Todd Ulmer

Two programs that both appear to be on the upswing within the North Coast Athletic Conference and beyond will clash on Saturday, Sept. 28, when The College of Wooster visits Hiram College (2-1, 1-1 NCAC). Wooster and Hiram combined for one conference win last fall, and now through just a few weeks of the 2013 season, they've got two victories between them and one will add another this week. The Fighting Scots hope to carry over the significant improvement that they showed from an opening 58-21 setback to a dominant 39-21 triumph in game two, while the Terriers are coming off a 20-0 win over Allegheny College, which marked their defense's first shutout since the 1995 season – a stretch of 159 games. Kickoff at Charles A. Henry Field is at 1 p.m. EDT.

On the Air: Wooster's football games can be heard live each week in the Wooster area on WKVX 960 AM or on the radio station's website at http://wkvx.com/.

All-Time Series: Wooster has dominated the all-time series with Hiram, prevailing in 35 of 39 meetings (35-4). The Scots haven taken each of the teams' eight games since the Terriers joined the conference – 45-14 in 2012, 35-14 in 2011, 62-0 in 2010, 24-17 in 2007, 52-0 in 2006, 59-17 in 2005, 59-0 in 2004, 28-10 in 2001, and 33-14 in 2000.

Last Week: On Sept. 21, Wooster accounted for five unanswered touchdowns stretching from the second quarter until Oberlin College ended the run with a score in the final seconds, but the latter was much too late as the Scots rolled to a 39-21 win in the NCAC opener for both teams at John P. Papp Stadium.

After falling behind 14-7 late in the first quarter, Wooster responded with a 12-play, 69-yard touchdown march, capped by a Richard Barnes' (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) quarterback keeper from one yard out, and the Scots kept the momentum going from there.

Although Wooster missed the extra point, it would take the lead on its next possession, which included 17- and 13-yard rushes by Barnes plus a 29-yard pass play to Adam Coppock (Columbiana, Ohio / Crestview). Sean Hackel (Farmington, N.Y. / Victor) completed the seven-play, 75-yard drive, toting the ball in from two yards away to make it 19-14.

The Scots kept the pressure on, as their defense forced a three-and-out followed by the offense's third touchdown of the second quarter. This time, Wooster took advantage of a short field, moving 44 yards, 25 on a Barnes run, in just five plays. The last eight yards came when Barnes threaded the ball through the defense to wide receiver Justin Rice (Concord, Ohio / Harvey) in the end zone. A third consecutive failed point after attempt, this time a two-pointer, resulted in a 25-14 score.

It remained 25-14 at halftime, despite a couple more scoring chances by each team. The Scots turned it over on downs inside the red zone, then with the Yeomen threatening, Shawn Bowman (Mineral City, Ohio / Tuscarawas Valley) picked off a pass at the two-yard line, the first of his two interceptions.

After the two teams exchanged punts to open the third quarter, Wooster faced a 4th-and-1 at the Oberlin 45. The decision to go for it paid off, as Hackel took a short pass from Barnes and reached the nine-yard line before being pushed out. On the very next snap, the Scots ran a trick play with Barnes throwing a lateral to Coppock, who then found a wide open Darrian Owens (Wooster, Ohio / Wooster) in the end zone, and with Zack Moore's (Leetonia, Ohio / Crestview) extra point, it was 32-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bowman halted another Oberlin drive with his second pick. Then, Wooster put together a game-clinching 10-play, 82-yard drive, and it ended on another Hackel score, this time taking a well set-up screen pass 10 yards untouched for a 39-14 cushion.

Statistically, Barnes totaled 336 yards of offense himself. The senior quarterback rushed for a career-high 112 on 17 attempts, and added 224 through the air on 14-of-25 passing, and he was part of four touchdowns (1 rushing, 3 passing). Hackel netted 96 yards on 26 rushes, and Keir Pace (Columbus, Ohio / South) was the leading receiver with five catches and 68 yards.

Two-Way Threat: For the second consecutive year, a Scot player has seen multiple snaps on both sides of the ball during the same game, as freshman Todd Ulmer (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield Area) lined up at both tight end and defensive tackle against Oberlin, highlighted by recovering a fumble on the Yeomen's second play from scrimmage. Last season, Sean Hackel (Farmington, N.Y. / Victor) played both wide receiver and defensive back in a couple of games.

This and That: All three of Justin Rice's (Concord, Ohio / Painesville) receptions this season have been touchdowns. ... Labaron Sylvester (LaPlace, La. / East St. John) has been part of three takeaways – two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery – in just five quarters of action.