Oct 04, 2014
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A 24-point fourth quarter propelled the Heidelberg University football team to a 45-28 win at Otterbein. With the win, the Student Princes win the Rhine River Cup for the fourth straight year. Down 14-0 early and 28-21 to start the fourth quarter, a reenergized defense and a steady offense vaulted Heidelberg (3-1, 2-1 OAC) to victory.
THREE STARS
- The Defensive Line: Heidelberg's much-maligned defense -- gashed for 1,435 yards in its last 10 quarters – ignited a second half rally by limiting Otterbein to 58 yards and no points. The d-line starters -- Ryan Malloy, Ben Poirier and Austin Crow – combined for 23 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and one interception.
- QB Michael Mees: On a blustery day with swirling winds, Mees set a career high with six touchdown passes on the day. He finished 19-of-27 with 318 yards and an interception.
- WR Nick DeLisa: The sophomore had 187 all-purpose yards – 51 receiving yards and 136 return yards. Four of his six catches were for first downs.
KEY MOMENTS
- Trailing 14-0 late in the first quarter, Heidelberg's offense was out-of-rhythm and faced 3rd-and-10 from the HU 21. Mees found his brother James Mees deep down the middle of the field. The elder Mees caught the pass around the Otterbein 35 yard line and broke free into the end zone.
- Down 28-14 with 1:27 left in the first half, the Heidelberg offense closed the gap with a ley touchdown, a three-yard pass from Michael Mees to Donteea Dye. The score brought HU within one score at intermission.
- After the teams combined for 49 points in the first half, both defenses held strong in the third quarter. A string of five possessions in the quarter ending with a punt was snapped when Cale Sandridge snared his second interception of the season. Sandridge's pick was the first of three Otterbein turnovers.
- One play after Heidelberg's game-tying touchdown that followed the Sandridge INT, Cardinal QB Brick Davis threw a pass that was batted straight up by Adam Wolbert. Malloy grabbed it with a Nate Davis-like vertical leap. Two plays later, Mees gave HU its first lead with a touchdown to Christian Dominguez.
- Forced to punt on the ensuing possession, a bad snap sailed over the head of punter Jordan Keaton. Keaton picked the ball up but was tackled by Napoleon Bell for a 12-yard loss. The Tricolor converted the turnover-on-down into a 27-yard Stephen Smith field goal.
HOW WE SCORED
- The 79-yard Mees-Mees strike, followed by an extra point by Smith, put Heidelberg on the board with 25 seconds left in the first.
- The Student Princes answered an Otterbein score with a quick four-play drive that covered 55 yards in 53 seconds. Mees found a wide-open Dye for a 45-yard scoring connection with 11:01 left in the half.
- Arguably one of the most important drives of the season, the second touchdown pass to Dye – which came with 40 seconds left in the half – gave HU momentum at halftime.
- Heidelberg knotted the game after Sandridge's pick with a 17-yard pass to tight end Derek Hug. Hug practically carried a Cardinal into the end zone with him.
- The Mees-Dominguez score that gave HU the lead came with 13:05 remaining – 42 seconds after the tying score.
- Smith's 27-yard field goal with 11:06 to play was his sixth of the season.
- A pair of sacks during Otterbein's next possession gave Heidelberg the ball back with a chance to ice the game. The Student Princes did exactly that. Cartel Brooks, limited to 69 yards on 18 carries, scored on a 21-yard screen pass from Mees.
FOR THE CARDINALS
- Drew Ervin scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half and finished with 66 yards on 19 carries.
- n Reid Hutchison had a game-high 94 yards of rushing.
- Brick Davis was 15-of-32 passing for 185 yards with three interceptions and a touchdown.
QUOTES OF NOTE
- Heidelberg head coach Mike Hallett on the defense taking control of the game: "After the seesaw third quarter, we were able to grab the momentum and take a one score lead … that's when it seemed everybody was able to relax and ball out and it accelerated from there."
- Hallett about the defensive resurgence: "We had two weeks … where the defense got no support and took it on the chin at John Carroll and last week, while we won over Northern, was not a real pretty statistical game … our egos were bruised and we were pretty down. But one guy made a play, then another guy … we get a couple of turnovers … then everything starts steamrolling and we rediscovered ourselves in the second half."
- Hallett on sophomore Nick DeLisa: "He is so polished as a receiver … he does so much without wasting any energy, he's the most efficient route runner we have. He has the ability to make guys miss and that's what makes him special."
- Hallett on a relatively slow day for tailback Cartel Brooks: "They did a really good job adjusting to our run game … they worked very hard to take away what hurt them last year (when Brooks ran for a then-school record 337 yards and five touchdowns).
- Defensive coordinator Scott Donaldson about HU's defensive effort: "Guys stepped up and started making plays … Ryan Malloy and Ben Poirier and those guys up front took the game into their hands and absolutely turned the game around."
- Junior Ryan Malloy about getting the defense back on track: "For the past two weeks, our defense has been losing that mojo a little bit … but after we started making plays, everything just started lighting up. Once we started getting to the quarterback, it had a domino effect on everything else."
- Senior Michael Mees on his second straight strong performance: "Last week against ONU definitely helped boost my confidence up from the John Carroll game. I have complete trust in my line and know that my receivers are going to catch the ball. I have concentrated on relaxing and having fun."
THE QUEST FOR THE CUP
- Heidelberg will keep the Rhine River Cup in Tiffin for another year. The trophy has been presented to the HU-Otterbein winner since 1993, one year after the Student Princes and Cardinals battled to a 7-7 draw in Frankfurt, Germany. It was the first collegiate football game played in Europe.
- Otterbein holds the overall series lead, 13-9.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The win over Otterbein was the first time Heidelberg had rallied from a 14-point deficit since a 42-40 win at Marietta on Nov. 8, 2008.
- The victory was also Heidelberg's first fourth-quarter comeback since a 37-35 win over John Carroll on Nov. 6, 2010. Andrew Miller found Michael Preston for a go-ahead score in the final minute of that contest, which ended on a missed JCU field goal.
- Mees has surpassed the 7,000-yard career passing plateau. With 7,202 career yards, he is 171 yards shy of breaking Shane Fulton's school record.
UP NEXT
The Student Princes return home next week for the official opening of Hoernemann Stadium and The Fox Den Alumni Center. The football game against Muskingum, schedule for a 1:30 p.m. start, is one part of a busy weekend in Tiffin. In addition to the stadium's ribbon-cutting, Homecoming events and the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction ceremony fill out the weekend.