Olivet hangs on to beat Calvin, 21-13

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet football team jumped out to a 14-0 lead and hung on to defeat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opponent Calvin University, 21-13, this afternoon inside the Cutler Athletic Complex.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Olivet 21, Calvin 13
• Location: Cutler Athletic Complex; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 3-5 overall, 2-3 MIAA; Calvin 2-5 overall, 0-4 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Olivet received the opening kickoff. The Comets capped an 11-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run by freshman Tronice Hammond. All 11 plays of the drive were rushes to chew up a little more than six minutes of the first quarter clock.
• The Olivet defense forced a three-and-out for the Knights on their first drive.
• The Comets took over at their own 36-yard line. Olivet marched down and appeared to be stopped when Calvin sacked the quarterback on fourth down. But the Knight who made the tackle was flagged for a face mask penalty to put the Comets just outside the red zone. A nine-yard run put the ball at the 15-yard closed out the first quarter, as Olivet held the ball for nearly 14 of the 15 minutes in the opening quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, junior Dontal Wright broke a couple tackles before leaping into the end zone for six points. Senior Tristan McElhinney's PAT kick was good to make the score 14-0.
• There was no more scoring until 3:50 left in the second quarter when Sal Ruffino put the first three Calvin points on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal. The score stayed 14-3 at the halftime break.
• The Knights cut their deficit down to four points on their first possession of the second half. Chase Bradman threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Hogan.
• Calvin closed the gap to a point, 14-13, late in the third quarter when Ruffino nailed a 40-yard field goal with seven seconds showing on the clock.
• On the ensuing drive, Olivet grabbed a 21-13 lead on a 12-yard touchdown run by junior Thomas Foust. The Comet scoring drive was aided by a 50-yard pass from junior quarterback Charlie Grant to sophomore wideout Christopher White on a third and nine play.
• The Knights got the ball back with 8:35 left in the game. Calvin used a couple long pass plays to get down to the Olivet 18-yard line. The drive ended when sophomore Montreal Reid intercepted a Bradman pass in the end zone.
• The Comets were forced to punt the ball with 6:09 remaining.
• On the second play of the Knight drive, freshman Joe King jumped into the passing lane and picked off Bradman at the Calvin 30-yard line.
• Olivet turned the ball over on downs to give the ball back to Calvin one more time with 28 seconds left. The Knights were able to get two first down and move into the Comet half of the field before a quarterback sack ended the game.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet totaled 367 offensive yards compared to 242 for Calvin.
• Wright had 31 carries for 113 yards. He also became the sixth player in UOlivet history to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards, as he now has 2,024.
• Foust rushed 16 times for 93 yards.
• Grant completed 5-of-14 passes for 96 yards.
• Senior SirQuarius Ball hauled in three passes for 42 yards.
• Senior Amir Jones topped the defense with nine tackles.
• Junior Dominico Tejeda tallied eight tackles, including two quarterback sacks for minus 14 yards.

UP NEXT

• The Comets travel to play Albion College next Saturday, November 9. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.