CHAPTER 23Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologySept. 21, 2013

 Rose-Hulman 23, Defiance 19

This second tour game of 2013 proved to be fortuitous for me and the “game day” project on three counts. 1) It would be another tightly contested affair; 2) It would be one of three homecoming games I worked into the itinerary; and 3) The campus proved to be the most pleasant surprise of all the campuses I visited, details of which will be illustrated in the landscape photography chapter (Chapter 24) for this school.

For Rose-Hulman Insititute of Technology, this homecoming would prove to be the energizing boost that “homecoming” was meant to be when the tradition was established years ago. 

The Fightin’ Engineers had lost their first two games of the season, so winning the first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game of the season – even though it was another struggle – seemed to lift program spirits on this day.   

The 23-19 conquest of Defiance (Ohio) College at Cook Stadium would be the first of four consecutive wins and help the host school finish 2013 with a 7-3 record (7-1 in the HCAC), the only league blemish a 64-14 drubbing by conference champion and nationally ranked Franklin College. 

Still, the league record was good enough for the Fightin’ Engineers to share the HCAC championship with Franklin, which also had lost one conference game (24-17 to Bluffton), although the Grizzlies got the postseason tournament berth by virtue of their 64-14 win over Rose-Hulman.

Rose-Hulman trailed 13-3 at half, but it tallied 20 unanswered points after the break then held on to stop a Yellow Jackets comeback. Indeed, the host school accounted for 213 of its 287 offensive yards in the second half, which started on its opening 11-play, 69-yard drive.

The Fightin’ Engineers climaxed that first drive in the second half with a 1-yard punch-in touchdown by senior running back Danya Francis. The key play in the drive came on a 27-yard pass from senior quarterback Ryan Landwehr to sophomore wide receiver Jacob Dye.

Then with 8:47 left in the third quarter, Landwehr connected with sophomore wide receiver Aaron Abbott on a 57-yard scoring pass to give Rose-Hulman a 16-13 lead (the conversion attempt was no good). When Landwehr scored on a 6-yard run with 4:06 left in the quarter, the Fightin’ Engineers were ahead 23-13.

That score held until 6 minutes left in the game, when the visitors’ Andrew Feldhaus returned a fumble recovery 55 yards for a touchdown. The point after kick was blocked, so Rose-Hulman clung to a 23-19 lead. The Engineers secured the win with 42 seconds left when sophomore defensive back Anthony Adamo intercepted a pass by Defiance junior quarterback Sean Washington.

Special teams proved to be key for the Engineers. Senior punter Eric Schaible averaged 40.6 yards on eight punts, including a 61-yarder early in the game. He also downed a punt on the 1-yard-line in the second half to pin the Yellow Jackets deep in their territory.

For the game, Landwehr completed 14 of 25 passes for 139 yards; Washington, his counterpart, was 14 of 30 for 146 yards and the one interception. Washington also led the Yellow Jackets in rushing, with 83 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown. 

Francis led the Fightin’ Engineers on the ground, gaining 65 yards on 20 carries and the one touchdown. Abbott had six receptions for 66 yards and Dye five for 69 yards for the Fightin’ Engineers; freshman receiver Cody Wilson led Defiance with five receptions for 77 yards. 

The Yellow Jackets would finish the 2013 season with a 3-7 record, including 3-4 in the HCAC. The school won several football championships while a member of the Northwest Ohio Conference in the 1920s and early ’30s, and eight championships in the Mid-Ohio and Hoosier-Buckeye conferences in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. It joined the HCAC in 2000 and won its only conference football championship the following year, sharing it with Anderson, both finishing with 5-1 league records.

To view a full gallery of shots from this game, follow the link in this sentence. 

The Fightin’ Engineers take the field (above) before their homecoming game vs. Defiance. Before action started on the gridiron, these youths (below) sang the National Anthem.

Above and next two below: The key play in the Engineers’ opening drive of the third quarter was a 27-yard pass play from Ryan Landwehr to Jacob Dye. In the photos above and immediately below, Dye does a nice job eluding Defiance defensive back Leroy Cheatham (1). Dye’s scamper down the left sideline included an acrobatic teeter (second below) to stay in bounds before being tackled 15 yards or so later.

Above: Defiance got on the scoreboard first when sophomore quarterback Sean Washington punched it into the end zone from one-yard out.

