WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster football team kept the chains moving all afternoon, completing 80 percent of its passes and rushing for 304 yards, while defensively, the Fighting Scots held visiting Hiram College to just 11 rushing yards in Saturday's 47-14 Black & Gold Weekend win at John P. Papp Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback Chanden Lee was 20-of-25 for 214 yards and two touchdowns, yet it was his speed and craftiness on the ground that scored Wooster's (3-5, 2-4 North Coast Athletic Conference) first touchdown of the afternoon. A 37-yard rush by junior Brazos Gadler on a backwards pass quickly had Wooster in business, then Lee hit paydirt from 19 yards out before the game was two minutes old.
On the first Hiram (1-8, 1-6 NCAC) play following Lee's score, Sean Tejeda was picked off by senior defensive back Paul Thomas Fischer. A slow-and-steady 7-play, 27-yard drive followed, with sophomore running back Jarvis Mims Jr. scoring on the ground from a yard out. Senior Lake Barrett's extra point doubled the lead to 14-0 at the first quarter's 10:28 mark.
The score was 21-0 by first quarter's end, as junior wide receiver Andrew Hammer came open for a 25-yard touchdown reception with 5:28 on the clock. Wide receiver Maine Martin's speed was utilized in a running back role this game, and the sophomore burst up the middle for 16 yards leading up to the touchdown.
Hammer picked up 31 yards on a second-and-29 snap before the end of the first quarter, and that drive ended with seven more points on the scoreboard. First-year Jace Austin turned a quick forward flip into an 11-yard gain before Hammer was open again, catching an 18-yard touchdown pass with 13:16 remaining before halftime.
Wooster went to Austin for a 15-yard pickup on a fourth-and-2 play midway through the second quarter, and Lee was brought down just shy of the goal line following a 13-yard scramble on third-and-5 play later in the drive. Mims Jr. crossed the goal line for the second time of the day two plays later, and Barrett's extra point extended the lead to 35-7 with 2:35 left in the second quarter.
In the third, Barrett knocked through a 34-yard field goal to pull within one of tying the program's all-time record for field goals. While senior Domenic DeMuth blew past the Terrier trying to block the lineman, resulting in Gabriel Hoskins going down in the end zone for a safety. Sophomore Noah Clark found an open Jordan Lewis at the 5-yard line, and the Scots' sophomore spun around a Terrier and into the end zone for Wooster's final score of the day with 1:41 on the third-quarter clock.
Hiram was knocking on the door in the fourth quarter, reaching Wooster's 2-yard line before turning the ball over on downs following an unsuccessful fourth-and-goal snap from the 27. A holding penalty set Hiram back 10 yards, then pressure from first-year Jayden Taylor caused Tejeda to lose his footing and go down for a 15-yard sack. On the third-down play, first-year Isaac LaFay set Tejeda back 10 more yards via a traditional sack.
While Wooster had over 550 yards of total offense, there was no true standout. Wooster's 304 rushing yards were spread among six players, with sophomore Shakir Perkins (84), Mims Jr. (71), Lee (57), and Martin (56) all having north of 50. It was a similar story for receiving yards, as Hammer finished at 96, Austin at 56, and Gadler at 49. Clark was a perfect 4-for-4 for 35 yards in relief of Lee and completed his first collegiate touchdown pass.
Of note, Barrett surpassed Steve McClellan for fifth-place on the program's all-time scoring list and is now at 226 points.
Defensively, first-year Kieran Klingsberg's six tackles led the team, while senior Neil Clayton had two of Wooster's four sacks. Fisher added five tackles, a tackle for loss, and an interception to the stat sheet.
Tejeda was all over the place, completing just 19-of-41 passes, but he did have 230 yards and two touchdowns. Raequan Davis-Hereford led the receivers at five catches for 64 yards and a score. Hoskins was the leading rusher with five carries for 13 yards, but as a team, the Terriers managed just 0.6 yards per carry.
Hiram had just 241 yards of offense and was 3-for-12 on third down, compared to a 10-for-17 mark from Wooster.
Next, Wooster hosts Oberlin College (1-7, 0-6 NCAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 4 in its final home game of the year.