HOLLAND, Mich. – The Adrian College football team pushed undefeated Hope College to the final minutes Saturday afternoon, but a late safety lifted the Flying Dutchmen past the Bulldogs, 24-22.
Adrian delivered an impressive opening half against one of the MIAA's top teams. With one second remaining in the first quarter, Sebastian Boswell connected with Braiden Whitaker for a 44-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
The Bulldogs extended their advantage midway through the second quarter. Boswell capped a 10-play, 50-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Ferguson, putting Adrian ahead 14-0.
Hope answered with a touchdown, but Adrian responded immediately. Riley Dunbar returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, and Luke Stento ran in the two-point conversion to send the Bulldogs into halftime with a 22-7 lead.
The Flying Dutchmen began working their way back into the game during the third quarter. Hope scored on a one-yard run to cut the Adrian lead to 22-14 before tying the game with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion early in the fourth.
Adrian's defense came through with a key stop later in the quarter. Maddox Woods blocked a 25-yard field-goal attempt, giving the Bulldogs possession with the score tied. Adrian was backed up deep in its own territory, however, and Hope recorded a safety with 5:48 remaining to take its first lead of the afternoon, 24-22.
The Flying Dutchmen maintained possession for the remainder of the contest to escape with the narrow victory.
Boswell completed 9-of-16 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns while leading Adrian on the ground with 80 yards on 18 carries. Whitaker caught six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, while Ferguson finished with three receptions and a score. Trey Brueggemann added 36 rushing yards.
Defensively, Woods and Tim Simons led the Bulldogs with seven tackles apiece. Woods also recorded a pass breakup and the blocked field goal. Ethan Layton and Ethan Burrows each totaled six solo tackles, while Carter Aicher recorded a sack. Steven Moreno and Javon Anderson combined for another Adrian sack.
The Bulldogs held Hope to 4-of-16 on third-down attempts and limited the Flying Dutchmen to 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. Adrian finished with 151 rushing yards and 245 yards of total offense.
Adrian moves to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in MIAA play. The Bulldogs will return home to host Trine University on Saturday, October 24 at 1:00 p.m. at Docking Stadium.
