GAMBIER, Ohio – Powered by the legs of senior Blake Calcei, the Kenyon College Lords football team outran the Terriers of Hiram College on Saturday afternoon at McBride Field and rang up a 34-17 Homecoming victory. It was the first win of the season, as well as the first North Coast Athletic Conference win for the Lords, who are now 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the NCAC.

Calcei was nothing short of a workhorse. He carried the ball 32 times, gained 143 rushing yards and scored one touchdown. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and also had a couple of catches for two more yards. He led the team to totals that included 60 rushing attempts for 272 yards.

Quarterback Jake Bates made significant contributions to the Kenyon running game, as well. He kept the ball nine times, piled up 53 yards and scored twice. Additionally, Ian Bell chipped in with eight rushes for 46 yards against a Terriers line that seemed out-played throughout the game.

In Kenyon's first two games of the season, it yielded big leads early and had to play from behind. Saturday, however, was a different story as the Kenyon men got off to a great start and maintained the lead for the duration.

Kenyon scored on its first drive of the game. Starting from their own 45, the Lords ran the ball five times and passed twice. The scoring drive ended when Bates ran to the right for 14 yards. He was hit at the three-yard line and the ball squirted out of his arms and into the end zone. Receiver Brian Hunca was there to fall on the loose ball for six points and a Cody Keenan two-point rush gave the Lords an 8-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

Hiram fell further behind when quarterback Alec Wells was picked off by Curt Williams at the Terriers' 21-yard line. The Lords offense drove down to the Hiram four-yard line, but the drive stalled there and Szabi Simo kicked a 21-yard field goal to give Kenyon an 11-0 advantage.

The Terriers eventually got things together on the offensive end and used a big play to get back in the thick of things. Wells connected with Danny Robinson on a pass play that ended up going 60-yards for the Terriers first score of the game. The touchdown came in the first quarter. Late in the second, the Terriers tacked on a field goal, but before they could Calcei capped off a 13-play, 80-yard drive for Kenyon with a four-yard touchdown run.

Going into the third quarter with a 17-10 lead, the Lords took their opening third-quarter drive 51 yards and used the foot of Simo to score three more points on a 29-yard field goal.

Hiram answered again with another big play from Robinson. This time he broke off a 53-yard touchdown run, pulling the Terriers within three points again.

Late in the third, Kenyon was facing a fourth-and-five at its own 35-yard line. Bell lined up for the punt, but instead of booting it, he tucked it away and ran for 21 yards to keep the Lords' drive alive. That drive carried over into the fourth quarter. It lasted 15 plays and covered 70 yards. Bates completed the march with a one-yard run into the end zone, pushing the Lords ahead 27-17.

Meanwhile, the Lords defense was doing its job, forcing two-straight Hiram three-and-outs late in the game. The Kenyon offense utilized it prolific run attacked to chew more time off the clock and eventually registered another Bates' one-yard touchdown run that sealed the deal.

In all, Kenyon racked up 389 yards of offense. Bates was 14-of-27 for 117 yards. Hunca caught six balls for 68 yards and Bell, in addition to his 46 rushing yards, caught six passes for 47 yards.

Hiram (0-2, 0-1 NCAC) posted 336 total yards, 120 yards on the ground and 216 yards in the air. Wells was 16-of-39 through the air. Robinson ended up with 132 yards on the ground and caught three passes for 64 yards.