It was a game of playing catch up on Saturday afternoon for the
Adrian College football team against rival Trine University. In the
end, the Thunder held off Adrian's charges as the Bulldogs dropped
a 24-16 decision in their MIAA opener.
A homecoming crowd looking for a big win saw the team fight
valiantly but just could not get over the hump against the
14th-ranked Thunder at Performance Stadium. Senior quarterback Mike
McGee and sophomore Mitch Gabriele hooked up on both Adrian
touchdowns in the game. McGee found Gabriele on a 40-yard strike on
the final play of the second quarter and later connected for 22
yards late in the third quarter to keep the team's hopes alive for
the upset bid.
Trine led by senior quarterback Eric Watt kept the ball for
nearly eight more minutes and did a good job of controlling the
line of scrimmage. The Thunder gained 369 total yards with 147 on
the ground and 222 through the air. Watt threw for all 222 yards
going 16-of-26 with two touchdowns. He found tight end Thomas Wyman
twice in the end zone. Wyman caught a pair of seven-yard touchdowns
with one at 4:37 of the third quarter and the other at 14:54 of the
fourth quarter.
Trine took a 10-0 lead in the game at the 11:04 mark of the
second quarter after a Jeremy Howard 26-yard field goal and a Ja
Vontae Hence five-yard touchdown run. The Hence score capped off an
11-play, 92-yard drive which took 4:34 off the clock. Gabriele's
first touchdown pulled AC within 10-7 at the half.
Wyman and Gabriele traded scores which put Trine ahead 24-13
early in the fourth. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 24-16 with 1:07
remaining after a 35-yard field goal by Logan Mitseff. The Bulldogs
attempted the on-side kick but Trine recovered and ran out the
clock. Gabriele finished the game with six grabs for 98 yards.
Jared Edwards also caught six passes for 65 yards and rushed for 20
yards.
Jarred Kwiatkowski and Joe Makowski each had a career-high 14
tackles to lead the Adrian defense. Adrian will travel to Olivet
College next week for a 2:00 pm kickoff.