Above: A hole opened momentarily for Rose-Hulman running back Greg Lee.

Above: Rose-Hulman head Coach Jeff Sokol during a more calm moment of the game.

Above and next two below: A short pass to freshman running back Cody Wilson resulted in a short second-half gain when defensive back John Burt brought down Wilson along the right sideline.

Above: Rose-Hulman benefited in the second-half by forcing the Defiance offense to start drives from deep in its own territory. The Engineers’ defense swarmed over the Yellow Jackets’ ball carrier on this play inside the 10-yard line.

Above and next three below: Fumbles and dropped passes were rampant in this game. Chris Sander bobbled this first-half punt but fortunately was able to hang onto it. 

Above: Chris Sander (right) and Craig Voges (40) sandwiched Yellow Jackets runner Aaron Spence to make a tackle on this rushing play.

Above and next three below: Quarterback Ryan Landwehr (7) ran for 6 yards through the middle of the line to score Rose-Hulman’s third TD of the third quarter, and give the home team a 23-13 advantage. The score was cause for celebration, led by lineman Jason Waldenmeyer (74) (first photo below), and even a jump bump from head coach Jeff Sokol (second below). Landwehr grabbed some refreshment to watch the action after the ensuing kick-off (third photo below). 

Above: Offensive tight end Jordan Patterson along the Engineer’s bench shortly after Landwehr’s third-quarter touchdown.

The Fighting Engineers’ defense swarmed a Defiance ball carrier (above), and Jordan Harr (49) had reason to celebrate in the first quarter after recovering a fumble (below) by Sean Washington on Defiance’s first offensive play after having recovered a Rose-Hulman fumbled punt reception. 

 

Above: Landwehr and the Fightin’ Engineers were just trying to run out the clock on this play late in the fourth quarter. Landwehr took a minor loss of a yard on the play.

Above: A section of the home crowd that supplemented the cheerleaders’ efforts. One of the favorite moments of the day for me was when the crowd, I think led by these gentlemen, spelled out the full name of the school -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology -- right down to the hyphen in a rousing school cheer.

Above and below: Perspective shots of and from Cook Stadium. The one below looks out onto a forested area that provides a wonderful backdrop for home crowd fans.

Above: It was homecoming weekend at Rose-Hulman, so the homecoming court was introduced to the crowd at halftime. The women on the court included (from left) Katherine Moravec, queen; Elaine Schaudt; Paige Pinkstaff; and Catherine Fiutem. Fiutem, a senior member of the volleyball team, was injured earlier in the day during competition in Hulbert Arena in the adjacent Sports and Recreation Center.

Above: After the game ended, the Fightin’ Engineers gathered and turned toward the home crowd to sing a victory song and lead a cheer. 

Next up: Chapter 24, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology campus

Previously in Game Day Revisited:

Introduction

Chapter 1: Franklin College vs. Trine University, Sept. 2009

Chapter 2: Franklin College campus

Chapter 3: Hanover College vs. Manchester University, Oct. 2011

Chapter 4: Hanover College campus

Chapter 5: Wabash College vs. Wittenberg University, Nov. 2011

Chapter 6: Wabash College campus

Chapter 7: DePauw University vs. Wabash College, Nov. 2011

Chapter 8: DePauw University campus

Chapter 9: Marian University vs. St. Francis (Ill.), Nov. 2011

Chapter 10: Marian University campus

Chapter 11: Franklin College vs. Earlham, Sept. 2012

Chapter 12: Team mascots

Chapter 13: Taylor University vs. St. Xavier (Ill.), Oct. 2012

Chapter 14: Taylor University campus

Chapter 15: University of Indianapolis vs. Delta State (Miss.), Nov. 2012

Chapter 16: University of Indianapolis campus

Chapter 17: Wabash College vs. DePauw University, Nov. 2012

Chapter 18: Tailgating and pageantry

Chapter 19: University of St. Francis (Ft. Wayne) vs. Baker University (Kan.), Nov. 2012

Chapter 20: University of St. Francis (Ft. Wayne) campus

Chapter 21: St. Joseph's College vs. Valparaiso University, Sept. 2013

Chapter 22: St. Joseph’s College campus

CHAPTER 3Hanover CollegeOct. 22, 2011

Hanover 55, Manchester 7

Two years after my shoot at Franklin College for the dramatic Franklin-Trine game at Red Faught Stadium, I picked another sunny day in October to drive to Hanover College in southern Indiana to see one of the several blowouts I would witness on my Indiana small-college football Game Day tour.

