Manchester Moves to 2-1 with Dominate 42-21 Win at Kalamazoo
September 20, 2008
KALAMAZOO, MI - Manchester College (2-1) picked up right where they left off last week against Earlham, posting a dominate 42-21 win against the Hornets of Kalamazoo Saturday afternoon. After a 7-7 tie late in the first quarter, the Spartans added 21 points before intermission to stretch their advantage to 27-14 in a game in which they never trailed.
It was a total team effort for the Spartans as both the offense and defense turned in solid outings in the team's second straight win. The Manchester offense racked up 523 total yards of offense and the defense held the Hornets to 283 yards of offense.
Junior quarterback Caleb Grimes (South Haven, Mich./H.S.) threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 150 yards and two more scores to lead the MC offensive effort.
Brandon Wells (Woodburn , Ind. /Woodlan) began and concluded the Spartan scoring Saturday afternoon. The junior running back gave the Spartans a 7-0 lead on a three yard touchdown run and ended the scoring with 11:39 to go in the fourth quarter on a four yard touchdown run. Wells finished with 91 yards on 20 carries.
Manchester will look to stay red hot, but will have to do so after an off week next Saturday. The black and gold have posted back to back victories and have scored over 40 points in each win.
MC will travel to Terre Haute for a date with Rose-Hulman on October 4. Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM.
In other conference action.
Anderson (1-2) found the win column on the road in a dominate 47-14 win at Earlham. The Ravens' offense was impressive, piling up 432 yards of total offense. AU led from start to finish and held a 26-7 lead at halftime. Junior quarterback Chase Thurston (Yorktown , Ind. /H.S.) completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 296 yards, and three touchdowns, while adding a touchdown run of five yards in the victory. Thurston connected on a 50 yard touchdown strike to sophomore Zach Duke (Bargersville , Ind. /Centre Grove) to begin the scoring and added a 43 yard touchdown to Chris Russell (Terre Haute , Ind. /North) a minute later to make it 13-0 Ravens. Duke finished with 82 yards on eight catches, while Russell added 87 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. The Anderson defense was equally efficient Saturday afternoon, forcing five Earlham turnovers and scoring twice on interception returns for touchdowns in the second half. The Ravens will look to carry their momentum through an off week before opening the conference schedule at home against Hanover (0-2) on October 4.
Bluffton University (0-2) continued to struggle offensively in a 34-7 loss at Adrian . The Beavers lone score of the game was a 27 yard Dylan Moore (Greenwood , Ind. /H.S.) interception return for a touchdown, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter. Adrian 's offense turned it on after trailing 7-3, scoring 31 straight points to end the contest. BU could not move the ball against the Bulldogs defense, finishing with -16 yards rushing and 111 yards of total offense. Junior quarterback Brock Miller (Cincinnati , Ohio /Oak Hills) completed 12 of his 29 passes for 101 yards and an interception. The Beavers will have their home opener against Kalamazoo next weekend.
Defiance (0-3) failed to find the win column in a 42-14 loss to Trine in what was dubbed "The Clash of Mother Nature's Wrath" by ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning." The Jackets cut the deficit to 14-7 when junior defensive back Dustin Supan (Litchfield , Ohio /Buckeye) returned a Thunder pass 59 yards for a touchdown. Trine added a touchdown to make the game 20-7 before junior receiver Dan Mull (Garlon , Ohio /Northmor) caught a Rick Powell (Rochester , Mich. /Cousino) pass for an 11 yard touchdown. Trine went on to score the game's final 22 points to blow the game open in the fourth quarter of play. Powell finished nine of 15 passing for 105 yards and a touchdown in the Jackets home opener. Senior running back Lewis Caralla (Tampa , Fla. / East Lake ) paced the DC running game with 76 yards on eight carries. Defiance will have next weekend off before opening conference play at home against Franklin October 4.
Rose-Hulman (2-1) was unable to move to 3-0 to start the season, falling at home on Hall of Fame Day 25-15 to Greenville (IL). The Engineers' offense was unable to get jumpstarted in the loss, totaling 242 yards on the afternoon. Rose tied the game at 8-8 on a four yard touchdown run by junior running back Calvin Buetel (Huntingburg , Ind. /Southridge) early in the second quarter. Buetel finished with 77 yards and a score on 17 carries. Greenville took the lead for good late in the first half on a nine yard touchdown run and a 63 yard touchdown pass, giving the Panthers a 22-8 halftime lead. Greenville finished with 247 yards on the ground to help pace their offensive attack against the RHIT defense. The Engineers struggled to convert on third down all afternoon, finishing 3 of 14 on third down conversions. Rose will open conference play next weekend at Mount St. Joseph (2-0). Kickoff set for 6:30 PM.