Bulldogs Lead Wire-to-Wire in 31-23 Win at Wisconsin Lutheran
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The load was carried for the second straight week by junior Kyle Smock and for the second straight week, the Adrian College football team won. This time the Bulldogs hit the road for the first time this season and defeated Wisconsin Lutheran by the final score of 31-23.
Smock carried 35 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns after rushing over 200 yards in last week's win against Defiance. Smock gave Adrian the lead with two first-quarter touchdowns from two yards with 6:35 left in the quarter and one-yard out with 3:26 left in the first.
Josh Stodola and Zach Shaw were a lethal pitch-and-catch combo for the Warriors connecting for three touchdowns on the afternoon. The first one covered 68 yards with 3:05 left in the first and cut the Adrian lead to 14-7.
Justin Hemm and Aaron Tenney also were on the same page as they accounted for two touchdowns on the day. Hemm hauled in a 24-yard scoring strike with 12:43 left in the second as Adrian scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions.
Dustin Salliotte upped the lead to 24-7 at the 5:58 mark of the second and it looked like the Bulldogs would run away with a win. The Warriors had other ideas as they got a big break early in the third as a snap over Salliotte's head on a punt went into the end zone for a safety.
Stodola capped off a 6:33 drive which covered 61 yards after the free kick with a 17-yard scoring grab to cut the lead to 24-16 with 6:03 left in the third. Adrian had an answer however and Hemm caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Tenney with 10:31 left in the game to give AC a 31-16 lead. The Warriors got the game back into a one-possession contest as Stodola's third touchdown grab covered 19 yards with 5:40 left in the game.
Adrian had to punt after a three-and-out, but Wisconsin Lutheran's Donavin Tucker fumbled on the third play of the next drive for the fourth turnover of the game for WLC. Adrian ran eight plays and converted two first downs to run out the clock.
Tenney finished 8-of-11 for 145 yards through the air. Hemm caught three passes for 76 yards. Charles Fleck led the defense with seven tackles and also had a fumble recovery and interception for 30 return yards. Kevin Kleine recorded six tackles and a sack for a loss of five yards. The Bulldogs are now 2-1 and will have a bye week next before beginning MIAA action on Sept. 29 at home against Hope College.
