Zabel's 47-yard field goal lifts football team to a 13-10 win over Adrian

With 2:05 left in the game, sophomore Kyle Zabel (Sturgis) made a career-long 47-yard field goal to lift the Olivet College football team to a 13-10 homecoming win over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Adrian College tonight at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

On the Bulldogs' (2-3, 1-1 MIAA) first possession, James Spencer missed a 39-yard field goal. Olivet (3-2, 2-0 MIAA) took over at the 22-yard line and marched down the field with a 11-play, 78-yard drive. The drive was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by freshman Pat Clasgens (Livonia/Stevenson). Zabel made the PAT kick.

Sophomore Joe Cleveland (St. Joseph) intercepted a pass by Andy Denryter on the last play of the first quarter. The Comets drive began at the Adrian 30-yard line and used the short field to take a 10-0 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Zabel.

Olivet was forced to punt on its next possession. The Bulldogs responded by finishing a five-play, 51-yard drive with a five-yard scoring strike from Denryter to Chester Evans with 1:27 left before halftime. Spencer's PAT kick was good. At halftime, Olivet led 10-7.

To start the second half, the Adrian defense blocked Olivet's punt and took possession at the 13-yard line. The Comet defense answered and held the Bulldogs to a 33-yard field goal by Spencer. After three quarters, the score was 10-10.

With 5:56 left in the contest, Olivet got the ball back at its own 46-yard line to start the drive for the winning field goal. On the ninth play of the drive, Zabel's kick sailed through the uprights. Adrian still had a chance to either tie or win the game. After the Bulldogs got two first downs, four straight incompletions ended their threat with 24.6 seconds remaining.

For the game, the Comets had 222 yards of total offense, 126 yards on the ground and 96 through the air. Clasgens led the ground attack with 27 carries for 99 yards. Junior Rob White (Caledonia/South Christian) completed 10-of-14 passes for 70 yards, while junior Calvin McNamara (Gaylord) had 26 passing yards on two completions. Sophomore Carl Mulder (Battle Creek/Lakeview) was the leading receiver with five catches for 43 yards.

Defensively, Michael Terranova (Lansing/Lansing Catholic) and DeRan Thomas (Detroit/H.W. Notre Dame) each had four solo tackles and three assisted tackles for seven total stops. Cleveland, Terranova and senior Nate Hughes (Marshall) recorded two pass breakups a piece.

The Bulldogs ended the game with 278 yard of offense, including 204 passing yards. TJ Williams topped the ground game with 11 carries for 57 yards. Denryter completed 19-of-43 passes, and Desmond Upshaw was his favorite receiver with six catches for 107 yards. Taz Wallace led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles, including eight solo stops.

The Comets are back in action next Saturday, Oct. 14, when they travel to play Albion College. Kickoff from Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium is 1 p.m.