DELAWARE, Ohio - October 9, 2021 – Xavier Reyero and Raequan Davis-Hereford each set program records as the Terriers racked up 496 yards of offense but fell the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, 34-17, on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
 
Reyero completed 26 passes for a single-game program-record 514 yards, while Davis-Hereford caught 12 receptions for a program-record 289 yards.
 
Hiram won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Battling Bishops the game's opening drive. Austin Womack found a pair of receivers for big gains, setting OWU up at the Hiram 33-yard line. But the Terriers' defense held the Bishops to a field goal, and Gabe Philhower's kick sailed wide right, keeping the game scoreless.
 
However, on the ensuing drive, the Terriers went three-and-out and a snap mishap on the punt gave the Battling Bishops a safety and a 2-0 lead.
 
And after receiving the kickoff, Ohio Wesleyan drove 52 yards over 10 plays, extending their lead to 9-0 on Jackson Gifford's one-yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the Hiram one-yard line.
 
Hiram then answered with a 15-play, 60-yard drive of their own, helped out by a pair of Battling Bishop penalties, but on third-and-seven from the OWU nine, Reyero was sacked for a seven-yard loss, and Chris Miller's 33-yard field goal missed wide left to keep the Battling Bishops' lead at 9-0 after one quarter of play.
 
Neither team was able to get much going offensively on the next few drives, until a 36-yard Ohio Wesleyan punt pinned Hiram back deep in their own territory.
 
Starting on first-and-10 from their own 14-yard line, the Terriers marched down into the red zone set with a 12-play, 81-yard drive, setting up a 22-yard field goal by Chris Miller to cut OWU's lead to 9-3.
 
And after another three-and-out by the Battling Bishops, highlighted by Drake Sims' first-career sack, Hiram again drove into the red zone with an eight-play, 77-yard drive, but stalled just outside Ohio Wesleyan's 10-yard line, turning the ball over on downs and heading into the half down 9-3.
 
Receiving the ball to start the second half, Reyero and Davis-Hereford connected on a pair of big plays, first a 10-yard pass on third-and-seven from the Hiram 17-yard line before a 73-yard touchdown pass between the two gave Hiram a 10-9 lead.
 
Ohio Wesleyan responded with a touchdown drive of their own though, with Kaden Buza's nine-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Streb completing an eight-play, 75-yard drive for OWU to take a 17-10 lead.
 
After Hiram's ensuing drive stalled, Ohio Wesleyan extended their lead with a six-play, 21-yard drive, capped off by a 31-yard field goal by Philhower to extend OWU's lead to 20-10.
 
This time though, Hiram had an answer. Three-straight runs by Xavier Irving kick-started Hiram's drive, before Reyero found Marcus Freeman for 23-yards on third-and-eight, and 12-yards on first-and-10, giving Hiram the ball on the Ohio Wesleyan 25-yard line. Then, Reyero connected again with Davis-Hereford, this time for a 25-yard score, to cut OWU's lead to 20-17.
 
Ohio Wesleyan again though, responded with a score, this time with a seven-play, 68-yard touchdown drive capped off by Buza's five-yard touchdown pass to J.T. Dozier to make it a 27-17 OWU lead.
 
And with the Terriers looking to respond, Ian Riddle picked off Reyero's pass, intended for Freeman, setting the Battling Bishops up to further extended their lead.
 
Hiram's defense though, was able to hold OWU off the scoreboard, and come up with a much-needed turnover. On second-and-seven from the Hiram 44-yard line, Tonvanta Revis forced Dozier to fumble and Dylan Baliker scooped it up to give the Terriers the ball back.
 
Another interception slowed Hiram's momentum, but after the defense got another stop, Hiram's offense got going with an 11-play, 81-yard drive. Reyero connected with Davis-Hereford twice before hitting Rene Jimenez for a 27-yard completion, setting the Terriers up inside OWU territory.
 
On third-and-14, Reyero found Freeman for 14 yards, and two plays later, Davis-Hereford for 32 yards to put the Terriers on the goal-line. However, a fumble on first-and-goal squandered the scoring opportunity, keeping the score at 27-17.
 
The Terriers' defense then came up with another stop, forcing a three-and-out by the Battling Bishops' offense. But on the Terriers' next drive, Albers picked Reyero again, this time returning it 46-yards for a score to extend Ohio Wesleyan's lead to 34-17.
 
Hiram's offense looked to put together one last scoring drive, covering 41 yards in just eight plays and 1:44, but a sack on fourth-and-18 ended the drive and allowed OWU to finish off the 34-17 victory.
 
With the loss, Hiram falls to 1-4 (0-4 NCAC) on the year, while OWU moves to 5-1 (4-1 NCAC) with the win.
 
Offensively, Reyero completed 26-of-47 for a program-record 514 yards and two scores, while Gabriel Hoskins led the Terriers' on the gound with 21 rushes for 49 yards.
 
Through the air, Davis-Hereford caught 12 receptions for program-record 289 yards and two scores, while Freeman added nine catches for a career-high 124 yards and Jimenez tallied four catches for 85 yards.
 
Defensively, Delanoe Harris and Revise each tallied a team-high nine tackles, while Sims added a sack and a tackle for a loss.
On special teams, Freeman led the Terriers with two returns for a total of 43 yards, while Miller connected on one of his two field goal attempts.
 
As a team, Hiram tallied 496 yards off offense, averaging 5.6 yards per play. And while the Terriers' outgained OWU, 496 to 376, the Battling Bishops took advantage of three Hiram interceptions to take home the victory.
 
Hiram next returns home to Charles A. Henry Field for their annual Breast Cancer Awareness game on Saturday, Oct. 16 for a matchup against the Allegheny College Gators at 1 p.m.