ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University football team totaled 443 yards of offense with 371 of those yards coming on the ground and had two 100-yard rushers as the Thunder beat Kalamazoo (Mich.) College, 42-7, to remain undefeated on the season.
Senior Evan Wyse (Archbold, OhioArchbold) recorded his third 100-yard rushing game with a career-high 154 yards on 18 attempts (8.6 yards per rush) against Kalamazoo and had three touchdown runs of 75, four and 23 yards. Junior Lamar Carswell (Toledo/St. Francis de Sales) also rushed for over 100 yards with 102 on 17 carries (6.0 yards per rush) and scored twice.
Wyse also completed four-of-nine passes for 72 yards.
Junior Jeffery Barnett (Fremont, Ohio/Ross) and senior Andrew Bonfiglio (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) both caught two passes with Barnett finishing the game with 54 yards and Bonfiglio 18 yards.
Trine's defense held Kalamazoo to 259 total yards and had four takeaways, including three interceptions with one being returned for a 62-yard touchdown by senior Kyle Wiswell (Three Rivers, Mich./Mendon). Junior Cayleel Hill (Owings Mills, Md./Owings Mills) and senior Logan Konopka (Grass Lake, Mich./Grass Lake) both had interceptions as well. For Hill, it marked his team-tying high fifth INT of the season. Sophomore Simeon Washington (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) led the Thunder in tackles with 10 total (six solo and four assists), including one sack.
Trine (6-0, 2-0 MIAA) got the scoring started on its second possession of the first quarter when Wyse scampered on a 75-yard TD run with 5:01 to go in the period. On Kalamazoo's (0-6, 0-3 MIAA) ensuing drive, the Hornets got to the Trine 39-yard line when Wiswell stepped in front of a KZOO pass and went the distance (62 yards) to put Trine out in front, 14-0. Strong defensive play continued as the Thunder picked off another errant pass following the Wiswell score, this time by Hill, giving the ball back to Trine just before the quarter expired.
The Hill interception eventually led to a one-yard TD run by Carswell with 13:11 to go in the half to extend the margin to 21-0. For the third straight KZOO possession, the Trine defense ended the drive with an interception with Konopka getting in on the act with his first INT of the season and returned it 21 yards to set the Thunder offense up at the Hornet 37-yard line.
Three plays later, Wyse scored his second TD of the game with his legs, this time from four yards out, making the score 28-0. Kalamazoo looked to be headed to a three-and-out on its ensuing drive, but a roughing the passer penalty kept the possession going which eventually ended in a 15-yard TD run capping a 16-play, 92-yard drive and made it a 28-7 ball game. Trine answered the Hornet score by marching 76 yards on eight plays and put its fifth TD on the board thanks to a 27-yard run by Carswell with 1:22 left in the half. After a touchback, KZOO looked to make a response of its own and got all the way to the Trine two-yard line, but a fumble on pitch play that was recovered by Trine's Mason McFarland (Berrien Springs, Mich./Berrien Springs) ended the potential scoring drive and allowed the Thunder to run out the remaining time in the half and preserve a 35-7 advantage at the break.
Coming out of the locker rooms, both teams traded possessions with the only scoring chance of the third quarter coming on a 35-yard field goal attempt by KZOO that sailed wide left.
On a drive that carried over into the fourth quarter, Trine came up short on a field goal attempt of its own from 30 yards out at the 12:54 mark, keeping the game at 35-7. On their next drive, the Thunder found the endzone for the final time in the game when Wyse struck paydirt on a 23-yard run to extend the lead to 42-7. Late in the period, Trine was forced to punt on fourth down and one, but a Hornet penalty gave the Thunder a first down and allowed them to run out the clock and go on to the 42-7 final.
Next week, Trine will host Hope (Mich.) College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Zollner Athletic Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
