TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology football team gained over 400 yards and the Engineers' defense held Hanover College scoreless for three quarters in a 38-14 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory Saturday at Cook Stadium.
Rose-Hulman quarterback Ryan Landwehr (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) finished the contest 27-of-37 for 266 yards and a touchdown. The senior also added 91 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Engineers 422-yard offensive performance.
Landwehr's primary target was sophomore wide receiver Jacob Dye (Tipton, Ind./Tipton), who hauled in 11 catches for 91 yards. Fellow sophomore Aaron Abbott (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) caught six for 29 yards and a score and freshman Alec Fisher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) had five catches for 82 yards.
Senior running back Danya Francis (Kissimmee, Fla./Celebration) added 57 yards rushing on 14 carries, including the game's first score, a 1-yard touchdown that capped a 11-play, 79-yard drive with 5:09 left in the first quarter.
Leading the Engineers' defense was Craig Voges (Huntingburg, Ind./Forest Park) and Kevin Nowak (Naperville, Ill./Central), who had six tackles each. Adding to the effort was sophomore Anthony Adamo (Chino, Calf./Chino), who recorded a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Other key defensive efforts were turned in by sophomore Chris Sander (Baileyville, Ill./Forreston) with an interception and two pass breakups; and freshman Connor Kispert (Oswego, Ill.) with a fumble recovery.
The initial scoring drive included a 15-yard rush by Abbott and passes from Landwehr to Dye of 17 and 13 yards. Francis set up his touchdown run with an 11-yard sprint to the three-yard line.
Rose-Hulman marched 43 yards in eight plays to open the second quarter and take a 14-0 advantage. Landwehr opened the drive with a 19-yard run, and closed the march with runs of four, seven and one yard for his first rushing score of the day.
The lead reached 21-0 midway through the second quarter. Another eight-play drive opened with a 16-yard run by the quarterback and closed with a third down three-yard touchdown run by Landwehr.
Rose-Hulman pushed three more points on the board with its first drive of the third quarter. The 11-play, 71-yard march included a 35-yard pass from Landwehr to junior Connor Gerhart (La Mesa, Calif.) and closed with a 25-yard field goal by senior Matt Angel (Cassville, Mo.).
The shutout continued through three quarters as Adamo snagged an interception and returned it 60 yards for a score that pushed the lead to 31-0. Hanover reached the board early in the fourth quarter, before Landwehr and Abbott hooked up on a four-yard scoring strike that was Rose-Hulman's final points of the day.
Rose-Hulman improved to 3-0 in HCAC play and 3-2 overall with its third consecutive win. Hanover fell to 0-4 and 0-2 in league games. The Fightin' Engineers travel to Bluffton University next Saturday.
