TIFFIN -- The Heidelberg University football team took to the air in a 48-17 win over Capital University on a deceptively warm September afternoon.  Quarterback Drew Sims threw six touchdown passes and tallied a career-high 373 yards passing in the victory on Family & Benefactors Day at Hoernemann Stadium.  

Receivers Dimitri Penick and Maceo Matthews Jr. each surpassed 100 yards on the day.  Penick hauled in 10 catches for 125 yards, including a pair of touchdowns.  Matthews amassed 123 yards on five catches, and a touchdown.  The touchdown reception moved him into a tie atop the Heidelberg career record books with 32, equalling the mark set by Demetrius Magee from 2014-17. 

Wideout Brandon Reed also had a big day, racking up 253 all-purpose yards.  He set career highs with six catches and 78 yards receiving to go along with 146 yards on three kickoff returns and 29 yards on two punt returns.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Heidelberg (3-0, 2-0) raced out to a 28-0 lead with four touchdown passes on their first five possessions.  On the opening drive,  a reverse/flea-flicker hybrid, Sims got the ball back and hit a wide-open Reed for a 34-yard touchdown.  

After the defense forced a punt which Matthews returned 43 yards into Capital territory, Sims struck again.  This time, it was a 35-yard bomb to Penick in the front right corner of the end zone.  

An errant punt snap on HU's next possession yielded great field position for Capital (1-1, 0-1), but The Berg's defense stood strong.  On 4th-and-12, Griffin Pendry dove and caught his first career interception.  

HU turned the pick into points, capping off an eight-play, 90-yard drive with a 25-yard TD strike to Reed over the middle.  

On the opening play of the second quarter, Matthews used a double move to get past the Capital cornerback down the left side.  He caught the pass at the 9 and waltzed into the end zone for the record-tying touchdown.  

The visitors got on the board with a field goal in the first half before opening the second half with a touchdown drive.

Reed rattled off a 72-yard kickoff return that helped HU tack on three points with a Branden Steckel 27-yard field goal. 

After a three-and-out, Heidelberg had a 13-play drive that ended with an impressive leaping grab in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown.  Cofer, who appeared winded after landing on his side, managed to fulfill his role as a long snapper on the ensuing extra point.  
In the fourth, Sims hit Penick for an 11-yard touchdown and Steckel hammered through another 27-yard field goal.  Steckel had 12 points on the day.  

Sims was 25-for-42 with an interception.  In two career games against Capital, Sims has 12 touchdowns.  

FROM COACH DONALDSON: 
"We came out firing on offense, but we took our foot off the gas in the second quarter -- which we can't do … I thought our return units were great today, setting us up with really good field position …  Moving forward, we need to play a complete 60 minutes of football."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
Shorthanded in the backfield, HU was held to 63 yards rushing.  

Capital totalled 241 yards on 73 plays while Hedelberg had 436 yards on 69 plays

Former Heidelberg quarterback Trevor Harrison-Rawn, currently enrolled at Capital as a graduate transfer, was 5-for-7 for 45 yards.  

Zachary Blackiston picked up two sacks -- raising his career total to 22.5, four shy of the HU record.

UP NEXT:  
Heidelberg will travel to Baldwin Wallace (2-1, 1-1) next Saturday for a 1:30 tussle with the Yellow Jackets.