Football team beats Albion, 20-17

The Olivet College football team defeated Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College, 20-17, this afternoon at Sprankle-Sprandle Stadium in Albion.

After forcing the Britons (3-3, 1-2 MIAA) to punt on their first possession, the Comets (4-2, 3-0) blocked the kick. Senior Marc Miller (Sunfield/Lake Odessa) recovered the ball at the Albion two-yard line and then ran the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. Sophomore Kyle Zabel (Sturgis) made the PAT kick. Despite having great field position on its next two possessions because of a fumble recovery and short punt, Olivet failed to score. The score remained 7-0 after the first quarter.

The Britons tied the game with 11:41 left before halftime when Chase Chandler returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. Brian Balzerini converted the PAT kick. On the Comets' next series, they could not get a first down. Albion took advantage of a 25-yard punt to begin its drive at Olivet's 31-yard line. The Britons did not gain a first down, but a 39-yard field goal by Balzerini put them up 10-7 with 7:09 left in the first half.

On the ensuing possession, Olivet marched down the field for a go-ahead touchdown when junior Rob White (Caledonia/South Christina) connected with senior Ryan Boone (Muskegon/Catholic Central) for a 35-yard scoring strike. The Comets led 13-10 at halftime.

Olivet took six minutes off the clock with a 11-play, 51-yard scoring drive on their second drive of the third quarter. Junior Calvin McNamara (Gaylord) tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to senior fullback Dwight Houston (Detroit/Denby). Zabel made the PAT kick to put the Comets up 20-10 with 3:55 left in the quarter.

Albion cut its deficit to three points midway through the final quarter when Adam House rushed for a two-yard touchdown scamper. Balzerini added the PAT kick. Over the final 7:46, neither team could generate any offense.

For the game, Olivet had 190 yards of total offense. Freshman Pat Clasgens (Livonia/Stevenson) led the ground game with 27 carries for 67 yards. McNamara and White combined to complete nine-of-16 passes for 115 yards. Boone was the leading receiver with four catches for 71 yards. Defensively, freshman Hakeem Yakubu (Kalamazoo/Central) finished with a team-high nine tackles. Miller had eight tackles, including seven stops.

The Britons had 151 yards of total offense, including 53 on its scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Kyle Klyn had 11 carries for 49 yards, while Anthony Dunning had a team-high 12 carries for 14 yards. Jake Wilson completed eight-of-24 passes for 87 yards with three interceptions. Chris Haines caught two passes for 30 yards. Ryan Graham led the defense with eight tackles.

The Comets are back in action Saturday, Oct. 21, when they travel to play Tri-State (Ind.) University. Kickoff from Shive Field is 12:30 p.m.