Untimely turnovers and a 24-point head start by Hiram College sealed Denison's fate on Saturday night as the Terriers held on for a 37-26 win over the Big Red.

Not much went right for Denison, especially early on, as five of DU's first six possessions resulted in turnovers that Hiram turned into three touchdowns and a field goal.

With two minutes to play in the opening half, trailing 24-0, a 17-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Sklenar to DuShawn Brown got DU on the scoreboard.

In the third quarter, the Big Red would start to plant the seeds for a comeback even after Hiram scored on its second possession to go up 31-6.

After the Terrier score, Sklenar would find his tight end, Cam Layer, on a 3-yard touchdown, capping off an 11-play 62-yard drive.  An ensuing three-and-out by Hiram would allow the Big Red to score again, this time via the run as Colin Morris punched it in from 5-yards.

Denison would have possession of the football entering the fourth quarter, trailing 31-19 but an interception by Hiram's Andrew Torress snuffed out another Big Red scoring opportunity.

The Terriers would fail to capitalize on the turnover, but on their next possession, Robert Partridge went downfield and hit Britton Lewis for a 65-yard score, putting Hiram on top 37-19 with 10:45 to play.

DU would get the ball back with eight minutes to play and Sklenar would lead his team on an 8-play 73-yard drive that was completed by Layer's second touchdown catch of the night.  With 5:56 remaining, senior Matt Puracchio's onside kick was successful, setting up Denison on Hiram's 41-yard line.  A 35-yard completion to Jordan Patterson down the Big Red sideline would set up DU on the Hiram 6-yard line with an opportunity to make it a one possession game.

On third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Hiram's Mario Lemuel would make the defensive play of the game, intercepting Sklenar on the 2-yard line, effectively squashing DU's burgeoning comeback hopes.

The turnovers were as plentiful as the offensive output for Denison on this night as the Terriers allowed the Big Red to rack up 485 yards, all while forcing eight Denison turnovers.

Sklenar passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 137 yards on 23 attempts.  Junior Hunter Winans was the leading receiver with nine catches for a career-high 105 yards.

The Hiram offense was led by tailback Danny Robinson who carried 14 times for 145 yards.  Partridge was 11-for-30 passing for 259 yards and two touchdowns.

Kyle Burchett finished with 13 solo tackles to lead Hiram.  Lemuel and Torres accounted for four of Hiram's six interceptions.

Denison's defense was paced by sophomore Anthony Sernus who posted nine tackles (eight solo) and two tackles for a loss.

The two offenses would combine for 987 yards and 174 plays.  The loss snaps a 14-game winning streak against Hiram College that dates back to the first-ever meeting between the two teams in 1965.

The Big Red will look to rebound next Saturday when they host Wabash College at 1 p.m. from Deeds Field-Piper Stadium.