Football loses to Kalamazoo in Home Opener

The Kalamazoo College Hornets used a second half surge to defeat the Yellow Jackets Saturday afternoon, 42-23.

The Basics

• Records: Defiance (0-2) Kalamazoo (3-0)

• Location: Justin F. Coressel Stadium - Defiance, Ohio

• Attendance: 378

Inside The Numbers

• Quarterback Jordan Ambrose completed 20 of 37 pass attempts for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jordan also had 81 yards rushing on 10 carries.

• Tawann Rome was the leading receiver for the Jackets as he hauled in six catches for 145 yards, including a 64 yard touchdown catch.

• Michael Martin and Cole Recker each had a touchdown catch of their own.

• Recker finished the game with five catches for 50 yards and Martin with four catches for 23 yards.

• Running back Tyshaun Freeman led the team in rushing as he finished with 136 yards on the ground on 20 carries. 

• Zeke Sanchez nailed his lone field goal attempt and converted 2/3 extra point attempts. 

• Emmanuel Gutierrez punted the ball five times for 180 yards, the longest being a 50 yard punt. 

• Richard Pope and Coi Gossett recorded two sacks during the game.

• Brian Murat, V'Sean Palmer, Alejandro Castro, and Jaylen Redd recorded 4 solo tackles each.

• Brian Murat and V'Sean Palmer recorded led the team with 6.5 total tackles each, while Coi Gossett and Jaylen Redd followed closely behind with 5.5 total tackles each.

• CJ Vance and V'Sean Palmer recorded one interception apiece, picking off Kalamazoo quarterback Josh Nichols.

• Nichols was the leading offensive player for the Hornets as he completed 28 of 42 passes for 347 yards and 5 touchdowns. Nichols also had one touchdown rushing, giving him 6 total touchdowns on the afternoon. 

• Lance Taylor was the leading receiver as he caught eight passes for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns.

• Jonah Spates, Andrew Widger, and Sheldon Riley each hauled in one receiving touchdown for the Hornets.

The Difference

• The Yellow Jackets led 10-7 at halftime but that was short lived as Kalamazoo surged back in the second half, outscoring Defiance 35-13 which was the catalyst for the Hornets 42-23 victory.

Game Notes

• The 482 yards of total offense was the most since 2016 vs Earlham.

• The 226 yards rushing was the most in two seasons. 

• The 6.1 average yards per carry was the highest yards per rush since the 6.5 average vs Earlham in 2011. 

• The defense recorded five total sacks which was the most in a game since 2018. 

• The defense also recorded 8 TFLs.

• Special teams blocked two Kalamazoo kicks. 

• Had 3 takeaways and zero turnovers. 

Up Next

• The Yellow Jackets hit the road again this Saturday, September 24 for a game against Alfred State. Kickoff is scheduled for 12pm.