Sept. 16, 2006

Bulldogs return to form, beat Bluffton, 17-6
Defense stands tall in Adrian’s first win of season

By Ed Patino, Sports Information Assistant

ADRIAN, Mich.-- We now return to your regularly-scheduled Adrian College football madness.

After being shut out in last week’s season opener, the Bulldogs recovered and pulled away for a 17-6 victory over the Bluffton University Beavers at the Adrian College Performance Stadium.

Adrian (1-1) still struggled at times on offense, but showed marked improvement from last week’s loss to Defiance. The Bulldogs gained 333 total yards of offense in the game. Adrian ran for 167 yards and threw for 166. Adrian’s defense continued its strong play, holding Bluffton (0-2) to 153 total yards of offense.

A combination of the run and pass helped Adrian move the ball to the Bluffton 23-yard line on its second possession, but James Spencer’s 40-yard field goal sailed wide left. After forcing the Beavers to punt on the ensuing drive, the Bulldogs cashed in for the first time this season. Adrian quarterback Andy Denryter hit Desmond Upshaw for a 21-yard pass to the Bluffton 6, and two plays later T.J. Williams capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

It didn’t take long for the Beavers to answer, as Jeremy Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. However, Adrian remained in the lead as the Bulldogs blocked the extra-point try.

The teams exchanged long drives the rest of the half, but failed to score. Denryter was intercepted at the Bluffton 2-yard line with just over three minutes remaining. Bluffton drove to Adrian’s 8-yard line, but the Bulldogs blocked Justin Guy’s 25-yard field goal attempt as time expired. Adrian took its 7-6 lead into the break.

Both teams stalled on their first two possessions of the second half, but Adrian began its next scoring drive with 6:10 remaining in the third quarter. The running game of Williams and Anthony Tocco drove the Bulldogs to the Bluffton 26 early in the fourth quarter, then Spencer booted a 43-yard field goal, extending Adrian’s lead to 10-6.

The Bulldogs’ defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, then cashed in again. Adrian drove 51 yards in four plays, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Williams with 9:07 remaining. The scoring run was set up by a 43-yard pass from Denryter to Upshaw two plays earlier.

The Bulldogs killed nearly five minutes on their next possession, then sealed the win as Bluffton quarterback Jared Owens was intercepted by Steven Spratt at midfield with 30 seconds remaining.
Despite throwing an interception, Denryter had an improved week against Bluffton. The senior completed 13-of-21 passes for 166 yards. Upshaw led the receivers with 89 yards on three catches, while Troy Niblock had five catches for 34 yards. Brian McKenna made three catches for 28 yards. Niblock led the ground attack with 77 yards on 14 carries, while Williams finished with 66 yards on 21 carries. Tocco had 28 yards on eight rushes.

Tavarski “Taz” Wallace led Adrian’s defense with 13 tackles, while Kyle Dunaj added 11 tackles. Matt Spangler and Joel Howland each had four tackles, including a sack apiece.

Owens was 12-for-17 passing for 101 yards and one interception for Bluffton. Owens also led the Beavers’ running game with 27 yards on 10 carries. Bluffton was held to 52 rushing yards in the game.

Sam McCullough had a game-high 17 tackles for the Beavers. Taylor Iceman added 13 tackles, while Ed Jackson had 12 tackles and a sack for Bluffton.

The Bulldogs will return to action Sept. 23 when they travel to Pennsylvania for their final non-conference game against Westminster College. The teams are meeting for the first time since 1989. That season, Adrian captured the MIAA championship while the Titans were an NAIA power. Westminster is now an NCAA Division III school playing in the President’s Athletic Conference.

The Titans went 4-6 last season.