But while Dickinson controlled the score and wasn’t allowing Lycoming to rally and get back into the game, Dickinson couldn’t stop running back Terrence Oliver.

Just about any time Oliver received the handoff from Joe Lyons, he was making plays happen. A run up the middle. A pitch to the right. A delayed handoff.

It didn’t matter seemingly what the play call was for Oliver, the end result was the same: positive yardage.

And well, a lot of it at that.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Terrence Oliver runs the ball during Saturday's game against Dickinson. Oliver ran for 298 yards, the second-most rushing yards in a single game for a Lycoming player, behind only Craig Needhammer's 299 (2014).

Oliver put together an outstanding game and one for the history books. The Sharon Hill native and Lycoming junior ran for 289 yards on Saturday and came just one yard shy of tying the school’s all-time record for yards in a single game which was set in 2014 by Craig Needhammer.

Oliver kept moving his legs and grinding away every carry. He had numerous big runs on Saturday, including touchdown runs of 73 and 89 yards, not to mention routinely having runs of five or more yards seemingly consistently. 

As the game drew on into the fourth quarter, numerous fans could be heard in the crowd at David Persun Field at Girardi Stadium cheering for Oliver when he got the ball. And some yelling for him to get the ball late in the game to see him possibly break the record.

The record didn’t fall or get tied on Saturday, but Oliver still goes down as the second all-time single-game rushing leader in Lycoming history.

“The team, there were plays where I feel the offensive line dictated how successful we would be and it was up to me that we would capitalize on that,” Oliver said of his performance.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Terrence Oliver runs the ball during Saturday's game against Dickinson. Oliver ran for 298 yards, the second-most rushing yards in a single game for a Lycoming player, behind only Craig Needhammer's 299 (2014).

The Lycoming back realized late in the game that he was getting close to the record after his father told him. Oliver admitted afterwards he was a bit frustrated, but he’s optimistic and knows there’s more games on the schedule.

“Yes (I’m frustrated), but it’s OK. Next week, I’ve got seven more games this season,” Oliver said.

Entering Saturday’s game, Oliver said the coaches told him and his teammates that they’d be in for a fight to beat Dickinson, but one thing they could do against them is move the ball on the ground. and Oliver more than proved that.

“Well, this week they told us straight up that we’d have to fight to win this game, but we could run on these guys. The O-line knew that going into this game that they’d be the strong X-factor and it was up to me to capitalize, up to receivers to catch when they can,” Oliver said.

Lycoming coach Mike Clark noted that he was unaware Oliver was getting close to the rushing record until he heard someone in the stands yell something late in the fourth quarter. 

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Terrence Oliver (7) runs the ball during a college football match up between Lycoming College and Dickinson College at David Person Field on Saturday.

“I hope someday he breaks that, but we handed him ball one more time when he was close, but I didn’t necessarily know that until I heard someone yell it from the stands. He came out for one play, we didn’t take him out, and if we’re going to set records, we’re going to do it in the context of trying to win,” Clark explained. 

“I hope he can set the school record. He’ one of the best running backs to ever play here, but I didn’t know at that point. We were trying to manage some things, when he was close, we handed it to him, it was nothing, we tried to pop a run not to get him the record, that would have been a nice byproduct, but at that point you’re still trying to think how can we get in the endzone, kick on-sides,” Clark said. “It was highly unlikely at that point, but (we were trying to still win).”

Oliver has been a standout through all three games for Lycoming. While the passing game has struggled at times, the running game has not.

Oliver ran for 93 yards in the season opener against The College of New Jersey in which the Warriors lost a 27-24 contest. Against a talented Montclair State team, Oliver ran for 144.

And on Saturday, he ran for the second most yards any player in a Warrior uniform ever had by reaching 298 on the ground.

Through three games, Oliver is at 535 and teams know they have to factor his speed and quickness, but no team has figured that out quite yet.