Granvillle, OH -- October 15, 2022  --  The Hiram College Football team gave Denison University a huge scare on Saturday afternoon, losing on a last-play field goal, 41-38.

Hiram gave Denison University all it could handle on Saturday afternoon, but the upset bid fell just short when Denison's Daniel Cunningham kicked a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give Dension the three-point win.

The teams were tied 14-14 after the first quarter and it was 21-all until Cunningham booted a 34-yard field goal with 38 seconds to play for a 24-21 halftime lead.

Senior running back Malcolm Rogers scored on a 15-yard run early in the third quarter to give the Terriers the lead, 28-24 which held up until the final quarter. Rogers gained 144 yards and scored three touchdowns on 24 carries and a 28-yard pass play. 

After Denison regained the lead early in the fourth quarter,31-28, Rogers raced 55-yards to put Hiram on top, 35-31 with 9:14 left in the game.

That's when each team drove the ball 76 yards for TD's in the final minutes.  First Denison scored on a 76-yard drive in 14 plays.  Jon Adamson caught an 8-yard pass from Daniel Cunningham for a 38-35 lead with 3:04 to play.

The Terriers answered like a team on a mission.  Led by freshman quarterback Sean Tejeda, Hiram marched 76 yards in 16 plays to the Denison 15-yardline   From there, Chris Miller booted the game-tying 32-yard field goal with just 26 seconds on the clock.  It looked like the teams would go into overtime, but Denison's Jaylin Epps took the ensuing kickoff at his own nine and raced 46 yards to the Hiram 45 with 17 ticks left on the clock.  A 25-yard pass play moved the ball to the Hiram 20.  After a two-yard loss on a run, Cunningham nailed a 40-yardfield goal on the final play of the game for Denison's three-point victory. 

Head Coach Jack Mrozinski praised his Terriers.  "Although the outcome wasn't what we wanted, I am so proud of how our team fought for 60 minutes. Whether up or down, we came out with the resilience to play the next play. We will learn and get better from this," he concluded.

Tejeda completed 15-of-35 passes for 319 yards and two scores. Hiram held a 319-181 passing yardage advantage and 486 to 430 in total yardage.

Senior receiver Raequan Davis-hereford caught five passes for 75 yards, while grad senior Moe Yarbrough  grabbed four aerials for 89 yards and a touchdown.  Senior receiver Trystan Mollohan grabbed three receptions for a game-high 93 yards.

The defense was again paced by junior linebacker Dylan Baliker with 10 tackles, including one for a loss of three yards.  Sophomore safety Malakai Nation added seven tackles and an interception which he returned 28 yards.  Freshman linebacker Princeton Brown  made six hits and senior defensive lineman Terry Allison notched five solo tackles.

The Terriers return home next Saturday, October 22, for  Homecoming game with Kenyon at 1PM.