Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

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updated 09/29/2007

Rose-Hulman Captures Homecoming Win Over Hanover 24-7

Reed Eason hauled in nine catches for 121 yards and a 48-yard touchdown to lead Engineers receivers.

TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology gained 494 yards of total offense and earned its first Homecoming football win since 2002 in a 24-7 victory over Hanover College at Cook Stadium on Saturday.

Sophomore quarterback Derek Eitel (Marshall, Ill.) finished 21-40 for 288 yards and one touchdown to lead a balanced offensive attack. Freshman Reed Eason (St. Louis, Mo./ Parkway North) led the receiving corps with career-highs of nine catches for 121 yards including a 48-yard touchdown.

The ground attack surpassed the 200-yard mark for the third time in the season's five weeks. Junior Bryan Wong (Warsaw/Tippecanoe Valley) led the Engineers with 95 yards rushing, and sophomore Calvin Bueltel (Huntingburg/Southridge) added 85 yards and a touchdown.

Drew Sandahl sacks quarterback Tyler Thiems in the fourth quarter, with Paul Spreen providing support.

Defensively, junior Paul Spreen (Williams/Bedford N. Lawrence) paced the Engineers with eight tackles, including two tackles-for-loss and one sack.

Senior Steve Hawkins (Casey, Ill.) added six stops and a 16-yard sack, with freshman Matt Behling (Columbus/ North) and senior Nick Klaserner (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) tallying five sacks and one sack each.

The Engineers jumped out to a 7-0 advantage on its second possession of the game. Sophomore Tyler Thornton (Willard, Ohio) capped the four-play, 52-yard drive with a nine-yard scoring scamper. Eitel connected with junior Justin Meade (Middletown, Ohio) on a 34-yard strike to set up the score.

Hanover answered with a scoring march late in the second quarter to tie the score at 7-7. Tyler Thiems sprinted 53 yards to put the Panthers in the redzone, then connected with Corry Stewart on an eight-yard pass for the score.

The defenses for each team took over until the second half. Rose-Hulman finally snapped the tie with a 33-yard field goal by senior Jeremy Sharp (Warsaw) to take a 10-7 lead with 6:47 left in the third quarter.

Bryan Wong led the Engineers with 95 rushing yards.

The fourth quarter featured a pair of Rose-Hulman touchdowns that helped secure the 17-point victory. The first drive, a 67-yard march in 10 plays, ended with a 17-yard touchdown run for Bueltel.

The final score again featured the combination of Eitel and Eason. The two connected on a 48-yard scoring strike with 8:07 left in the game to give Rose-Hulman its final margin of victory.

The Engineers improved to 4-1 for the first time since 1994 and earned its first victory over Hanover since the same season. Rose-Hulman stands 1-1 in league play and travels to Defiance College next Saturday in another Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup.