ANGOLA, Ind. – A dominate defensive effort on a blustery day was not enough for Trine University football as they came up just short of nationally ranked Albion College dropping the contest 20-19.
The Britons, who are currently ranked 20th by D3football.com and 18th by the American Football Coaches Association, boasts a strong offensive attack having averaged over 450 yards and just shy of 40 points per game this season. Today they ran into a wall with the Thunder defense posting a stellar performance holding them to just 193 yards and the 20 points.
Trine's offense began the day with the ball and senior quarterback Alex Price led a steady drive down the field. He began with a 34-yard completion to classmate Kyran Pearson, followed shortly later with a nine-yard completion to junior Rodney Johnson. Senior Xaine Kirby followed the second pass up with a fourth down run to keep the drive alive. Another long pass, this time for 18 yards to senior Kale Lawson, moved the team well into the red zone before the drive stalled. The wind claimed its first victim on the resulting 38-yard field goal attempt leaving the game scoreless.
After a first down completion, the Thunder defense got immediately to work. They stuffed a running play and then junior Kendall Himes got his first sack of the day to force a third down and ten. Albion's quarterback forced the pass attempt and senior Marcques Tagliaferri plucked the ball out of the air giving the offense the ball back at the Albion 31-yard line.
After a couple of first downs, the team attempted another field goal. This time sophomore Colton Wampler converted the attempt from 32 yards out giving Trine a 3-0 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
After a bit more initial success for the Britons on the next drive, the defense came up with another stop. On a third down and one play near midfield the runner lost control of the ball and senior Tony Hall scooped it up.
The next drive for both teams ended quickly before the Thunder offense returned to the field in the second quarter pinned on their own 26-yard line. It looked to be another short drive, but on third down Price connected with junior Connor Arthur for a 61-yard completion. Price finished off the drive just one play later connecting with Lawson for an 11-yard touchdown. After a successful extra point by sophomore Anthony Hentz the score was 10-0 in favor of the home squad.
After a quick drive for the Britons and a punt that hung up in the wind, the offense had a chance to give the team a commanding lead on their next drive. Price looked to cash in quickly on the first play but his pass went off target and the Albion defensive back would return his interception all the way to the endzone. The wind effected the extra point and the lead was cut to four at 10-6.
Price rebounded from the mistake quickly, connecting with Arthur for 34 yards early in his next drive. The series continued with pass completions and a healthy dose of sophomore Dominic Crowder on the ground, eventually setting up another field goal for Wampler which moved the score to 13-6.
The offense ended up with the ball again quickly after another solid defensive effort. Deep in their own territory, Trine was conservative with their play calling and set up to punt with just over a minute remaining in the half. A bad snap forced the punter to just cover the ball on his own five-yard line and gave Albion a chance to score before the half. A short pass later followed by a successful extra point tied the game with just seconds remaining in the half.
The Britons came out of halftime with their lone completely successful offensive drive of the day. They quickly went 72 yards on eight plays to take their first lead of the day at 20-13.
Trine responded on the next drive, with lots of help from the defense. Three plays in a row went for first downs after penalties by the Britons. Price then completed a short pass to Arthur to move the team comfortably within field goal range and Wampler put the ball through the uprights to make the score 20-16.
Senior Kyle Naif ended the ensuing drive for Albion with a third down sack forcing another punt that gave the Thunder the ball on their own 22-yard line. Price led another successful drive with the majority of the yards coming on two passes to Pearson, one for 12 yards and the other for 21. The drive ended in another field goal for Wampler after the offense stalled inside the red zone. The score was 20-19 with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter.
Albion's next drive was an extended one lasting 14 plays and just under seven minutes of game time. The Thunder defense finally got a stop on their own nine-yard line forcing another field goal attempt. This time it wasn't the wind that caused problems, it was senior Jaylin Page who sprinted in from the edge and blocked the kick. Classmate Angel Sanchez recovered the loose ball and moved it back to the 37-yard line.
Sacks defined the next few drives for both teams. Price went down twice on the Thunder drive forcing a punt before junior Jamon Gibson came up with one of his own on the Briton drive to force a punt. Another sack forced another punt on the next Trine drive and then the same the other way when Himes got his second of the day.
All of the back-and-forth took valuable time off the clock. With under two minutes remaining in the game the Trine offense returned to the field for one final attempt. Price took to the field and teamed up with Johnson to move quickly down the field. On four straight completions the team moved to the Albion 46-yard line. The next two passes were incompletions forcing a third and ten play which ended in an interception, Price's second of the day.
Albion was able to run out the clock after the turnover and escape with the 20-19 victory.
Price finished the game with 243 yards in the air, going 15-for-36 with one touchdown. Kirby led the ground attack with 35 yards and freshman Tyrese Brown came in second with 30 yards. Arthur finished with 101 yards receiving with Pearson finishing with 67.
Defensively senior Keysean Amison led the team with ten tackles. Himes came in a tie for second with senior Jacob Yoder, each recording six tackles in the game, but finished with a team high two sacks.
The Thunder fall to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play following the loss. They will continue their season after a bye week by hosting Hope College on Saturday, Nov. 5. Opening kickoff on the Senior Day contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.