The Panthers steamrolled Manchester University 58-7 at Alumni Stadium.

I arrived early enough to be able to observe a considerable amount of tailgating on an expansive green just outside the stadium.

The college is in the Jefferson County town of Hanover, a short jog south of State Highway 256. Hanover, with a population of roughly 2,500, is just west of Clifty Falls State Park – a beautiful resource known for its cliffs and waterfalls. The tallest waterfall in Indiana, Fremont Falls, is on private property in Jefferson County, just outside of Hanover. Curiously, it is not in Clifty Falls.

Just east of Clifty Falls State Park along Indiana Highway 56, which also flows through Hanover, is the larger city of Madison (population 12,000), the seat of Jefferson County. Madison is the economic hub of Ohio River communities in the area between Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Madison has a longtime powerboat and hydroplane racing tradition, with the renowned annual Madison Regatta the best-known of the competitions. Madison also is home to Lanthier and Thomas Family Wineries, which until not too long ago also operated wineries and retail outlets in the Indianapolis area. 

Manchester did not loom as a formidable opponent for the Hanover Panthers this day. The Spartans entered the game with a 2-4 record and had won only one Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game that season, a 17-13 squeaker over hapless Earlham. The Spartans would finish the year 4-6, thanks to wins over Defiance (Ohio) College and Anderson University in the final weeks of the season.

Indeed, except for a 5-5 season in 2008, Manchester had not had a winning season at least since 1998 and would have only three seasons over .500 (2012 and 2017, both 6-4, and 2015, 5-4) through 2019, and weathered consecutive 1-9 seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Hanover came into the game with a record only slightly better at 3-3, but the Panthers had solid wins over Defiance and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The previous week, they had rolled over Earlham 62-0. They would beat Bluffton convincingly later in the season and finish the year at 5-5.

The Hanover football program had experienced a roller-coaster ride of success since the late 1990s – high water marks of 9-1 (1998), 10-1 (1999 and 2002) and 8-3 (2003) – including three HCAC championships and two postseason tournament appearances – and low-water marks of 2-8 in 2007, 2-7 in 2008 and 3-7 in 2009.

Hanover sophomore quarterback Dexter Britt (No. 16 in photo at the top) completed 21 of 36 passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns against Manchester in 2011. In all, the Panthers amassed 594 total yards of offense.

Other Panthers who stood out included junior Colton Zeck, who ran back a punt 58 yards for a third-quarter touchdown and is shown in the above photo on the receiving end of a Britt pass; senior running back Derron Bailey, who scored three first-half touchdowns (two rushing, one on a 15-yard pass from Britt); and junior receiver Dwayne Eubanks, who caught eight passes for 165 yards – both personal bests. 

Two of Eubanks' receptions went for long scores in the third quarter, one for a school record 96 yards. As for his other TD, there wasn't a defender within 10 yards of Eubanks (below) when he hauled in this pass for a 37-yard score.

 

In the fourth quarter, when the Panthers had the game well under control, freshman backup quarterback Tanner Parker (#14) entered the game. On the up side, he gained 16 yards on his only run (above); on the down side, Parker found himself chasing a high snap from center on a different play (below).

Manchester’s only score came in the third quarter. On the kickoff after Eubanks’ 37-yard TD reception, the Spartans’ Corey Nelson (#6 in first two photos below) bobbled and dropped the ensuing kickoff, recovered it quickly and scampered 83 yards for a score.

The victory improved Hanover’s record to 4-1 in the conference and 4-3 overall. Manchester fell to 2-5, 1-5 in the conference.

Hanover College finished this season 5-5 (5-3 in the HCAC). The Panthers would finish the following year 6-4 (6-2), and were 5-5 (5-3) in 2013, 2-8 (2-6) in 2014 and '15, 4-6 (4-4) in 2016 and '17, 7-4 (7-1) in 2018, 9-2 (7-0) in 2019, 4-0 (4-0) in the COVID 2020 season, 5-5 (4-3) in 2021, 5-5 (5-2) in 2022, and 7-3 (4-3) in 2023. 

