Football team uses big plays to beat Albion, 47-26

OLIVET, Mich. – Senior Jerome Washington rushed for 265 yards and the defense allowed only 24 yards after halftime, as the Olivet College football team rolled to a 47-26 victory over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College on a rain-soaked afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

THE BASICS                                                                                                                                                  
Final score: Olivet 47, Albion 26
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Olivet 4-2 overall, 2-1 MIAA; Albion 1-5 overall, 0-3 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Britons led 3-0 behind a 22-yard field goal by Andrew Fabry with 9:26 left in the opening quarter.
• The Comets quickly answered, as on their third play from scrimmage, junior Lane Porter connected with junior Jacob Jodway for a 92-yard touchdown reception. The pass play is the longest in school history.
• Albion took the lead back on a three-yard touchdown run by Patrick Czarnecki. The PAT kick was good and the Britons led 10-6 at the 2:48 mark.
• Olivet immediately responded, on another third down play, Porter threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jodway. The PAT attempt was missed, and the Comets held a 12-10 lead.
• On the second play of the second quarter, Albion took the lead back when Kyle Thomas threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brian Blanzy.
• The Comets grabbed the lead back, 20-17, when Washington rumbled 52 yards for a touchdown on their first play from scrimmage at the 8:43 mark of the second quarter.
• The Britons turned the ball over on downs after Thomas was taken down in the backfield.
• Olivet marched down the field and on the ninth play, Porter tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior Kornelius Saxton. The Comets held a 27-17 advantage at halftime.
• Olivet took advantage of a turnover on Albion's second possession of the second half. Six straight running plays for Washington were capped by 14-yard rush into the end zone. The Britons intercepted the two-point conversion try and returned it for a defensive PAT to make the score 33-19.
• Porter put the game out of reach with two rushing touchdowns, the first from a yard out at the 5:36 mark of the third quarter and the second from five yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter.
• The Britons' only touchdown came midway through the final quarter a 13-yard touchdown run for Doug Freeman.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet gained 539 yards of offense compared to 324 for Albion.
• Washington needed 30 carries for his 265 yards and two touchdowns.
• Porter completed 11-of-17 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns.
• Saxton caught five passes for 61 yards, while Jodway hauled in three passes for 165 yards.
• Defensively, junior Mo Young recorded eight tackles.
• Senior Chase Cavric was next with seven stops.
• Sophomore Matthew Hall had five tackles, including two quarterback sacks.

FOR THE BRITONS

• Czarnecki rushed 15 times for 100 yards.
• Thomas threw for 141 yards on 9-of-17 passing.
• Brian Blanzy hauled in six passes for 84 yards.
• Geordon Carter led all players with 15 tackles.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Washington's 265 rushing yards are the third-most in school history for a game, and the most since Sept. 18, 1993, when Weyman Jones set the record with 302 yards against Taylor (Ind.) University.
• The previous longest pass play was 87 yards when Tony Phillips connected with James Williams vs. Wheaton (Ill.) College on Sept. 25, 2010.
• Combined with last year's 31-14 win, the Comets have beaten Albion in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006 and 2007.
• The 47 points is the most scored against Albion since 2004 when Olivet scored 58.

UP NEXT

• Olivet takes a break from conference play and makes the trip to play Benedictine (Ill.) University at 2 p.m. ET.