HIRAM, Ohio - October 23, 2021 – Down 16-7 at the half, Hiram football's second-half comeback fell just short against Oberlin College, and the Yeomen squeaked out a 31-28 victory over the Terriers on Homecoming/Hall of Fame Weekend on Saturday at Charles A. Henry Field at Malmisur Stadium.
 
Hiram won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, and the Yeomen immediately drove down for a score. With a nine-play, 75-yard drive, the Yeomen took a 7-0 lead on Chris Allen Jr.'s four-yard touchdown run on first-and-goal from the Terrier four-yard line.
 
And after the Terriers answered with a quick three-and-out, Allen Jr. and the Yeomen again drove down into the red zone, converting a fourth-and-11 with a 26-yard reception by Brandon Davies. But Hiram's defense held on third-and-goal, forcing an Allen Jr. incompletion, and Oberlin settled for a field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
 
Gabriel Hoskins looked to get Hiram's offense going on the next drive, scampering for 32 yards on first down, but a pair of tackles for a loss slowed the Terriers' drive, and Victor Campos was sacked on fourth-and-13 from the Oberlin 31-yard line, giving the ball right back to the Yeomen.
 
The Yeomen, at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second, quickly made it a three-score game with a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive. On third-and-goal, Allen Jr. found Davies for a score, but Sam Bingman missed the extra point, making it a 16-0 lead for Oberlin.
 
On the ensuing drive, Hiram finally got their offense going, starting from their one-yard line and moving to just outside midfield behind rushes from Malcolm Rogers and Raequan Davis-Hereford. However, on second-and-seven from midfield, Campos' pass was intercepted by Antonio Sanderson, giving the ball back to the Yeomen.
 
This time though, Hiram's defense came up with a stop, forcing a three-and-out and giving the Terriers the ball back at their 35-yard line following a touchback and penalty.
 
A fumble by Campos gave the ball right back to the Yeomen, however, Isaiah Davilla forced a Yeomen fumble on the very next play, setting the Terrier offense up with a chance to finally get on the scoreboard.
 
And in just one play, Hiram did exactly that, as Campos connected with Jairus Green for a 57-yard pass, setting up Rogers' nine-yard rushing touchdown to cut Oberlin's lead to 16-7. Neither team was able to get much going the rest of the half though, and the Terriers headed into the locker room down by nine.
 
With the ball to start the second half, Campos and co. began their comeback. A 32-yard completion to Marcus Freeman on third-and-six kept the drive alive before Campos took the read-option 38 yards for a score to cut Oberlin's lead to 16-14.
 
And after Hiram's defense held on fourth-and-nine just outside midfield, Hiram took the lead for the first time with an eight-play, 90-yard drive. Rogers opened the drive on first-and-10 with a 46-yard rush, and Campos capped it off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Green to give Hiram a 21-16 lead.
 
The Yeomen looked to answer, marching 65 yards over 11 plays to the Terrier 10-yard line to start the fourth, but on third-and-four, JaByron Webb intercepted Allen Jr.'s pass in the end zone, giving Hiram a chance to extend their lead.
 
However, Hiram''s offense stalled, and this time, the Yeomen answered, re-taking the lead with a six-play, 55-yard scoring drive, capped off by Allen Jr.'s 12-yard rushing touchdown to take a 24-21 lead after converting the two-point conversion.
 
Down 24-21 with just over eight minutes to play in the fourth, Hiram responded with a seven-play, 60-yard drive of their own. On first-and-10 from the Hiram 40, Rene Jimenez picked up a first down with an 11-yard gain, and Campos found Zion Paynther on third-and-nine for 20 yards to pick up a first down.
 
Three plays later, Campos again took it on a read-option, rushing up the middle for a 23-yard score to give Hiram a 28-24 lead.
 
But again, the Yeomen answered, taking 3:34 off the clock with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, scoring on Allen Jr.'s nine-yard touchdown pass for Brian Colarusso on fourth-and-five with just over a minute to play.
 
And though the Terriers proceeded to march into Oberlin territory with under a minute to play, a false start and near-sack slowed Hiram's drive before an intentional-grounding penalty on third-and-14 ended the game, giving Oberlin the 31-28 victory.
 
With the loss, Hiram falls to 1-6 (0-6 NCAC) on the year, while Oberlin moves to 1-7 (1-6 NCAC).
 
Offensively, Campos completed nine of his 19 pass attempts 158 yards, a touchdown and an interception, adding 13 rushes for 44 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
 
Rogers led the Terriers on the ground with 13 carries for 103 yards and a score, while Hoskins added 10 rushes for 47 yards. Through the air, Green led Hiram with three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.
 
Defensively, Delanoe Harris led Hiram with eight tackles, adding a half tackle for a loss and a pass breakup, while Davilla notched seven tackles, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss.
 
Webb recorded the lone interception of the day for the Terriers, while Gregory Wilson Jr. recovered Davilla's forced fumble.
 
As a team, the Terriers gained 383 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per play.
 
Hiram next travels to Wooster, Ohio for a conference matchup against The College of Wooster Fighting Scots on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 12:00 p.m.