Adrian fell short in a comeback bid to Bluffton, 28-21, in a non-conference football contest on Saturday. Junior running back Steven Moses, freshman wide receiver Preston Smith and junior defensive back Brandon Kwiatkowskiall recorded career-high games at their respective positions, but it wasn’t enough.
Moses ran for 159 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns for personal records. Smith led all receivers with nine receptions and 158 yards–both career highs.
Kwiatkowski posted career bests of nine tackles and 14 total stops to lead all student-athletes. Junior Kevin Smitherman added 10 total tackles (6 solo) and a quarterback hurry on defense, while freshmen Alan Roberson (7 total) and Trevon Daniel both made five tackles.
Senior Henry Wilson gained 76 yards on three receptions, averaging 25.3 yards. Junior Austin Behnke averaged 43.5 yards on two punts.
Darian Greeley rumbled for 285 yards on 41 attempts and three TDs. Stephan Kosakowski and Dana Shoulders II both had seven stops (3 solo) to lead the Bluffton defense. Brady Hauenstein added seven total tackles and forced a fumble.
Adrian trailed 14-0 after the first quarter, but fought back to equal the score with 12 minutes and 56 seconds left in the third quarter. Moses scored his first TD of the afternoon at the 3:26 mark in the second stanza from four yards out to cap a 94-yard drive in 12 plays and 6:13 in clock used, and then added 1-yard plunge into the end zone to punctuate a five-play, 76-yard drive over a span of 2:04. The two-point conversion by Moses tied the score at 14-all. Bluffton went ahead for good on a Greeley 3-yard run with 7:08 left in the third. The Beavers PAT failed to make it 20-14.
In the fourth quarter, Kais Chiles added to the home team’s lead when he caught a 6-yard TD pass from Zachary Nobis and the two-point conversion rush by Nobis was good. The Beavers led 28-14 with 9:56 left, capping a 13-play drive that consumed 66 yards and 7:29 in clock time.
At the 4:33 mark, Moses scored on a 2-yard run to account for the final margin of 28-21. The Bulldogs offense couldn’t get the ball back as Bluffton ran out the clock.
Adrian outgained Bluffton in total yards (442-423), while the Beavers led in first downs (28-26) and time of possession (33:56 to 26:04). The teams combined for 561 rushing yards (BU-372, AC-189).
In the first quarter, Adrian was stopped on fourth down for a two-yard loss at the BU1 that could have matched the Beavers’ opening-drive TD and missed another scoring opportunity on a 28-yard field goal try.
This was the first meeting between the programs since Sep. 19, 2009, which was a 41-7 win for Adrian. The Bulldogs lose to the Beavers for only the fourth time in the all-time series, 14-4; Bluffton wins for the first time since 1977 by a 28-23 score.
Today marked Homecoming at Bluffton University as attendance was limited to the University community including faculty, staff and students.
Quarterback Jack Wurzer, who is just a junior, continued his assault on the Adrian all-time record books by making 14 completions for now third with 343 completions (surpassing Dan Hutchison who had 336 from 1996-98 and Pete Mazzoni, 334, 1987-90) and 253 yards passing for second with 5,040 (moving past Bruce Crosthwaite who threw for 4,959 yards from 1984-87) in a career. Wurzer becomes just the second Bulldog to throw for 5,000 yards, and next up is Mike McGee (6643, 2007-10).
Moses is averaging 116.3 rushing yards per game on the season. Wilson went over 1,000 yards receiving in a career this afternoon. He now has 1,004 in his AC career.
Kwiatkowski takes over the Bulldog defense with 15 tackles and 28 total and now has 74 and 123, respectively, for his career. Adrian is scheduled to resume its season in the spring with a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association slate.
This article is largely a repost of an Adrian College press release from Patrick Stewart. For more sports, news and entertainment, follow the Midwest Sports Network on Twitter @MWSNsports or like the MWSN page on Facebook.
