Football team defeated by Adrian 41-0 in MIAA-opener

OLIVET, Mich. -- The Olivet College football team opened Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play with a 41-0 loss against Adrian College today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

After one quarter of play, Adrian led 3-0 behind a 25-yard field goal by Logan Mitsefff. With 3:56 left in the second quarter, the Bulldogs took a 10-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Southworth. Mitseff added a career-long 47-yard field goal as the first half clock expired to make the score 13-0 at halftime.

Adrian scored on its first possession of the second half when Mike McGee connected with Justin Hemm for a 35-yard touchdown. On their ensuing possession, the Comets had their best chance to put points on the scoreboard. Olivet faced a second and goal from the Adrian-1, and failed to get into the end zone on three straight running plays. The Bulldogs added three touchdowns – 29-yard pass from McGee to Kyle Timmis, second on a one-yard run by Jared Edwards and third on a 12-yard interception return by Scott Normandin – in the fourth quarter.

Olivet was held to 125 yards of total offense and six first downs. The leading running back was junior Mike Martin (Caledonia/Wayland Union) with 11 rushes for 19 yards. Junior C.J. Gregory (Canton/Plymouth) was 5-of-11 for 68 yards. Four different players caught passes. Defensively, four Comets had double figure tackles, led by junior Robby Jensen (Boyne City) with 13, followed by senior Nick Glass (Flint/Powers) 12, sophomore Glenn VanNortwick (Wayland/Wayland Union) 11 and freshman Matt Roberts (Marshall) 10.

Adrian gained 459 yards, including 253 through the air by McGee. Edwards ran the ball 32 times for 138 yards, while Southworth rushed 14 times for 69 yards. McGee was 17-for-28. Hemm had six receptions for 77 yards. Austin Fritz recorded a team-leading six tackles, including two quarterback saves.

The Comets return to the field next Saturday at Kalamazoo College. Game time at Angell Field is 1 p.m.