KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Bluffton University football team rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to defeat host Kalamazoo 21-20 on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Zachary Nobis (Bryan) connected with Laurenz Johnson (Huber Heights/Wayne) with 30 seconds remaining for the thrilling come-from-behind win. The Beavers improved to 2-1 on the season, while Kalamazoo slipped to 1-2.
The Beavers were down but not out when sophomore Deion Mensah (Leesburg, Fla.) picked off Kalamazoo and put Bluffton in business at the home 20-yard line with 6:08 to play in the third quarter. Five plays later Todd King Jr. (Springfield) took the 1-yard plunge to paydirt, making it 17-7 with 4:07 left in period three.
Bluffton forced a three and out on Kalamazoo's next touch and took over at the visitor 23-yard line. Nobis engineered a 14-play drive that used up over five minutes and culminated in a four-yard toss to Treavon Cummings (Leesburg, Fla./First Academy), making it 17-14 with 12:41 to play.
Following a Hornet field goal, the Beavers trailed 20-14 when they took over at the Bluffton five-yard line with only 2:29 on the clock. Nobis completed six passes on the drive, including a 52-yarder to DeSean Bonte (Canal Winchester/Harvest Prep) after a 31-yard toss to King was negated by a Bluffton holding penalty. With 30 seconds remaining Bluffton completed the unfathomable comeback when Nobis hit Johnson from 11 yards out for the go-ahead score as Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) nailed his third PAT of the afternoon!
Nobis went 17-of-37 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. King ran the ball 11 times for 48 yards and score. Bonte hauled in four passes for 65 yards, while Cummings added six catches for 63 yards.
Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) and Louden Saulbeamer (Dayton/Troy Christian) both finished with nine tackles to lead the defense. Montez Archer Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) added eight stops, while fellow sophomore Nick Perry had seven tackles.
Kalamazoo finished with 451 yards of total offense, compared to 285 for the Beavers. The Hornets had a 192-67 edge on the ground. Bluffton converted 5-of-19 third down opportunities and went 3-of-4 on fourth down. The home team moved the chains 22 times, five more than the Beavers.
Bluffton will catch its breath with a bye week before welcoming Mount St. Joseph for the Heartland Conference opener on Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Alumni Field.
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