Record-breaking day for football team in 79-6 season-ending win over Finlandia

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College football team broke two single-game team and individual records, as the Comets steamrolled to a 79-6 victory over Finlandia University this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex. With the win, the Comets finish the 2021 season with a 7-3 overall record for their seventh winning season in the last nine seasons.

Final Score: Olivet 79, Finlandia 6
Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Finlandia 0-9 overall, Olivet 7-3 overall

• Sophomore Cortaveon Barnett had 11 carries for 326 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half. The 326 yards broke Olivet's single-game record.
• Junior Samuel Roose made all 11 of the PAT kicks to set a single-game record.
• Olivet's 79 points broke the single-game scoring record, and the 11 PAT kicks was the most for a team in a game.
• For the game, the Comets totaled 689 yards of offense to just miss the single-game record of 695 yards.
• Junior Jeremiah Sterling had 12 carries for 148 yards.
• Senior David Coffey completed 9-of-12 passes for 158 yards.
• Sophomore Deonte Higgins caught three passes for 158 yards.
• Senior Jeylin Rogers and junior Dennis Simmons each had six tackles to lead the defense.

• Olivet scored a touchdown on 11 of their 15 drives during the game.
• The Comets did not waste anytime taking a 7-0 as on the second play of the game, Barnett rushed 52 yards for a touchdown for the fourth game this season where he scored a touchdown on his first carry of the game.
• Olivet added two more points when senior Ta'Mar Heart-Wilkins tackled the quarterback in the end zone for a safety.
• The Comets' second touchdown was a six-yard pass from Coffey to sophomore Akeem Benjamin.
• Olivet pushed its lead to 23-0 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Barnett.
• Coffey used his legs to score from 10 yards out to score a touchdown.
• The Comets extended their lead to 37-0 when Coffey completed a 59-yard touchdown pass to Higgins.
• Barnett rushed 60 yards into the end zone to make the score 44-0 at the 5:11 mark of the second quarter.
• Finlandia got on the scoreboard when KeJuan Sanders returned a fumble 97 yards for a touchdown.
• Barnett capped the first-half scoring with an 85-yard touchdown run.
• The Lions were forced to punt on their first drive of the second half. Benjamin returned the punt 83 yards for a touchdown.
• Olivet added two more touchdowns in the third quarter – 7-yard run by senior Nyassinu Crowell, Jr. and 4-yard run by senior Justin Meeks – to make the score 72-6 at the start of the fourth quarter.
• The Comets recovered a fumble on Finlandia's next possession. On the seventh play of the Olivet drive, Meeks rushed eight yards for a touchdown.

• The Lions totaled 105 yards – 31 on the ground and 74 through the air.
• Joshua Eve led the ground game with four carries for 39 yards.
• Rorke Landis was 10-of-26 for 74 yards.
• Byron Owens snagged six passes for 42 yards.
• Jon Leveille finished with nine tackles to lead the defense.