Manchester would finish the year 4-6 (3-5 in the HCAC). The Spartans finished 6-4 (6-2) in 2012, 3-7 (3-5) in 2013, 4-6 (3-4) in 2014, 5-4 (5-3) in 2015, 2-8 (2-6) in 2016, 6-4 (5-3) in 2017, 4-6 (4-4) in 2018, 4-6 (3-4) in 2019, 0-7 (0-5) in the COVID 2020 season, 3-7 (3-4) in 2021, 1-9 (0-7) in 2022 and 1-9 (0-6) in 2023.  

Above: In addition to his 349 yards passing, quarterback Dexter Britt (16) was the Panthers' second-leading rusher against Manchester, gaining 43 yards on 13 carries. In this photo, taken in the second quarter, he leaves the pocket on a pass play in search of a receiver on the left side.

Sophomore defensive back Derrick Worden (30) returned a Manchester fumble 29 yards in the first half. Not realizing he had stepped out of bounds several yards earlier on his return, he leaped and extended his arms in attempt to get the ball over the goal line (below) in an effort to score after being tripped up inside the 5-yard line.

 

Above, running back Darren Bailey (28) and receiver Dwayne Eubanks enjoy a celebratory leap in the end zone after one of Bailey's three first-half touchdowns.

Above: The Spartans' leading rusher, Corey Nelson (6), was held to only 28 yards on the ground by a stingy Panther defense, exemplified here by defensive back Jason Chisholm, who made a lunging tackle to knock Nelson off his feet. Below: A tackle becomes more finite when more than one defender gets involved. Here, three Panthers -- (from left) Justin Magaw, Andy Dalton and Dylan Bostwick -- cut short a rushing attempt by Nelson.

Above: Hanover’s Colton Zeck (11) begins a return run after catching a punt in the first quarter. Below, Hanover defensive lineman Ajani Jones hit the turf hard enough on this play to splay pellets from the foundation of the artificial turf when he hit the ground.

Above and below: The Hanover defense gave Manchester quarterbacks Nick Williams (13) and Justin Minnich fits all afternoon. If a Spartan pass wasn't being blocked before it could cross the line of scrimmage -- as blitzing Panther defensive back Cord Dorsey (15) does above to Williams' throw -- then it might likely be intercepted, as defensive back Sam Louis did twice. In the case of the interception below, Louis (6) made a modest return.

Above: Darren Bailey rushed for 93 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. He also scored on a 15-yard pass from Dexter Britt.

Above: Manchester running back Nelson prepares to skirt around lineman Tommy Webster's block of Hanover's Cord Dorsey (15) for a short gain.

Above: Hanover's Jacob Noger (85) hauled in this pass from C.J. Croft in front of Manchester defender Donald Ivey near the goal line in the fourth quarter. Noger thought he had crossed the goal line before his knee touched the ground. The officials, however, ruled Noger's knee hit the turf short of the goal line. Croft would rush for the Panthers' final TD moments later.

  

Above: Ajani Jones (95) seems to be within reach of bringing down Manchester quarterback Justin Minnich. While Minnich managed to elude Jones' grasp here, moments later he was at the sideline and forced out of bounds by other Panther defenders.

Above: Manchester quarterback Justin Minnich (3), under heavy pressure from Hanover's Dylan Bostwick (99), got this pass off in the nick of time.

Above: A Dexter Britt pass intended for Dwayne Eubanks was intercepted by Manchester's Jake Butler in the first quarter. After a four-yard return, Butler was brought down by Eubanks (9) and C.J. Croft (3). 

Above: At halftime of the game, current members of the Hanover College Athletic Hall of Fame joined new inductees Jennifer Skaggs, Kevin O’Donohue, Mike Miller (all athletes) and longtime recruiter Nick Rutsis on the field for recognition. Below, fans who filed out of the stadium make their way down Clemmons Street to their cars or homes.

Above: After the game, I found myself briefly caught in a spectator rush to a spot alongside and behind the grandstands where fans and friends got up close and personal to congratulate home team players as they made their way to mingle with friends and family before heading to the locker room.

Next up: Chapter 4, Hanover College campus

Previously in Game Day Revisited:

Introduction

Chapter 1: Franklin College vs. Trine University, Sept.  2009

Chapter 2: Franklin College campus