Sept. 6, 2008
ALMA, Michigan - The Bluffton University football team fell behind early and never recovered as Alma held the Beavers scoreless, 49-0, in Head Coach Tyson Veidt's debut on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. The Scots scored two touchdowns on their first two possessions and never looked back while Bluffton struggled to move the chains.
Alma went 63 yards in six plays on their first possession for a touchdown and followed that with a 56-yard punt return for a score less than two minutes later. The Bluffton defense showed its grit on Alma's next three possessions as it was forced to work with a short field. Early in the second quarter, sophomore Mitch Dunlap (St. Mary's/St. Mary's) picked off Alma's McGrady in the end zone and returned it 11 yards to end the Scot's scoring threat.
The Scots found the end zone on Alma's final two drives of the half, including a 12 play-74 yard march that chewed up nearly five minutes off the clock late in the opening stanza. The Beavers went to the break looking at a 28-0 deficit on the scoreboard.
The second half was more of the same for the Beavers who saw Alma put up consecutive touchdowns on drives that used less than a minute each midway through period three before the Scots drove 93 yards on 10 plays to start the fourth quarter.
Bluffton had its best drive of the day late in the fourth quarter as Renus Henry (Elyria/Elyria) picked up 40 yards on seven consecutive rushes before Bluffton stalled. Alma was content to run out the clock and secure a 49-0 victory in the 2008 opener for both teams.
Alma moved the chains 34 times while limiting Bluffton to just nine first downs. The Scots gained 492 yards, including 328 through the air. Bluffton picked up 167 yards, 104 of which were on the ground. On third downs, the Scots were successful eight of 12 times while Bluffton did not have a third-down conversion in 13 attempts. The Scots went 4-of-6 in the red zone and their defense never allowed Bluffton to reach the Alma 20-yard line.
Greg Mason (Cleveland/Collinwood) led the Beavers with 67 yards rushing on 25 carries. Henry picked up 40 yards on his seven touches. Junior quarterback Brock Miller (Cincinnati/Oak Hills) completed 10 of 20 passes for 63 yards with one interception. Mason also hauled in four receptions for 17 yards.
Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 20, following a bye week, when the Beavers travel to Adrian for a matchup with the Bulldogs. The contest is slated to start at 1 p.m.