ALMA, Mich. The Bluffton University football team made the long trip to Alma College for the 2021 season opener on Saturday, Sept. 4. Four interceptions and a fumble paved the way for a 24-6 Alma victory as the Beavers were back on the field just over four months after wrapping up their 2020-21 campaign.
Bluffton's defense locked up the Scots, limiting Alma to just 176 yards of offense on Saturday. The story was the turnovers as Alma took advantage of great field position to go up 7-0 with just over a minute to play in the opening quarter. The Beavers made it 7-6 late in the half when Todd King Jr. (Springfield) followed an 18-yard Zachary Nobis (Bryan) scamper with a one-yard plunge to paydirt, making it 7-6 at halftime.
The visitors opened the second half with a 10-play, 41-yard drive that stalled out and came up dry when Jake Baumgartner's (Toledo/Start) 36-yard field goal attempt missed the mark. Following a field goal by the Scots, Alma used a turnover on downs and a pick six to make the final margin 24-6 as Bluffton fell to 0-1 with the Saturday loss.
Nobis went 16-of-26 for 162 yards. His top target was sophomore Laurenz Johnson (Huber Heights/Wayne) who caught seven balls for 51 yards. Junior Zane Dine (Marion/Pleasant) added five catches for a team-high 71 yards receiving. King Jr. ran the ball seven times for 35 yards with a touchdown.
Montez Archer Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) ran back two kickoffs for 72 yards and he also had three punts returns for 49 yards. Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) paced the defense with nine stops. Louden Saulbeamer (Dayton/Troy Christian) had a seven-yard quarterback sack.
Bluffton outgained the Scots 300 to a paltry 176 yards, including a 207-103 advantage through the air. The visitors moved the chains 21 times, compared to just nine first downs for the Scots. The Beavers also converted on 7-of-16 third down opportunities. Bluffton allowed only 1-of-12 on Alma third down conversion attempts. The Beavers ran 74 plays on Saturday, nearly 30 more than Alma.
The Beavers will welcome St. Vincent College from the Presidents Athletic Conference on Saturday, Sept. 11, for the 2021 home opener at 1:30 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!
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