtime two, and the Fightin' Engineer defense made a stand. Sophomore Kyle Brewer made the key play with a tackle of Gutermuth on a fourth down quarterback draw to end the drive without points.
Needing just a field goal to win, Rose-Hulman went for the touchdown. Swenson and Dye connected on an 11-yard strike, before Swenson's lofting pass to a leaping Fisher won the game on a 14-yard touchdown.
Swenson topped the previous mark for completions in a game in school history of 42 set by Jared Tharpe in 2001. His 467-yard performance ranks second in single-game school history, behind only his 603-yard effort against Illinois College last week.
Fisher led the receivers with 13 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Dye had nine receptions for 94 yards, and Moehrle hauled in seven catches for 88 yards and one score. Abbott and senior Zac Erba had five receptions each, and sophomore Sterling Mitchell made four pass receptions.
Rose-Hulman improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in HCAC play, while Hanover stands 0-3 and 0-1 in league games. The Fightin' Engineers have a bye next week, before hosting Anderson in the annual Homecoming game on Oct. 4.