Nov. 3, 2007
Stats
ALBION, Mich. - The tale of two halves would have been an appropriate novel for the Adrian College football team on Saturday at Albion. The Bulldogs had seven offensive drives in the first half and went three-and-out in three of those drives going into the halftime trailing 3-0 to the Britons.
Albion grabbed momentum early in the game as they blocked a Kevin Allaer punt on Adrian's first drive and the Bulldogs sat on the ball at their own 21-yard line. Albion quarterback Tom Fusee nearly gave the ball right back fumbling the snap but he recovered his own miscue. Three plays later it was Mychal Galla spliting the uprights on a 38-yard field goal with 11:25 left in the first to give Albion a 3-0 lead. Each team exchanged punts for most of the first half and a key drive for Adrian stalled with 49 seconds left in the second. Troy Niblock attempted to get a first down at the Albion 31-yard line but on fourth and one was pushed back a yard to the Albion 33-yard line. Albion ran out the clock and kept their three-point cushion into the break.
Adrian managed 154 total yards and played stout defense holding Albion to 71 total yards and just 24 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Adrian quarterback Mike McGee was 8-of-12 through the air for 106 yards in the first half.
After what was certainly a spirited halftime talk from the coaching staff, the Bulldogs took their first possession of the third and put three points on the board with a 24-yard field goal by Justin Warner at the 9:59 mark to tie the game at 3-3. The last drive of the third was crafted on the feet and right arm of Niblock as he marched Adrian down the field for what would be the eventual game-winning score. Niblock rushed for 60 yards on four straight runs and then found Desmond Upshaw on a 38-yard touchdown strike with five seconds to go in the third to give Adrian a 10-3 lead.
Niblock continued to be a warrior for the Bulldogs in the fourth on the ground as he led Adrian to another scoring drive and himself carried 11 yards for a touchdown on the eighth play of the drive that started at their own 49-yard line to give the 'Dogs a 17-3 lead with 8:41 to play.
Fusee found Adam House for a 16-yard touchdown on the Brits next possession to make it 17-10 with 6:08 on the clock. Niblock's second rushing touchdown of the game with 1:37 left from three yards out gave the Bulldogs some insurance and a 14-point road win their fourth of the year.
Adrian finished the game with 436 total yards and 221 rushing yards courtesy of Niblock. He set a single-game school record with 40 carries and netted 194 yards. He also was 2-of-2 passing for 62 yards and caught three passes for 43 yards. Clinton Miller led the receivers with four catches for 38 yards. The Adrian defense limited Albion to 36 rushing yards for the game on 35 carries. Kyle Dunaj led the team with eight tackles and one interception late to seal the win in the closing seconds of the fourth. Bobby Watson recorded seven tackles and two tackles for loss. Adrian is now 6-3, 3-3 in the MIAA. They conclude their season at home against Alma next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
