Hiram, Ohio - DePauw moved to 9-0 for the third time in program history and the second straight season after topping Hiram, 58-7. The Tigers, ranked eighth in the latest coaches' poll and 10th by d3football.com, also moved to 7-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while Hiram dropped to 0-8 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
It took DePauw just seven plays to reach paydirt on its opening drive as Caden Whitehead scored on a 1-yard run. Whitehead's 7-yard run on the first play of the second quarter pushed the Tigers' lead tp 14-0.
Carson Johnson's 52-yard run with 12:23 left in the half was followed by a 14-yard scoring pass from Nathan McCahill to Robby Ballentine with 9:33 left in the half. McCahill and Ballentine teamed for a 19-yard score at the 4:39 mark to push the lead to 35-0. The touchdown catch was the 17th of the season for Ballentine and broke the program record of 16 set by Alex Koors in 2010. It also tied the NCAC record.
Hiram reached the scoreboard with just 15 seconds left in the half as Jaden Jennings connected with Jordan Stapleton for a 36-yard score.
DePauw's Frankie Ricciardi blocked a Hiram punt on the Terriers' first possession of the second half for a safety. The Tigers then came right back with an 8-play drive capped by McCahill's 20-yard pass to Gabe Quigley to make it 44-7.
After the DePauw defense recorded a three-and-out, DePauw put together a 6-play series with left tackle Aidan McCormick scoring on a 1-yard run with 3:22 left in the third. The Tigers' final points came with 2:56 remaining in the game as Jack Kazmierczak ran it in from 12 yards.
McCahill completed 14-of-19 passes for 228 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Lleyton Lukowski, Ballentine, Quigley and Jack Gordon caught three each. Carson Johnson rushed for a career-high 73 yards on five carries, while Whitehead totaled 67 on 11 attempts.
Jaden Jennings completed 17-of-24 passes for Hiram for 169 yards and one touchdown along with an interception. Stapleton hauled in seven for 72 yards.
Jonathan Bruder led DePauw with nine tackles with David Guhl totaling eight. The Tigers had three sacks with Guhl leading the way with 1.0. DePauw's defense held Hiram to -17 rushing yards and totaled 15 tackles for losses of 57 yards. Guhl and Dominic Seibal each had 2.5 tackles for loss. Danny McCoy recorded the game's lone interception.
Malakai Nation paced Hiram with nine tackles with Gavin Cruser and Kole Tarary each finishing with six.
DePauw led in first downs, 27-8, and in total offense, 550-152.
DePauw wraps up the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 16, when it hosts Wabash in the annual Monon Bell Game. Kickoff is set for 1:07 p.m. in the winner-take-all game for the NCAC title.
NOTES
- In addition to breaking the program's single-season TD reception record with 17, Robby Ballentine moved his career total to 35 which is fourth in DePauw history. He has now caught a touchdown pass in 14 straight games
- With two touchdown passes, Nathan McCahill extended his DePauw single-season record to 39 and broke the NCAC mark of 38 held by Reed Florence of Wittenberg in 2013.
- McCahill's career TD pass total stands at 80 which trails only Matt Hunt's (2013-16) 85 in program history
- In holding Hiram to -17 rushing yards, the Tigers have now limited all nine opponents to 92 or fewer yards and six to 30 or less. For the season, the Tigers have held opponents to just 26.4 rushing yards per contest.
- DePauw's 486 points scored this season are already a program record topping last year's 463 over the course of 11 games
- The Tigers have won 23 straight regular season games which is the third-longest active streak on all NCAA levels.
- DePauw has won 15 straight regular season road games and 19 consecutive conference games
- With today's 550 total offense yards, the Tigers have topped the 500-yard plateau in five games this season