ADRIAN, Michigan -- The Heidelberg University football team scored early and often, and dominated in all three phases.  The result?  A resounding 57-7 win over host Adrian College in the season opener.  

Picking up their third-straight season-opening win, Heidelberg (1-0) set a program record with 37 first downs.  

KEY STATS:
In his second career start, senior quarterback Jimmy Gephart was 25-for-35 passing for 322 yards and six touchdowns.  

Keivon Belcher had eight receptions for 116 yards and three touchdowns … Maceo Matthews had two TD grabs among his seven catches for 99 yards.  

Branden Short finished with 116 yards on 26 carries.  

Defensively, Tramon Wiley had two interceptions and Tyler Matuszak had three tackles for loss.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Heidelberg took the opening kickoff and marched down the field on a nine-play, 65-yard drive.  Five carries by Branden Short and four completions by Jimmy Gephart -- capped by a 13-yard toss to Keivon Belcher -- gave The Berg an early 6-0 lead.  Branden Steckel connected on the point after.  

The defense forced the Bulldogs into a three-and-out.  On the punt attempt, the snap sailed into the end zone.  Though the Adrian punter was able to fall on it, he was covered up in the end zone for a safety.  

Ahead 9-0, Heidelberg faced 4th-and-5 from the Adrian 25 yard line.  Electing to go for it, Head Coach Scott Donaldson watched as Gephart connected with Maceo Matthews on a touchdown pass.  Steckel hit the PAT to give HU a 16-0 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter.  

Tramon Wiley snared his first career interception on the first play of the ensuing Bulldogs possession.  Five plays later, Gephart and Belcher connected again -- this time a 22-yard touchdown strike.  

Again, the Heidelberg defense forced the hosts into a punt situation.  Brandon Reed blocked the kick on an all-out dive, which gave the offense yet another short field with which to work.  After a 13-yard pass to Reed, Gephart found Belcher for an 11-yard pass -- a play on which Belcher was stopped just shy of the goal line.  On the next play, Belcher picked up the final yard, and his third touchdown reception of the game.  

Trailing 30-0 after one, Adrian (0-1) got on the board in the second quarter.  Jack Wurzer found Henry Wilson for a 68-yard touchdown pitch-and-catch.  Cooper West connected on the point after. 

Any momentum the home crowd was sensing was quickly erased.  Tayy Yearby returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Steckel's PAT made it 37-7.  

Wiley picked off another pass later in the frame, returning it 20 yards to the Adrian 25.  With 3:32 left in the half, Gephart hit Dimitri Penick for an 11-yard touchdown pass -- his fifth touchdown pass of the first half.  

After the frenetic pace of the first half, the game slowed in the third quarter.  The early portion of the period was highlighted by a Matt Davenport blocked field goal.  Heidelberg was stopped on 4th-and-goal from the one on the subsequent possession.  

With 36 seconds left in the quarter, Heidelberg found the end zone again.  Gephart hit Matthews on a slant for a 15-yard touchdown pass.  

With the reserves in the game, the Tricolor moved the ball into the red zone to start the fourth quarter.  Yearby punched it in from the two for his second touchdown of the game.  It was the only score of the fourth quarter.  

BEYOND THE BOX:
With his two interceptions, Wiley is the first 'Berg player to accomplish the feat since Jermaine Burket did it at Muskingum in 2017.  

Gephart is the first HU QB with exactly six touchdown passes since Michael Mees at Otterbein in 2014 … The TDs were the most by a 'Berg signal-caller since Tyler Stoyle's seven touchdowns vs. Capital in 2017.

Davenport's blocked field goal was Heidelberg's first since Ahkil McGill had on against Otterbein in 2017.  

Yearby's kickoff return for a touchdown was Heidelberg's first since Justin Hutchins had one at Otterbein in 2016.  

The previous record for first downs was set in 1994 when Heidelberg tallied 33 vs. Ohio Northern.  

The 57 points are the most for Heidelberg since a 63-point day at Capital to end the 2017 campaign.  

In the 1063 games in program history, Heidelberg has only scored more than 57 a total of 25 times.  Heidelberg also scored 57 points against Adrian in 1930.  

UP NEXT: 
Heidelberg returns to action next week as they host Wilmington College.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.