TIFFIN -- Making his first career start, freshman quarterback Lance Rickle ran for two touchdowns and threw for three more as the Heidelberg University Football Team upended visiting Wilmington College, 49-35.  Heidelberg has won 14 straight against the Quakers -- a streak that dates back to 2009.  

The Student Princes improved to 5-3 on the season, 4-3 in the OAC.  Wilmington, coached by former 'Berg assistant Corey Fillipovich, slipped to 3-5, 2-5. 

STANDOUT STATS: 

Rickle was 13-of-23 for 261 yards and three touchdowns through the air and carried the ball 14 times for 30 yards and two scores.

Receiver Oliver Kelleher hauled in five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns.  

Linebacker Easton St. Clair picked up three sacks and forced a fumble, finishing with a team-high eight tackles.  

Cornerback Key Cunningham broke up two passes and picked off his fifth pass of the year.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

On their second drive of the game, Rickle found Logan McCluer for 13 yards on 3rd-and-9, allowing HU to settle into the game. On 3rd-and-8, Rickle connected with a wide-open Kelleher for a 64-yard touchdown. Branden Steckel's extra point made it 7-0.  

A monster hit by safety Griffin Pendry forced the Quakers to punt on their next possession. HU took the ball and went 67 yards in nine plays -- finding the end zone on the opening play of the second quarter. On a draw play, Rickle scampered eight yards to the left pylon for the score.  

St. Clair's strip sack, recovered by Isaiah Kammer, thwarted a promising Wilmington drive and gave the ball back to HU.  Mark Wilder found the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown -- a six-yard run. Steckel's PAT gave HU a 21-0 lead.  

A three-and-out and a bad punt gave Heidelberg great field position, starting at the midfield stripe.  On the ninth play of the drive, Rickle bounced out to the right and found the corner of the end zone from five yards out.  

Wilmington scored on the final play of the first half and headed to the locker room down 28-7.  

HU opened the scoring in the second half with a 36-yard bomb from Rickle to Kelleher right under the goalpost. 

After another three-and-out by the defense, Rickle connected with Ithan Cholewa on a beautifully thrown 30-yard touchdown. Faking a toss to Montavious Yearby, Rickle dropped the ball into Cholewa's hands as he sprinted past man coverage -- hitting the speedster in stride for the score. Steckel's sixth PAT gave HU a 42-7 lead midway through the third.  

The Quakers scored the first two touchdowns of the fourth, cutting the 'Berg lead to 42-21.  After a failed onside kick attempt, the Tricolor kept the ball on the ground. One play after Rickle stiff-armed a would-be tackler to the turf on a seven-yard gain, TJ Rhamy sprinted through the middle of the WC defense for a 22-yard touchdown.  

Wilmington made things interesting with two touchdowns late in the fourth, then forced a turnover on downs with 56 seconds left. Needing a miracle, the Quakers instead found Cunningham.  His interception and 40-yard return sealed the victory. 

FROM THE COACH: 

Head Coach Scott Donaldson on the performance by Rickle … "Lance balled out. He did an amazing job and got great protection all day long from our offensive line."

On the defense … "Against a really good offense, I thought our guys did great for three quarters. We were aggressive and smart."

INSIDE THE BOX:

Kelleher's 113-yard day was the first time he surpassed the 100-yard milestone … Rickle is the first 'Berg QB to rush for two scores since current QB Coach Trace Reynolds accomplished the feat in 2018 … St. Clair's three sacks are the most by a 'Berg player since Zach Blackiston had 3.5 against Muskingum last year … With a league-leading five interceptions, Cunningham moved into a tie for 7th place for picks in a season in program history. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

During their 14-game win streak over Wilmington, Heidelberg has scored an average of 45.7 points per game … The win pushed HU's record to 80-0 all-time when scoring in the 40s. The team is 135-2 when scoring 40+ … On the flipside, it was just the team's 21st win when allowing 30+ points … Heidelberg had a season-high 12 tackles for loss on the day -- their most in a single game since picking up 14 against Capital in 2021. 

UP NEXT:

Heidelberg hits the road one last time, visiting Baldwin Wallace on Saturday. Kickoff in Berea is slated for 1:30 p.m.