Defiance Football Comes Up Short in Season-Opener Against Adrian (Mich.)

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  The Defiance College football team came out on the wrong end of a 35-13 decision against Adrian (Mich.) College in the season opener at Justin F. Coressel Stadium.

Adrian (1-0) capitalized on its first possession of the game in the first quarter with an impressive nine play, 66-yard drive that ended in a 15-yard touchdown completion.  The Bulldogs would miss the extra point attempt, but led 6-0 at the 9:49 minute mark.  Defiance (0-1) looked to answer on its ensuing drive and marched to the Adrian 27-yard line, but the drive would stall and end on downs, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.  In DC's next possession, the Yellow Jackets found paydirt on a 16-yard pass play from sophomore quarterback Alex Larson (Highland, Mich./Milford) to sophomore running back Cody Wilson (McComb) that was set-up earlier by a 27-yard punt return by Wilson.  The Jackets missed on its extra-point try, tying the game at 6-6 with 5:16 to go in the period.  The two TD were all the scoring in the first 15 minutes as both teams went into the second frame tied at 6-6.  

Early in thes second quarter, DC looked to move ahead on the scoreboard with a 31-yard field goal try by senior Spencer Sunders (Springfield/Southeastern Local). but the kick sailed wide left, keeping the game tied at 6-6.  Adrian took advantage of the miss with an 80-yard completion on the first play of their ensuing drive to go up 13-6 with 10:26 left before the half.  The Bulldogs forced the Jackets to a three-and-out on their next drive and then extended the lead with another long pass play, this time of 56 yards to find the endzone and pad the lead to 19-6 at the 7:51 mark.  Adrian missed the extra point following the score, keeping the marging at 13 points.  The final points of the half came on the heals of an interception by Defiance freshman safety Angello Proulx (Warren, Mich./Mott) that gave the Jackets the ball at the Bulldog 25 yard line.  The turnover later led to a one-yard TD run by junior quarterback Andrew Prielipp (Britton, Mich./Britton Deerfield) making the score 19-13.  Momentum shifted in favor of the Jackets as the DC defense got another turnover by way of a fumble, but it would not lead to any points and the deficit remained six points.  Adrian would have one last opportunity to add some points just before the end of the half with a 44-yard field goal attempt.  But the effort would miss its mark for the second time in the game, this time falling short, but the Bulldogs would still lead 19-13 at the break.

In the third quarter, Adrian scored the only points beginning with a three-yard TD completion near the midway point of the period to extend the margin to 26-13.  Momentum shifted back to the Bulldogs as Adrian forced Defiance to a three-and-out drive following the score and avoided a possible turnover on the Jacket punt that was fumbled but recovered by Adrian.  The extra fortune led to an Adrian 23-yard field goal to round out the scoring in the frame and make it a 29-13 ball game heading into the final 15 minutes.

The only points of the fourth quarter were scored by Adrian on a seven-yard pass play  at the 9:15 mark with quarterback Aaron Tenney connecting to Nathan Hartline for the fifth time in the game.  The Bulldogs went for the two-point conversion, but could not convert the pass attempt, making the score 35-13.  Both teams traded interceptions to end their next drives, but neither team would find the endzone again as the Bulldogs went on to claim the 35-13 victory.

Adrian finished the game with 345 yards of total offense (80 rushing and 265 passing) and was led by Hartline who caught five passes for 161 yards and five TD.  Tenney completed 10-of-33 passes for 265 yards and five scores.  Defensively, Jack Carter led the way with 10 tackles (six solo and four assists), including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Defiance accounted for 155 yards of offense (27 rushing and 128 passing) with Larson finishing the game completing six-of-10 passes for 52 yards and a TD.  Larson was replaced by Prielipp who completed four-of-nine for 39 yards.  Freshman Brenden Newvine (Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Prep) finished the game and was four-of-11 for 37 yards and had one interception.  Senior back Trevon Burrell (Auburn Hills, Mich./Avondale) led all Jacket rushers with 29 yards on six carries.  Sophomore wideout Darius Harper (Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee) caught a game-high seven passes for 70 yards.  On defense, Proulx had a game-high 11 tackles (six solo and five assists), including an interception.

Defiance will look for its first win of the season when it hosts Centre (Ky.) College next Saturday (Sept. 13) at Coressel Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.