MARIETTA, Ohio -- 27 unanswered points in the second half helped the Heidelberg University football team spoil Homecoming for host Marietta College.  The Student Princes emerged with a 58-32 win over the Pioneers, their first over Marietta since 2016. 

Heidelberg (4-1, 3-1 OAC) racked up 601 yards of total offense -- 325 on the ground and 276 in the air.  Marietta (3-2, 2-2 OAC) amassed 454 total yards -- 440 passing, 14 rushing.  

KEY STATS:
Quarterback Jimmy Gephart was 22-of-36 passing for 276 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.  Dimitri Penick and Keivon Belcher each had two touchdown receptions.  

Running backs Tayy Yearby and Jace Grossman each surpassed the 100-yard plateau.  Yearby had 165 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Grossman had 131 yards and a touchdown -- all in the fourth quarter.  

Defensively, Heidelberg used two big fourth quarter interceptions to help aid their second-half surge.  Tyler Matuszak had a team high eight tackles.  

As a team, HU racked up nine tackles for loss.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:
After nearly giving the ball away on the opening squib kickoff, Heidelberg wasted no time getting on the board.  Gephart was a perfect 4-for-4  for 74 yards on the 75-yard drive as the offense used a frenetic tempo to keep the Pioneers off balance.  Maceo Matthews caught a 16-yard touchdown on a fade route and Branden Steckel added the extra point.  

The Heidelberg defense, which forced a turnover on downs on the opening drive, forced a three-and-out on the second Pioneer possession.  A short punt, aided by a Heidelberg bounce, put the ball on the Marietta 33 yard line.  Yearby danced into the end zone from three yards out on the fifth play of the drive.   Steckel's PAT gave HU a quick 14-0 lead.  

Marietta answered with a touchdown drive.  Bolstered by a 49-yard completion to Gage Giovengo, the Pioneers moved 70 yards in five plays.  McSweeney scored from six yards out on a quarterback run.  Jacob Griffin's attempt on the extra point was blocked by Chris Boykin.  

In the second quarter, another bad Pioneer punt gave the Student Princes great field position.  Again, using tempo, Heidelberg scored in six plays.  Keivon Belcher hauled in a 16-yard pass from Gephart -- who was 4-for-4 on the drive.  With the Steckel PAT, the Tricolor held a 21-6 advantage.  

Heidelberg tacked on seven more on their next possession.  After being held to 10 yards on five carries, the explosive Yearby broke free.  Finding space up the middle, Yearby broke left and outraced the Pioneers to the pylon.  The 55-yard run was followed by Steckel's fourth PAT.  

On their Homecoming game, Marietta battled back.  Another long pass play set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from McSweeney to Robert Nelson.  Trying to regain the lost point from the earlier blocked PAT, the Pioneers opted to go for two, but were stopped shy of the goal line.  

Ahead 28-12, Heidelberg was the beneficiary of great field position.  The kickoff appeared to be intentionally driven directly at Jacob Gerlak on the 50 yard line.  The ball hit him, but he pounced on it to ensure possession.  On the drive, Yearby picked up a total of 39 yards and brought HU into the red zone.  The drive stalled inside the five, but Steckel -- a two-time recipient of the OAC Special Teams Player of the Week award -- added a 20-yard field goal.  

The scoring in the second quarter continued with McSweeney's third touchdown pass of the game.  McSweeney found Barker for a 23-yard connection.  Griffin added the PAT.  

Starting the ensuing possession with 1:40 left, Gephart threw an interception.  The turnover changed the complexion of the game.  McSweeney found Ryan VanMeter for a 14-yard touchdown on third down.  Heidelberg blocked the extra point, which kept the score at 31-25 at halftime.  

Marietta took the second half kick and marched down the field for a touchdown.  McSweeney connected with Giovengo for a 20-yard strike.  Griffin's PAT gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game.  

Undaunted, the Student Princes responded with a touchdown drive of their own.  Starting at their own nine, HU needed 11 plays to go 91 yards -- with Gephart finding Dimitri Penick alone in the end zone on play action.  The 12-yard touchdown, coupled with a Steckel PAT, gave HU a 38-32 advantage.  Heidelberg was 3-of-3 on third down on the drive.

Facing 4th-and-23, beleaguered Marietta punter Bailey Sprauge was tackled for an 11-yard loss on what seemed to be a fake punt  With great field position yet again, Heidelberg extended its lead with a 48-yard drive.  On 3rd-and-4 from the 17, Gephart found Belcher once more for a touchdown.  Heidelberg led 45-32 after three.  

McSweeney, who wore #38 on Saturday in honor of a Marietta classmate -- Joel Wunnenberg -- who passed away unexpectedly in 2017, drove the Pioneers down the field and into the red zone.  After nearly throwing an interception on first down from the six, he did throw a pick on third down.  In the back of the end zone, Parker Smith caught the pass and stepped out of bounds for a touchback.  

Energized by the turnover, the 'Berg offense tacked on another touchdown.  On the seven-play, 80-yard drive, Gephart found Penick three times for a total of 31 yards.  Jace Grossman's first carry of the game went for a 37-yard touchdown.

After Marietta turned the ball over on downs again, a steady diet of Grossman helped HU chew up yardage and clock.  To end the drive, Gephart threw a 19-yard touchdown to Penick in the left corner of the end zone.  

Marietta, desperate for a spark, took to the air in their final drive.  Dylan Marder snuffed out the drive with an interception at the 'Berg 20.  Grossman kept running in the final drive, setting a career high for yards, as HU ran out the clock.  

BEYOND THE BOX:
Yearby and Grossman are the first tandem of rushers to hit 100+ yards for Heidelberg in the same game since Cartel Brooks and Mike Mees did so against Capital in 2014.  

With 601 yards, Heidelberg went over 600 yards of total offense for the second time this season.  

Yearby has surpassed 100+ yards rushing three times this season.  

Smith averaged 40.8 yards per punt while Sprague was held to 19.2 yards per punt.  

QUOTES FROM THE COACH:
Head coach Scott Donaldson on Yearby and Grossman … "They did a good job of taking what the defense gave them and finished off their runs … Marietta has a very good defensive front, so it was great to see us have success."

Donaldson on the momentum swings … "We have to do a better job of not shooting ourselves in the foot with bad penalties … I was happy with the way we responded and closed out the game."

FOR THE PIONEERS: 
McSweeney was 27-for-49 for 440 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions.  Giovengo and Barker each had 124 yards.

Running back Tanner Clark, who gashed Heidelberg for 232 yards and three touchdowns last year, was held to 38 yards on 21 carries.  

UP NEXT: 
After three weeks away from Hoernemann Stadium, the Student Princes return for their Homecoming game.  The Rhine River Cup will be on the line as Heidelberg faces Otterbein (0-5, 0-4) on Saturday at 7 p.m.