BEREA, Ohio -- The math was simple.  One to tie, two to take the lead.  Heidelberg University football coach Scott Donaldson opted for the latter.  His decision came up tantalizingly short.  

Verondtae Wilkinson, an All-OAC defensive lineman and a new-found goalline running back, took a direct snap on the two-point conversion.  Running right, Wilkinson was tripped up inches shy of the goalline -- leaving the Student Princes on the wrong end of a 34-33 score at Baldwin Wallace on Saturday.   

KEY STATS:
Quarterback Jimmy Gephart was 12-for-24 for 224 yard and two touchdowns.  His main targets were Maceo Matthews (five receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown) and Dimitri Penick (eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown).  

Running back Tayy Yearby carried the ball 30 times for 120 yards and a touchdown.   

Zach Blackiston picked up 12 tackles and Tyler Matuszak had a career-high 11 in the loss.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:
As they have in each game this season, Heidelberg took the opening kick and drove into the end zone.  The big play on the drive was a 51-yard completion from Gephart to Matthews.  Yearby capped the 73-yard march with a three-yard plunge on his sixth carry of the game.  Branden Steckel added the extra point.  

Change-of-pace quarterback Wendell Morrison led a fruitful drive late in the first quarter that yielded a field goal. Two big completions to Matthews pushed the Tricolor into the BW red zone.  There, the drive stalled -- but ended in a 32-yard field goal by Steckel. 

Down 10-0, BW back-up quarterback Keegan Armitage and running back Jon Murray Jr. helped the hosts get on the board early in the second quarter.  Shaun Perry hit paydirt with a five-yard run.  Dean Sarris tacked on the PAT.  

Late in the half, the Student Princes were on the move again.  Yearby started the drive with an 18-yard rush.  Later, a 17-yard pass to Matthews put the ball on the one.  There, Wilkinson took a direct snap and ran left into the end zone with 36 seconds left.  

A 67-yard return by Iyan Mitchell on the ensuing kickoff helped the Yellow Jackets score again.  Mitchell's big return was followed by two Armitage completions -- the second, a 14-yard pass to Murray Jr.  BW trailed 17-14 at the half.  

After BW had a three-and-out to start the half, Heidelberg's opening drive also resulted in a punt.  The kick, however, was muffed -- and HU's Braydi Clark emerged from the pile with the ball.  

Heidelberg turned the miscue into seven points.  Yearby had a run for 10 yards, then Gephart hit Penick for 10 more.  On a third-down play later in the drive, Gephart found Matthews for a 28-yard touchdown completion.  

Following yet another three-and-out forced by Heidelberg's defense, Gephart and the offense moved into the red zone again.  Steckel hit on a 26-yard field goal, giving HU a 27-14 lead.  

The Yellow Jackets -- playing their first home game of the season -- would not go quietly.  Two big pass plays on the ensuing possession yielded a Yellow Jacket touchdown.  

Heidelberg turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter, clinging to a 27-21 lead.  BW took over and quickly moved the ball.  On 3rd-and-2 from the six, Armitage used a play-action fake to find Mitchell Yehl in the end zone -- knotting the game at 27.  The PAT was wide, leaving the game tied.  

The ensuing kickoff was juggled around the 10 -- leaving Heidelberg in terrible field position.  After a three-and-out, punter Parker Smith uncorked an Austin-Bakeresque 75-punt which rolled to the BW 12. 

From there, Armitage led the Yellow Jackets on a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell.  Sarris hit the PAT to give the hosts a 34-27 lead.   

Taking possession on their own 35 with 2:42 to play, the Student Princes rose to the occasion.  Scrambles by Gephart helped HU move the ball just beyond midfield.  There, Gephart found Penick on the left -- wide open because of a double-move.  Penick caught the pass and raced into the end zone, untouched, for a 46-yard bomb.  

Then came the decision.  Donaldson called timeout to mull it over.  Off the sideline, Heidelberg lined up nine blockers up front, Matthews wide to the right, and the ferocious Wilkinson alone in the backfield.  Sprinting to the right, he cut back around the numbers.  He was met by three Yellow Jackets as he lunged for the goal line.  As his knee hit the Finnie Stadium turf, Wilkinson appeared to be mere inches shy of completing the conversion.  

An onside kick proved unfruitful, which allowed BW to basically run out the clock.  Needing one final snap to secure the win, the BW long snap bounced free.  Heidelberg recovered, but the clock had already run out.    

BEYOND THE BOX:
Following the game, Yearby was named Heidelberg's player of the game -- which was BW's 42nd Lee Tressel Shrine Classic.  

Matthews and Penick are the first pair of 'Berg receivers to go for 100+ yards in the same game since Tony Morris and Demetrius Magee did so in the final game of the 2017 season.  

UP NEXT: 
The Student Princes are off next week -- their first mid-season bye week in recent memory.  HU returns to action on October 12 at Marietta.