ALMA, Mich. – Nationally ranked Alma College was too much for the Trine University football team, sending them home with a 70-30 loss. The Scots are currently ranked 15th by the AFCA and 19th by D3football.com.
After the Thunder won the coin toss and chose to defer to the second half and the home team quickly took an 8-0 lead on their opening drive. Trine responded with a touchdown drive of their own to cut the deficit to one. While Alex Price led most of the team's opening drive through the air, Xaine Kirby finished it off with a 16-yard touchdown run.
The defense forced a three and out on the next Scots drive. Senior Jamon Gibson turned in the highlight play with a sack on third down to force the punt.
On the ensuing drive, the Thunder secured one first down, before Price through his first interception of the day. It was a particularly costly one with Alma's defender scoring on the play. A second successful two-point conversion made the score 16-7.
The offense shook off the mistake and put together a 78-yard drive that ended in a successful field goal by Anthony Hentz cutting the deficit back to one score at 16-10.
The Scots scored twice more in the first quarter to take a 29-10. Once on an 88-yard kickoff return and once on a 66-yard pass set up by Price's second interception of the day. They built their largest lead of the first half with a touchdown early in the second quarter making the total 35-10.
Price once again responded to the adversity putting together a 65-yard drive that ended in a second touchdown for the team. He completed two passes on the drive one going to Connor Arthur and the other to Brandon Kline. The second went 22-yards and ended up in the endzone.
After another Alma touchdown made the score 42-17, Price led another successful drive. This time Price capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Cam McCarver cutting the lead to 42-23.
The defense succeeded in forcing a turnover of their own on the next Alma drive. After stuffing four-straight Scots rushing plays, the Thunder offense returned to the field on their own 37-yard line. Price turned in one more great drive to end the half. This time he found Kale Lawson for the touchdown on a 17-yard reception.
The score at halftime was 42-30 in favor of the home side, with Trine receiving the ball to start the second half with a chance to cut the lead still further. Unfortunately, that opening drive ended with Price's third interception of the day, coming as the team tried to pick up four yards on a fourth down attempt.
The rest of the half went all the way of Alma, with the home team scoring 28 points while shutting out the Thunder to build their lead to the final score of 70-30.
Price finished the game with 356 yards in the air including three touchdowns and four interceptions. He finishes the day with another career milestone, surpassing 7,000 yards in his time at Trine.
Lawson led the receiving corps finishing with 120 yards and one touchdown. Kline finished second with 99 yards and a touchdown of his own. Kirby led the rushing attack with 83 yards on 13 attempts along with his one touchdown. Defensively, Tucker Hasselman and Joseph Johnson each finished the game with a team-high nine tackles.
Trine falls to 2-3 overall and starts the MIAA season 0-1 after the loss. They will look to bounce back next week when they host Adrian College for their annual Homecoming game. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. next Saturday, October 7.