KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Trine University football ended their season on a high note defeating their hosts from Kalamazoo College by the score of 42-19. The offense recorded 487 total yards in the contest on the way to the lopsided victory.
Despite the final score, neither team had early success offensively. The Hornets began the game with the ball and after an opening play sack by junior Jamon Gibson they quickly punted.
A short punt gave the Thunder the ball in the offensive side of the field. Senior Alex Price went eight yards on his first down run, but the Kalamazoo defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs to end the drive.
Trine's defense returned the favor near the fifty-yard line on the home team's next drive, giving the offense another chance with great starting position. After a four-yard rush by freshman Tyrese Brown, Price completed a 13-yard pass to senior Brandon Kline. Brown then took over, finishing off the drive with four rushes, the final going for 12 yards and the touchdown. After sophomore Anthony Hentz added the extra point the score was 7-0.
The defense came up big on the ensuing drive. On the third play, senior Marcques Tagliaferri picked off the opposing quarterback and scampered 30 yards to the endzone. Another extra point from Hentz gave the team a 14-0 lead.
The Thunder ended the first quarter with another fourth down stop giving the offense the ball near the fifty again. On the first play of the second quarter, Price connected with senior Kale Lawson for 38 yards and another touchdown, building the lead to 21-0.
The Hornets found some purchase on their next drive making it to the Trine 24 before stalling. The attempted field goal ended up going wide and they remained scoreless. The two teams then traded punts, with Kalamazoo seeming to win the possession battle after pinning Trine on their own one-yard line.
In the highlight of the game, sophomore Dominic Crowder took a handoff in his own endzone and broke through the center of the line and into the secondary. He would then break two tackles before sprinting to the endzone. The 99-yard touchdown run ties and NCAA Division III record for longest rush and play from scrimmage. It also sets the new program record for longest rush, previously held by Kent Biller on a 94-yard run against Wisconsin-River Falls in 2011.
The 28-0 score looked like it would last into halftime, but with 1:04 remaining in the period, Price decided he wasn't done yet. After another punt by the Hornets pinned the Thunder at their own 11, senior Xaine Kirby rushed for nine yards and injected some life into the drive. Price followed up with a 39-yard completion and then a 10-yard completion both coming to Kline. Price then finished off the drive with a 31-yard completion to junior Connor Arthur. The 35-0 score would be the final of the half.
The backups entered for the Thunder in the second half and the offensive production slowed, but the defense continued to play stoutly. Neither team scored in the quarter.
On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Kalamazoo began a drive on their own 12-yard line. An ill-advised pass by their quarterback ended up in the hands of junior Joseph Johnson. Senior Brett Kaylor completed a 23-yard pass to senior Kyran Pearson on the next play extending the team's lead to 42-0.
With the backups in on defense for Trine, Kalamazoo finally found some offensive success. The home squad scored 19 points, on three touchdowns in the remainder of the fourth quarter. The Thunder were content to run clock during their offensive drives and the score would eventually go final at 42-19.
Price led the team with 177 yards passing and two touchdowns, while Kaylor finished with 93 yards and the lone touchdown. On the ground Crowder finished with 103 yards while Brown posted 43 and Kirby finished with 41. Kline led the way as a receiver finishing with 107 yards.
Defensively senior Kyle Naif led the team with 11 tackles including one for a loss, while classmate Keysean Amison finished with nine tackles in the contest. Gibson ended the game with two sacks to lead the team with senior Tony Hall coming up with another.
