Hancock, Mich. — Behind three touchdowns from junior RB Nick Sullivan (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic), the Alma College football team rolled to a 43-0 season-opening win over Finlandia University in the first-ever NCAA Division III game for the host Lions.
For the Scots, the win snapped a seven-game losing streak and marks the first season-opening win since 2009. Alma also recorded its first shutout victory since the 2008 campaign.
Alma jumped on the Lions in the first quarter, scoring the game's first 22 points. Sullivan scored his first collegiate touchdown on the first play of the game, rumbling from 70 yards out, then added a two-point conversion to put the Scots up, 8-0.
On Alma's next drive, sophomore QB Dylan Zaborowski (Jackson, Mich./Michigan Center) added to the lead when he scored on a 18-yard run. Sullivan then found the end zone again late in the first quarter, scampering 18 yards for the score.
After a scoreless second quarter, Sullivan made it 28-0 early in the third when he found the end zone on a 39-yard run for his third score of the afternoon. Sullivan finished the day with 134 yards on six carries.
Sophomore WR Daniel Hugan (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Huron) added a score halfway through the third quarter after he caught a screen pass and ran 75 yards for the touchdown. The Scots then wrapped up the scoring near the end of the third when junior RB Grant Wilson (Redford Township, Mich./Thurston) notched a touchdown from three yards out.
Overall, the Scots posted 424 yards of total offense, including 316 on the ground. The Alma defense held Finlandia to just 179 yards, including only 52 yards rushing. Junior LB Jacob Chittenden(Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) led Alma with nine tackles, while senior DL Terry Calagon(Jackson, Mich./East Jackson) added seven tackles, including two for a loss of 8 yards. Calagon also had 1.5 sacks.
Alma will remain on the road to open the 2015 season, traveling to Bloomington, Ill., on Saturday, Sept. 12, to face the Illinois Wesleyan Titans. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. at IWU's Tucci Stadium.
NOTES
- The game marked Alma's first season-opening win since 2009, halting a five-game skid in season-opening contests.
- The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Scots dating back to a 26-23 loss to Trine on October 4, 2014.
- The victory marked the first shutout win for the Scots since Sept. 6, 2008, when they blanked Bluffton (Ohio) by a 49-0 margin.
- Alma's 43 points were the most scored since October 8, 2008, when they put 56 on the board against Kalamazoo.
- Nick Sullivan's three touchdowns in one game is the most by a Scot since Jarrett Leister scored three times against Heidelberg on September 3, 2011.
- Senior WR Erik Hines (Menominee, Mich./Menominee) has caught a pass in 21 consecutive games. Hines caught two passes for 31 yards. Hines ranks 21st in career receiving yards with 1,078 and is on the cusp of becoming the 15 Scot to catch 100 or more passes during his career. Hines has 97 career catches.
- Terry Calagon recorded his 200 career tackle during the contest. He now has 201 in his career, including 14 sacks, the most by a Scot since the 2003 season. Calagon's 32 career tackles for loss, including two today, rank him second among Scots since the 2003 campaign.
QUOTES
Head Coach Greg Pscodna
On the win …
"The first play of the game was key for us. The run by (Nick) Sullivan let the air out of their sails a bit. We had a good first quarter and piled it on a little bit. We need a lot of improvement in the second quarter and on third downs, and we gave up some big pass plays, so there's a lot of things to improve on. Overall, it was a good victory for us."
On Nick Sullivan's day …
"For his first career game, I thought he did a tremendous job. He came into camp in tremendous shape and it showed today. He's got some decisive speed and he got out into the open and outran their secondary. That was very nice to see. On one of his touchdowns he played to the whistle, wasn't down, and scampered up and scored. He did a tremendous job for us."
On the shutout …
"I think the kids realized that was a goal going in. We bent a little bit - they had the ball a couple of times in the red zone - but our defense held on key fourth downs. The defense did a good job, but there are some improvements to make to get ready for Illinois Wesleyan next week."
Contact: Paul Thomas (989-463-7114, thomaspw@alma.edu)