OLIVET, Mich. – The Trine University football team overcame a 15-point deficit to force overtime on a last second field goal, before coming away with a victory in triple overtime by the score of 39-37. The Thunder finished the contest just shy of 500 yards of total offense.
The opening drive of the game belonged to the Comets and after some initial success, junior Jamon Gibson came up with a huge stop on a third down play to force a punt.
The ensuing drive saw Trine move quickly down the field to score the first points of the contest. Senior Alex Price began his game with four straight completions. The first went to senior Brandon Kline for 17-yards, the second to classmate Xaine Kirby for seven, the third to Kale Lawson for 30 and the final to junior Connor Arthur for nine. Kirby finished off the drive with an 11-yard run giving the team a 6-0 lead.
Olivet found their footing on the next drive, putting together a quick drive of their own. They took the lead after a six play, 85-yard touchdown drive put seven on the board.
The Thunder went three-and-out on their next drive and, following the punt, the Comets connected for a long pass to set up their second touchdown of the contest. The short touchdown run came at the beginning of the second quarter and made the score 14-6.
Trine's next drive was an extended affair. After starting on their own 15-yard line, the team spent nearly seven minutes moving 75-yards to the other end of the field. Success came mostly through the air with multiple double-digit length completions from Price to Lawson leading the way. The drive stalled inside the red zone and the team came away empty-handed after the field goal attempt was blocked by Olivet.
The next two drives were both three-and-outs, but the Thunder's punt attempt ended in disaster when the snap went over the punters head and gave Olivet the ball on the 18-yard line. Pinned against their goal line, the defense came up with a huge stop. Senior Marc Guerrero intercepted a third down pass to keep the score the same heading into halftime.
Another special teams miscue hurt Trine to begin the third quarter. A fumble on the opening kickoff gave the Comets the ball on the 30-yard line. They cashed in on the great field position two plays later to build their lead to 21-6.
Price led another strong drive on the ensuing possession. Once again, the team took over six minutes off the clock on a 10-play, 53-yard drive, but again the team came away empty handed. This time Price made his lone mistake of the game on an interception in the endzone.
The defense responded with a stop forcing a punt and allowing Price to redeem himself, which he did quickly. After a successful first down run, Price connected on three straight passes to complete the touchdown drive. The first two went to Kline for 10 yards and Lawson for 52 yards, before Price found senior tight end Matthew Shoemaker for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The team added a two-point conversion on another pass to Kline to make the score 21-14.
Olivet's first drive of the fourth quarter took over five minutes off the clock and ended with a successful field goal attempt to give them a 24-14 lead.
The Thunder responded with a quick touchdown drive again. Price scrambled for 23-yards to get one first down and then completed a pass to junior Rodney Johnson for the touchdown. The play came on their last chance as they faced a fourth-and-11 and ended up with a 41-yard touchdown. The score pulled the team within three at 24-21 with 3:49 remaining the quarter.
The defense came up with another stop giving Trine back the ball with 1:27 remaining. The team moved the ball to the Olivet side of midfield before facing a fourth down play, that could decide the game. Price came up huge with a 35-yard completion to Kline. Two plays later sophomore Colton Wampler converted the 32-yard field goal to tie the game and force overtime.
After the Comets scored a touchdown during the first overtime, Price responded with a 22-yard connection to Arthur to knot the game again at 31. The second overtime saw both teams score touchdowns, but fail on two-point conversions to end in another tie at 37. Trine's touchdown came on a three-yard run by Kirby, his second of the day.
For the first time since the change in overtime rules, Trine made the third overtime period where the format now changes to alternating two-point conversion attempts. Olivet failed on their try after the defense came up with a stop on a rushing attempt. Price found Lawson in the flat to convert their attempt and earn the final two points of the contest giving the team a 39-37 victory.
Price finished with a spectacular performance. He recorded 391 yards through the air, going 23-for-30 with three touchdowns. He also led the team with 52 yards on the ground in the contest. Kirby came in second with 40 yards while recording his two touchdowns. Lawson led the Trine receiving corps with 137 yards while Arthur finished second with 88.
On defense, junior Jacob Jackson led the team with ten tackles, including nine solo efforts. Senior Keysean Amison finished second with nine tackles including one for a loss. Gibson finished with six tackles including the team's lone sack of the day and two tackles for a loss.
The Thunder improve to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play following the victory. They will return home for their next contest when they host Albion College on Saturday, October 22. The contest is set to start at 1 p.m.
