Through three games, the strengths of DePauw football are starting to take shape.
We now know junior quarterback Matt Hunt is going to move the offense effectively, that the three DePauw running backs are going to supplement where they can and that the Tigers (3-0, 2-0) are going to play suffocating defense.
Saturday’s 45-7 win on the road at Hiram College (0-3, 0-2) was more of the same: Hunt led the team through the air and on the ground, the top running backs combined for 134 yards and two touchdowns and the defense held the Terriers to less than 250 total yards.
“All in all, it was a good effort,” DePauw head coach Bill Lynch said. “It was a good win on the road.”
And now, for the first time since the 9-2 campaign of 2010, the Tigers have wins in each of their first three games of the season.
It took Hunt and the Tigers only three plays to get things going against the Terriers. After a pair of rushes by senior Amen Galley, Hunt found his younger brother, first-year Andy Hunt, for a 22-yard touchdown.
“It's been a great experience and he's worked hard and earned his spot,” Matt said about playing with his brother. “It's been fun to watch.”
After forcing another three and out, the Tiger offense found the endzone again on their next drive. After a 54-yard run from Hunt, sophomore running back Jack Gruber made it a two possession game with a five yard touchdown run.
It took the Terriers just one play, however, to get back in the game on their next drive. Quarterback Alec Wells hit Josh Philander for a 73-yard score to pull Hiram back within a touchdown.
But that would be all the DePauw defense would surrender.
The Tigers played suffocating defense from there on out, forcing three Hiram interceptions, recording a sack and allowing less than 170 total yards throughout the remainder of the game. Junior linebacker Will Longthorne once again led the way for the Tigers defensively, recording a team-high 11 tackles.
“I think we've played well,” Longthorne said of DePauw’s defense. “We've improved from week to week which is important, but we still have a long way to go.”
While the defense shut down the Terriers, Hunt and the offense continued to hum.
After junior Marco Adams made it 17-7 with a field goal late in the first quarter, junior Jason Kirchhoff capped off the first half scoring, running it in from three yards out to give the Tigers a 17 point lead at halftime.
DePauw put things away in the third quarter, as Hunt threw for three scores in the period. First Hunt found sophomore Jake Hagan for a 12-yard strike, then he found Tyler Leising from four yards out, and the Tigers finished off the scoring when senior Joe Buckley caught a seven yard touchdown pass.
Once again, the Tigers spread the wealth in the passing game, completing passes to 10 different wide receivers. Senior Connor Jeffers led the way for DePauw with four catches for 89 yards.
“This year we have receivers that are nearly interchangeable parts which is great because we always have fresh legs,” Hunt said. “A lot of guys have been making plays this year.”
On the ground, it was Hunt who did a lot of the damage. He led the team with eight carries for 85 yards. For the first time this season, senior running back Amen Galley led the team in carries, finishing the day with 68 yards on 16 rushes.
The Tigers are out on the road again next weekend, as they travel to Ohio for a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup with Kenyon college, before returning home for likely their biggest test yet against Wittenberg University the following week.
With the Tigers having not yet played a team as good as either Kenyon or Wittenberg yet this season, Lynch is keeping his guys focused on one game at a time.
Said Lynch: “It’s the next game, it’s a road game, it’s a conference game and if your goal is a conference championship, you have to [come to] play each week in this league.”