Oct. 21, 2006

game stats

Bulldogs slip at Hope, 20-28
Dutchmen rally with third quarter surge

By Ed Patino, Sports Information Assistant

HOLLAND, Mich.-- For one half, the Adrian College Bulldogs appeared ready to climb into a first-place tie in the MIAA race.

The Hope College Flying Dutchmen had other ideas in the second half.

A pair of touchdowns early in the third quarter lifted Hope to a 28-20 victory over the Bulldogs at Holland Municipal Stadium, putting Adrian’s conference title chances in peril.

For Adrian (3-4, 2-2 MIAA) to earn a share of the MIAA championship, it will have to win out, have Hope (4-3, 4-0 MIAA) lose twice and Olivet lose once. Both the Dutchmen and Olivet hold the tiebreaker with the Bulldogs for the NCAA playoff qualifier.

The Dutchmen have won eight of the last nine meetings with Adrian. The Bulldogs lone win in that span came in the 2002 homecoming game. Adrian’s last victory at Holland Municipal Stadium came in 1997.

Hope caught a break early in the first quarter after the Bulldogs forced a punt on the opening possession. A fumble on the return was recovered by Hope at the Adrian 27-yard line, and two plays later Jake Manning hit Doug VanEerden for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

The Bulldogs answered with a 24-yard field goal with 4:49 remaining in the first quarter, then saw their defense take over the half. Adrian harassed Manning into throwing four interceptions on Hope’s next five drives. Mark Westenberg picked off two passes, while Steven Spratt and Kyle Dunaj each intercepted one.

After Spratt’s interception and a personal foul against Hope, the Bulldogs found the end zone. Desmond Upshaw caught Andy Denryter’s pass and outraced the Dutchmen for a 35-yard touchdown, giving Adrian a 10-7 lead just over five minutes into the second quarter.

Adrian had a chance to extend its lead five minutes before halftime, but was stopped on a fourth-and-three at the Hope 41. Dunaj’s interception with 1:13 left preserved the Bulldogs’ three-point lead at the break.

Momentum shifted to the Dutchmen in the second half as the opening kickoff was fumbled by the Bulldogs and recovered by Hope at the Adrian 22. David Booko ran in a five-yard touchdown three plays later, giving Hope a 14-10 lead. After the Bulldogs went three and out, Manning capped a seven-play, 40-yard drive with an eight-yard pass to Andy Serrano, making it 21-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Bulldogs went three and out on their next three possessions, but put together a nine-play, 65-yard drive early in the fourth quarter. Spencer capped the drive with a 25-yard field goal, bringing Adrian to within eight with 10:27 remaining.

The Dutchmen missed a chance to seal the win as Chris Bowen missed a 23-yard field goal, but Adrian was forced to go three and out on the ensuing possession. Joey Goeb returned the punt to the Adrian 10, and Booko ran in a seven-yard touchdown two plays later, making it 28-13 with 4:28 remaining.

Adrian took to the air on the ensuing possession and went 79 yards on 12 plays. Denryter found Chester Evans in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass, pulling the Bulldogs to within 28-20.

The Bulldogs appeared to have a chance to get the ball back with 1:29 remaining, but Booko gained eight yards on a third-and-five, sealing the win for the Dutchmen.

Denryter had his first game without an interception, completing 23-of-48 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Upshaw caught 10 passes for 174 yards, while Evans had six catches for 64 yards. Adrian was held to 43 net rushing yards. T.J. Williams led the Bulldogs’ ground game with 64 yards on 12 carries.

Defensively, Tavarski “Taz” Wallace recorded a game-high 18 tackles. A.J. Marry added nine tackles, while Matt Spangler had nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Aaron Kieltyka recorded 1.5 sacks, while Joel Howland had a sack. James Abercrombie made eight tackles for the Bulldogs.

Booko finished with 170 yards on 41 carries to pace Hope’s offense. Manning was 10-of-26 passing for 134 yards, while VanEerden caught five passes for 60 yards. Josh Thorington had 14 tackles and two sacks for the Flying Dutchmen.

The Bulldogs will look for their first road win of the season Oct. 28 when they travel to Wisconsin Lutheran. Adrian defeated the Warriors 31-14 last year in the final game at Maple Stadium. This will be the final conference meeting between the teams, as the Warriors will leave the MIAA after this season.