Football team falls to Trine, 42-6

The Olivet College football team fell to three-time defending Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champion Trine (Ind.) University, 42-6, today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

Box Score

Team Stats

Football team falls to Trine, 42-6
October 29, 2011

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College football team fell to three-time defending Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champion Trine (Ind.) University, 42-6, today at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

The Thunder scored on their first possession of the game when Kent Biller capped a 9-play, 73-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown run. Trine down to the Olivet 26 on its next series, but was stopped on fourth down.

On a drive spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter, the Thunder took a 14-0 lead when quarterback Ryan Hargraves snuck into the end zone from a yard out. Trine scored its final touchdown of the first half when Hargraves threw a 20-yard pass to Jeff Harbrecht.

Myron Puryear returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. The Thunder made the score 35-0 on a three-yard touchdown run by Devin Leas with 9:41 left in the third quarter.

Olivet put its six points on the scoreboard when freshman Daniel Bolster (Dundee) threw a five-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jon Beach (Edmore/Central Montcalm). Trine closed the scoring when Leas scampered nine yards into the end zone with 4:41 left in the game. Tyler Keck made his sixth straight PAT kick.

The Comets finished the game with 234 yards of offense. Senior Mike Martin (Caledonia/Wayland Union) had 13 carries for 73 yards, while junior Edric Miller (Battle Creek/Central) rushed 16 times for 59 yards. Bolster completed 13-of-19 passes for 108 yards. Beach was the leading receiver with five catches for 29 yards, and junior Keegan Clark (Battle Creek/Pennfield) had two receptions for 39 yards.

Defensively, senior Ryan Reurink (Wayland/Wayland Union) recorded a game-high 13 tackles. Sophomore Cody Boughton (Marshall) and senior Nick McCleary (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) had eight tackles apiece. On special teams, sophomore Anthony Edwards (Clarksville/Lakewood) punted the ball eight times for a 37.8 average per kick, with a long of 52 yards.

Olivet will travel to play Alma College next Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m.