HIRAM, Ohio - Allegheny amassed 449 yards of total offense and overcame three deficits to top Hiram 24-21 and win its 2014 North Coast Athletic Conference opener.
After Hiram scored to make the score 21-17 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, the Gators responded with a five play, 75-yard drive, highlighted by a 63-yard catch and run from Jon Nigro toAndrew Niklaus and capped off with a one-yard touchdown plunge from Nick Deichler. The Allegheny defense then held on fourth down on back-to-back Hiram possessions to seal the win, and snap an 11-game losing streak.
Allegheny gained 449 yards of total offense, highlighted by Niklaus' nine-catch, 163-yard performance, while the Gator defense held the Hiram offense to over 100 yards less their season average, and forced a pair of interceptions, includingRonnie Borne's pick in the end zone on fourth down in the latter stages of the final quarter.
The Gators looked to get on the board first in the opening quarter, posting four first downs on their opening possession to advance deep into Hiram territory, with first-and-goal inside the five. Nigro completed three passes for 34 yards on the drive, while Deichler ran five times for 26 yards, but the drive would stall, and the Terriers would escape unscathed after a missed Gator field goal.
Hiram went to the air to grab a 7-0 lead, as quarterback Robert Partridge allowed the Terriers to overcome a pair of penalties by completing four passes for 89 yards, capped off with a nine-yard touchdown strike to Joshua Philander with 4:19 left in the opening stanza.
Allegheny quickly struck back on its next drive to tie it up. After a nine-yard pass from Nigro to Deichler, Tyler Smith took a handoff and scampered 53 yards to the Hiram 18. A nine-yard pass to Niklaus set up first-and-goal at the two, before Nigro would keep it and scamper two yards into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the year. Ben Ziolkowski's extra point was good, and the game was tied at 7 with 1:30 left in the first quarter.
The teams would trade a number of scoreless possessions into the middle stages of the second quarter, before Hiram took advantage of a short field after a Gator fumble to regain the lead. The Terriers would strictly stick to the ground game, gaining all 35 yards of the scoring drive via run, closing it out with a one-yard touchdown plunge from Brendon Carr with six minutes left in the first half.
The Gators once again answered back, using a healthy mix of the run and pass to tie the game just before halftime. The Gators converted on third down three times on the 15-play, 75-yard drive, highlighted with a 10-yard Deichler run that set up first-and-goal at the four. After a Hiram pass interference penalty brought the ball to just inside the two, Smith closed it out with his first rushing score of the season to tie it up with 46 seconds left in the half. Following the kickoff, the Terriers quickly advanced downfield, but a 39-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds was wide left, and the teams entered halftime tied.
After each of the first three possessions of the second half ended with a punt, the Hiram offense went to work, advancing the ball inside the Allegheny 30. The Gator defense then buckled down. On second down, Will Aeschbacher sacked Partridge for an eight-yard loss, before Borne would put a halt to the drive with his first interception of the day, picking off a Partridge pass at the Allegheny 10.
Feeding off of the momentum, Allegheny responded to take its first lead of the day. The Gators picked up first downs on four of their next six plays, with a 12-yard pass from Nigro to Nick Matic setting up first down at the Hiram 23. A trio of runs would net just seven yards, but on fourth down, Ziolkowski came on and connected on a 32-yard field goal to put the Gators on top 17-14 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.
After the teams traded scoreless trips to open up the fourth quarter, Hiram regained the lead. Taking over at their own 45 following a punt, the Terriers' needed just three plays to find the end zone, with a three-yard run from Danny Robinson making the score 21-17 with just under 12 minutes left in regulation.
As had the been the case all afternoon, Allegheny bounced right back, thanks to the duo of Nigro and Niklaus. The duo hooked up on a 63-yard screen pass to set up first-and-goal, and after a loss of two on a running play, they connected once again, with the 10-yard completion setting the ball up just inside the one. Deichler closed it out with the one-yard plunge, and the Gators were back on top, 24-21, with 9:51 left to play.
With 5:28 left, Hiram took over following a punt, and Patridge opened the drive with a 16-yard pass to set up first down at the Gator 35. After three straight runs, the Hirams faced fourth-and-one at the Allegheny 26. The Terriers went back to the ground, and appeared to get the first down, but were whistled for a holding penalty, backing the ball up 10 yards. Forced to go for it once again, Partridge's pass for the end zone was picked off by Borne.
Taking over inside their own 10, the Gators were unable to gain much headway, and the Terriers got the ball back on their own 48 following a punt. The Allegheny defense would stand its ground once again, ceding just eight yards on the next four plays, including a stop on fourth-and-four with 1:42 left to seal the victory.
Nigro finished the day 23-for-32 passing for a career-high 278 yards. The Gators, who ran 86 plays and held the ball for 34:30, gained 171 yards on the ground. Deichler led the way with 78 yards on 18 carries, while Smith ran seven times for 72 yards. Smith also finished with a career-best six catches for 42 yards. Niklaus' nine catches are the most for a Gator since Matt Griffith hauled in 10 grabs vs. Denison in 2011, while his 163 yards are seventh-most in program history, and the highest mark since Terry Hartford gained 185 in 2009 vs. Denison.
Defensively, the Gators were led in tackles by a pair of freshmen, as Nick Murgo posted 11 stops and Matt Wetzel 10. Aeschbacher finished with five tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Allegheny held Hiram, which entered the game averaging 34.5 points and 500 yards in its first two victories, to just 15 first downs and 390 yards, while the Terriers also committed eight penalties for 65 yards.
The Gators will return to action on Sat. Sept. 27, traveling to Crawfordsville, Ind. to take on Wabash, ranked 13th in the most recent D3football.com national poll. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.
Allegheny Comes Back to Win NCAC Opener
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20140920_tjpc.xml
2014
Allegheny
24
Hiram
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny (1-1) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Hiram (2-1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Sep 20, 2014