September 19, 2009
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Adrian College Bulldogs used a balanced attack on offense and a stingy defense to wrap up a 41-7 victory over the Beavers on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Bluffton fell to 0-2 on the season while Adrian improved to 2-1 following consecutive victories over Defiance and the Beavers.
A fumble by Bluffton on the opening kickoff set the tone as Adrian quickly made it 3-0 just 1:30 into period one. The Beavers had a touchdown nullified on their next possessions as Jason G. Johnson's (Cleveland/Collinwood) 37-yard run was called back following a Bluffton holding penalty. With Chris Byrd (Detroit, Mich./Detroit University Prep) running the offense, Bluffton continued to move the ball until Jon Thompson's (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) 24-yard field goal sailed wide right.
Another fumble on Bluffton's next touch gave Adrian the ball at the home 20-yard line and it took just two plays for the Bulldogs to make it 10-0 when Mike McGee hit tight end Nick Hemmingsen for a 19-yard touchdown strike.
The Beavers managed just one more first down through the remainder of the first half while Adrian hit paydirt two times in the second quarter in building a 24-0 lead at the break. Myke Johnson went in from 15 yards out and then two drives later punched in for a seven-yard score.
A stingy Adrian defense limited the home team to 39 yards and just two first downs in the third quarter and the Bulldogs capitalized on Bluffton's third fumble of the afternoon when Jeff Bien capped a short four-play 29-yard drive with a four-yard plunge into the end zone.
After a 41-yard Zach Scoville field goal made it 34-0 with 10:04 to play in the contest, Todd Trotter (Cincinnati/Aiken University) put Bluffton's only points of the day on the scoreboard. He found a seam and worked his way to the home sideline while staying inbounds and fighting off tacklers inside the Adrian 10-yard line before finding the end zone for an 86-yard kickoff return.
The visitors tacked on one more touchdown, a two-yard J. Southworth run, to finish the 41-7 rout of the Beavers.
Adrian racked up 457 yards on the day (241 rushing and 216 passing) to just 145 (102 yards passing) for the Beavers. The home team picked up 12 first downs compared to 27 for the Bulldogs. The Beavers also fell well short in time of possession (34:51 to 25:09). Adrian moved the chains six times on third down, three more times than Bluffton managed. The red zone proved to be the difference as Adrian scored on six of its seven possessions from the red zone while Bluffton could not convert on its only opportunity.
Ross Shoup (Apple Creek/Waynedale) led the Beavers with four receptions for 26 yards. Dan Chipka (Waterville/Anthony Wayne) and J.G. Johnson added two catches each. Freshman Tevin Hale (Latty/Wayne Trace) went for 32 yards on the ground and Chris Byrd completed 6-of-16 passes for 51 yards with two interceptions.
Justin Hahn (Rocky River) and Curtis Martin (Detroit, Mich./Central), who had a pickoff early in the third quarter, both paced the Beavers with eight tackles. Justin Crosier (Columbus/Hamilton Township), Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) and Jacob Luthy (Ida, Mich./Ida) all added six stops in the loss.
Bluffton will travel to face its third and final MIAA opponent of the season on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. The kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-