ANDERSON, Ind. – The Manchester University football team was upended in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play at rival Anderson University on Saturday, March 27.

The Ravens took Saturday's contest by a final score of 55-27.

The turnover bug plagued the Spartans again this weekend. Anderson came away with a pair of takeaways in the opening quarter, converting an interception and a fumble into 14 points. The Ravens forced a second interception early in the second quarter and converted that pick into seven more points just four plays later.

The Spartans steadied themselves just before the half, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the half's final two minutes.

Quarterback Zac Montgomery (Knightstown, Ind./Mt. Vernon) rushed for a 4-yard score with 1:55 left on the clock in the second period. After a quick stop defensively, the Spartans got the ball back and completed an 88-yard drive in just under a minute to draw within 28-13. Zac Montgomery connected with Joseph Powell (Beach Park, Ill./Zion Benton) on a 68-yard connection to set up the Spartan score. Montgomery then hit Harrington Greer (South Bend, Ind./Riley) in the endzone to complete the drive.

Following the intermission, the host Ravens increased their lead over Manchester, outscoring MU 20-0 in the third period.

The Black & Gold would score two more times in the fourth quarter but would be unable to overtake Anderson.

Anderson put up 538 yards of total offense. Anderson quarterback Tyson Harley finished 32-of-43 through the air for 379 yards and 5 TDs. Reggie Lipscomb led AU with 88 yards on the ground. He rushed for 2 TDs.

The Spartans tallied 391 yards of offense, throwing for 208 yards, while gaining 183 yards on the ground.

Zac Montgomery accounted for 4 TDs on Saturday – throwing for two while running for two. Christian Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Arsenal Tech) led the Black & Gold with 76 yards rushing. Joseph Powell had 93 receiving yards on Saturday while Harrington Greer finished with 54 receiving yards. Darren Lathrop (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) added five receptions for 28 yards and a score.

Defensively, senior Nick Tillmann (Lawrenceburg, Ind./East Central) tallied seven tackles. Josue Castro (Hialeah, Fla./Westland Hialeah) added six tackles for MU. The Spartans also forced a pair of fumbles on the day.

The Ravens won the Bronze Ball trophy for the first time in 10 tries following Saturday's win.

Manchester will host Hanover College next weekend on Saturday, April 3.