September 15, 2007
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Despite a time of possession edge that was nearly 40 minutes to 20 minutes, the Bluffton University football team was unable to put any points on the board as Adrian College improved to 2-0 against opponents from the Heartland Conference with its 20-0 shutout of the Beavers at Salzman Stadium on a cool Saturday, September 15, 2007. With the loss, Bluffton falls to 0-2 on the year as it prepares to head north to face another Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association squad next week when it tackles Kalamazoo College.
Bluffton had its chances early on as Adrian turned the ball over on downs at its own 36 when Kyle Spence (Rushylvania/Benjamin Logan) broke through for a tackle in the backfield on Adrian's first possession. Kyle Coleman (Etna/Watkins Memorial) found Joel Sienicki (Goshen, Ind./Northridge) for a 15-yard pickup, but the offense stalled and Bluffton gave it back to Adrian on downs at the Adrian 24.
Early in the second quarter, the Beavers got another big break when Brandon Herr (Bluffton/Bluffton) picked off a Troy Niblock pass at midfield on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage. A three-yard gain by quarterback Brock Miller (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) moved the chains before Bluffton turned the ball over on downs when Miller was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on fourth and 1 four plays later.
The Bluffton defense was up to the challenge on Adrian's next possession as Taylor Iceman (Lucas/Lucas) picked off Mike McGee in the end zone for a touchback after McGee and Clinton Miller hooked for two catches and 49 yards.
A three-and-out for the Beavers gave Adrian good possession on its ensuing possession, however, a Kyle Rode (Delphos/Jefferson) sack for a loss of 11 yards forced a Bulldog punt from the visitors' 32-yard line.
On Adrian's next possession, the Bulldogs hit paydirt on their first down play when Miller found Joseph Beehler for a 45-yard score and a 7-0 lead going into halftime.
Adrian put together its best drive of the game late in the third quarter and capped it off with a seven-yard scoring strike from McGee to Miller at the 14:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs took advantage of excellent field possession less than two minutes later when a bad snap to punter Jonathan Thompson (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) gave Adrian the ball at the home nine-yard line. On the first play, Niblock called his own number and gave Adrian all the cushion it would need as the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 with their 20-0 shutout over the Beavers.
Junior Kyle Coleman completed 7-of-13 passes for 66 yards with no interceptions, while sophomore signal-caller Brock Miller finished 5-for-6 for 40 yards and no pickoffs. Joel Sienicki led Bluffton with five catches for 42 yards. Senior linebacker Sam McCullough (Bluffton/Bluffton), Ryan Christy (Snellville, Ga./South Gwinnet) and Taylor Iceman all picked up eight stops to pace Bluffton. McCullough finished with 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. Rode chipped in with six tackles, including a sack for a loss of 11 yards.
Bluffton held Adrian to 278 total yards, but the Adrian defense was up to the task, allowing only 129 yards to the Beavers' offense. Neither team was able to move the ball on the third-down opportunities as Adrian went 2-of-10 and Bluffton finished 2-for-15. The Beavers controlled the ball for 38:31, but they were unable to parlay that lopsided time differential into points.
Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 22, when it travels to face Kalamazoo College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
-BEAVERS-