The Bluffton University football team faced off against rival Defiance on a rainy Saturday, April 10.

Bluffton held off the rival Jackets thanks to a fourth quarter fumble and then a 4th down stop at the Bluffton 42 with just 1:25 to play as the Beavers improved to 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the Heartland Conference. Defiance fell to 2-4 on both accounts.

The game got off to an exciting start as Defiance scored on its opening drive and capped it off with a successful 2-point conversion. The Beavers needed only two plays to find the end zone on their ensuing possession. Quarterback Zachary Nobis (Bryan) connected with Laurenz Johnson (Huber Heights/Wayne) in front of the Defiance bench and he did the rest, taking it to the house for a 53-yard score. That made the score 8-7 less than five minutes into the game.

Less than a minute and a half later, Nazavious Williams hit paydirt for the second time in the first quarter, this time from 40 yards out as DC went up 14-6 when the conversion attempt was off the mark.

Bluffton made it a one-point game late in the first quarter when Maalik Tucker (Fostoria) ran it in from five yards out with 2:39 to play in the opening stanza. The point after attempt was blocked as Bluffton trailed 14-13.

Freshman phenom Montez Archer Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) recovered a fumble for the Beavers at the 1:30 mark and at the end of the first quarter the Beavers were down by a point.

The only denting of the scoreboard in the second quarter came with 30 seconds remaining when Nobis punched it in from four yards out after a Defiance roughing the kicker penalty took a field goal off the board before it was replaced by seven points when the extra point was good. The touchdown with 29 ticks remaining made it 20-14 Bluffton at halftime.

Second half
To open the second half, Bluffton took over at the Defiance 39-yard line following a 33-yard kickoff return by Andre Price Jr. (Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy). The Beavers marched to the five, setting up kicker Daniel Blanford (Delphos/Clearwater) for a chip shot 22-yard field goal that proved to be the difference as Bluffton extended its lead to 23-14.

With Defiance just outside the red-zone, Stacey Littlejohn (Oberlin/Clearview) came up with a huge third-down stop that pushed the Yellow Jackets back three yards. Defiance went for it on fourth down and misfired, giving the ball back to the Beavers. Heading into the final quarter, Bluffton maintained its 23-14 advantage over the rivals from Defiance County.

Five minutes into the fourth quarter, Defiance capped off a 65-yard drive with 10-yard Daylon Lange touchdown pass, but the failed 2-point conversion made the score 23-20 with just under 10 minutes to play.

Later in the quarter with Bluffton clinging to that three-point lead and the Jackets driving, Brady Hauenstein (Findlay/Columbus Grove) recovered the fumble forced by Martez Nabors (Redford, Mich./Thurston), helping Bluffton go on to win as the 'The Hammer' returned to its rightful home at 1 University Drive.

While Bluffton came away with the victory, Defiance netted more yards on offense as the visitors garnered 330 total yards compared to 256 for the home team. Both squads struggled to move the chains on third down with Bluffton just 3-of-15 and Defiance 5-of-14.

The Beavers cashed in on all three of their red-zone opportunities, including two touchdowns. The yellow laundary numbers were a huge story with Bluffton penalized 11 times for 105 yards, compared to 11 penalties and 79 yards for DC. And that doesn't factor in the numerous offsetting 15-yarders that were never assessed.

Nobis threw 10 completions on the day for a total of 130 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Tucker led the Beavers rushing attack with 87 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

Johnson led the receiving core with three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Louden Saulbeamer (Dayton/Troy Christian), Keith Holmes Jr. (Toledo/St. Francis DeSales) and Archer led the way for the Beaver defense as all three finished with seven tackles.

Another huge play for the Beavers came in the fourth quarter when Justin Rupp (Wauseon/Pettisville) gave his best Odell Beckham impression as he went high to pull down an errant snap with one hand and send his punt into Defiance territory as Bluffton avoided disaster!

Bluffton will cap off its unusual 2020-21 season n when the Beavers host Rose-Hulman on Saturday, April 17, at 1:30 p.m.