MU sports information student assistant MacKenzie Mance contributed to this story

BLUFFTON, OHIO – Sixteen points in a furious fourth quarter comeback nearly brought Manchester University to a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference road win Saturday, Oct. 25.

MU (3-4 overall, 2-3 HCAC) used the arm of junior quarterback Logan Haston (Avon, Ind.) to piece together the rally. After a rough first three periods in which Bluffton University's defense held him to just 68 yards through the air and the Black and Gold offense to just 168 yards total, the tide turned in the final quarter.

Haston hit on 12 of 18 attempts through the air for 148 yards over the final 15 minutes. He also found sophomore wide receiver Matt Wirick (Granger, Ind.) and junior wide receiver Evan Rice (Gosport, Ind.) for scoring strikes of five and seven yards, respectively, to go along with successful two-point conversion passes.

After the Haston-to-Rice connection, followed by senior wide receiver Collin Huffine (Centerville, Ind.) hauling in his second two-point reception, MU trailed just 24-16 with 28 seconds left. Freshman placekicker Andrew Coe (Roanoke, Ind.) deftly hit a nifty onside kick attempt that weaved through BU's special teams unit but sailed out of bounds just out of the reach of a Spartans' recovery to seal the home team decision.

Bluffton University (4-3 overall, 4-1 HCAC) broke up a scoreless tie with a 17-point second stanza roll spearheaded by running back Dustin Fisher. Fisher got around the edge of the Black and Gold defense and rambled 31 and 50 yards for scores that led the home side to a 17-0 halftime advantage.

Some key stops late in the game gave Manchester a chance to come back. Sophomore defensive back Nathan Birk (Indianapolis, Ind.) led the defensive unit with nine tackles for the day. Senior linebacker Evan West (Hartford City, Ind.) also had seven solo tackles, three of which were for losses, and two sacks. Junior defensive back Taylor Anglemyer (Wakarusa, Ind.) and sophomore linebacker Steven Masters (Wheatfield, Ind.) both had a solid six tackles each.

MU's offense was lifted by Haston as well as freshman running back Hunter Hardee (Fishers, Ind.) and sophomore wide receiver Dakota Nelson (Fairland, Ind.). Hardee rushed for 80 yards on nine carries to tie his single-game yardage high, while Nelson hauled in 133 yards on eight catches to register his third triple-digit receiving contest of the season.

The Spartans continue league play Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff at Rose-Hulman is 2 p.m.