Nov. 4 , 2006

Bulldogs stand tall, hold off Albion
Fast start, late fumble recovery sparks Adrian win

By Ed Patino, Sports Information Assistant

ADRIAN, Mich.-- The Adrian College Bulldogs survived a tense finish and scored a high-five.
Tavarski “Taz” Wallace and James Spencer enjoyed a milestone day and the Adrian defense forced four turnovers as the Bulldogs held on for a 31-26 victory over the Albion College Britons at the Adrian College Performance Stadium.

Adrian (5-4, 4-2 MIAA) posted its fifth straight victory over the Britons. The Bulldogs also guaranteed a non-losing season for the fifth consecutive year. Albion (4-5, 2-4 MIAA) last defeated the Bulldogs on Oct. 20, 2001 at Maple Stadium.

Wallace made his second tackle of the day early in the second quarter, giving him 400 stops for his career. The senior middle linebacker is Adrian’s all-time career leader in tackles. Spencer became the school’s career points leader when he booted a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter. The senior kicker has accounted for 199 points in his career.

Adrian’s defense set up the game’s first score late in the first quarter. Aaron Kieltyka sacked Albion quarterback Jake Wilson and forced a fumble, which Kyle Dunaj recovered and rumbled 63 yards. The Bulldogs needed just two plays to score as T.J. Williams rumbled 11 yards for a touchdown, making it 7-0.

Williams struck again early in the second quarter. The senior capped a 6-play, 85-yard drive by sprinting for a 24-yard touchdown run, doubling Adrian’s lead.

The Britons answered just less than two minutes later when Wilson found Adam House for a 43-yard touchdown pass. The extra-point went wide left.

After the teams exchanged stalled drives, the Bulldogs responded with 4:54 remaining in the half. Andy Denryter fired a pass to Phil Widzinski, who blazed past the Albion secondary for a 67-yard score, making it 21-6.

The teams exchanged scores again late in the second quarter. Wilson hit House for a 15-yard touchdown with 1:11 remaining, capping an 8-play, 80-yard drive. But Adrian came back with a 60-yard drive in 54 seconds, capped when Denryter hit Desmond Upshaw for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 10 second left.

The Bulldogs took a 28-12 lead into halftime.

Chris Elsey intercepted Wilson at the Albion 39-yard line on the Britons’ second possession of the third quarter, setting up Spencer’s record-setting field goal.

Albion put together a 16-play, 78-yard drive on the ensuing possession that ate up eight minutes. House capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter, pulling the Britons to within 31-19.

The Bulldogs ran into penalty trouble on their next possession, and Albion recovered a fumble at the Adrian 22-yard line. Adrian’s defense was one play away from making a big goal-line stand, but the Britons scored on fourth-and-goal as Wilson connected with Zach Benko for a 5-yard touchdown pass, making it 31-26 with 8:41 remaining in the game.

After being forced to punt, the Bulldogs came up with a game-saving play on defense. With the Britons at the Adrian 23, David Arrasmith fumbled the ball, which Mark Westenberg recovered for Adrian with three minutes left.

The Bulldogs killed 2:54 off the clock before punting. Albion’s deep pass attempt was intercepted by Brandon Mohney, sealing the win for Adrian.

Denryter finished 15-of-21 passing for 192 yards without an interception for the Bulldogs. Williams led the rushing attack with 95 yards on 14 carries, while Denryter ran for 61 yards on 11 attempts. Widzinski had two catches for 95 yards, while Chester Evans made four catches for 44 yards.

Wallace finished with 14 tackles for Adrian’s defense, including a sack. Kieltyka added eight tackles, while Westenberg had seven tackles. Dunaj and A.J. Marry each made five tackles for the Bulldogs.

Wilson finished 13-of-24 passing for 202 yards and an interception for Albion. Peter Shaw made four catches for 94 yards and House added 74 yards on three catches. Anthony Dunning ran for 64 yards on 16 carries. Tim Gough made 14 tackles for the Britons’ defense.

The Bulldogs will conclude the 2006 season Nov. 11 when they travel to Alma College. Adrian has dropped seven of the last eight meetings with the Scots dating to 1997. The Bulldogs’ last victory in the series came in 2003 at Alma. The Scots won last year’s meeting 13-10 at Maple Stadium.