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ALBION, Mich. -- Needing a win, the Albion College football team got what they needed with a 31-24 win over Trine University. The Britons hand the Thunder their first conference loss of the season, keeping the playoff hopes alive. Albion improves to 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the MIAA.
Jack Bush was 17 of 30 for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior Kolby Canfield led all receivers with a season-high 113 yards. Jacob Clark had another solid game, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Junior Kalil Brown finished with a team-high nine tackles for the Britons. The reigning MIAA Defensive Player of the Week, Mitch Arendsen, tacked on seven tackles -- two for loss.
Hunter Williams continued his impressive campaign this season. Out of his four punts, three landed inside the 20 yard line.
Trine scored on their first drive of the game for a quick 6-0 lead. Stephen Douglas got his hand on the PAT, blocking the kick and keeping the score at 6-0.
On the ensuing possession, the Britons took the lead. Brendan Teal got the hosts in great field position with a 56-yard kickoff return. Back-to-back first down passes to Canfield and Teal put the Britons inside the five. Clark busted through the Thunder defense into the end zone, knotting the game at six. Jackson Cooney's PAT was good, lifting Albion to a 7-6 advantage.
After a big third down stop from Brown and Casmer Johnson, Trine was forced to punt. Aided by a big drive from Clark, the Britons took a 14-6 lead with a Kyle Thomas touchdown. Another Cooney PAT extended Albion's lead.
With 10 minutes to play in the second quarter, the Britons tacked on their third TD of the afternoon. Bush found Thomas who hauled in a 4-yard pass for a 20-6 lead. Cooney remained perfect on PATs on the day, sailing it through the uprights to boost the lead to 21-6.
Trine immediately answered on the next drive, cutting the score to 21-13.
Albion pushed the lead to 28-13 by the half. Getting the ball on their own 22 with 1:10 on the clock, big plays by Canfield and Justin Thomas marched the Brits downfield. A roughing the passer penalty aided Albion's drive, which ultimately resulted in a 10-yard TD pass to Teal.
In the waning seconds of the third quarter, Albion scored their final points of the game courtesy of a 42-yard field goal by Cooney.
Trine made the game interesting down the stretch with another touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Albion defense would hold strong, eliminating any chance for the Thunder to tie the game.
Albion was an efficient four of five in red zone chances. The Briton defense also turned in five sacks, costing the Thunder 34 yards.
Trine outgained the Albion offense, but the Britons were efficient with the ball, only punting on four possessions. The Briton defense forced the visitors to punt eight times in the contest.
A matchup for first place is on the horizon for the Britons. Albion travels to Hope College next weekend for a 1 p.m. contest. Currently, the Flying Dutch is undefeated in MIAA play.