KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Adrian College football team remained undefeated at 7-0, 3-0 MIAA on Saturday with a 52-21 win over Kalamazoo College inside WMU's Waldo Stadium. It was a complete team win for the 19th-ranked Bulldogs who have won nine straight dating back to last year and eight in a row over the Hornets.
It did not take Adrian long to establish a tone in this contest. On the second play of the game, Bryan Garbarino intercepted Kalamazoo quarterback Nick Jones and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown just 52 seconds into the game. Jones' pass was deflected into the air and Garbarino's fourth interception of the season gave Adrian a 7-0 lead.
Kalamazoo answered right back on their next possession moving the ball 78 yards in just six plays. Jones found Colin Leffert for a 26-yard scoring strike with 12:15 left in the quarter to tie the game at 7-7. It looked like a shootout might be in hand, but the Adrian defense ended those thoughts.
After a stalled drive by Adrian's offense at the Kalamazoo 42-yard line on their next possession, the Hornets coughed up the ball on their first play and Garbarino fell on the loose ball at the Hornet 35-yard line. Adrian took advantage of the turnover and moved 35 yards in eight plays capped off by a Ce'Juwon McFerrin one-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. Adrian led 14-7 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
After a Kalamazoo punt, the Bulldogs drove 82 yards in 10 plays with quarterback Brandon Miller throwing a fade route in the end zone to Isiah Cross from five yards for the scoring play. Adrian led 21-7 with 13:44 left in the half after the Logan Mitseff extra point. The Bulldogs forced another punt and took over at their own 24 with 10:32 left in the opening half. On the fourth play of the drive, Miller went deep to Justin Hemm for a 61-yard pitch and catch to give Adrian a 28-7 lead with 8:46 left in the second.
McFerrin and the offense were not done there as they mustered one more scoring drive in the first half to take a 35-7 lead into the locker room. McFerrin's four-yard run, his second of the day and seventh of the season, capped off a 74-yard, eight-play drive with 26 seconds left in the second.
The second half was a ball-control offense for the Bulldogs and added to their lead with a 23-yard Mitseff field goal with 8:43 left in the third for a 38-7 lead. The defense got into the end zone for the second time in the game on Kalamazoo's next possession. Hunter Juntunen scored his first touchdown with a 45-yard fumble return for a score after a Dimeko Price turnover to make it 45-7 with 7:05 left in the third.
Hemm from Miller capped off the scoring for Adrian with a 34-yard acrobatic catch with 13:34 left in the game for a 52-7 advantage. The Hornets scored two touchdowns against Adrian's reserves in the fourth quarter.
Adrian outgained Kalamazoo, 458-298, including a 222-99 edge on the ground. AC was 10-of-17 on third down and limited the Hornets to 4-of-13 on third down. Adrian held the ball 38:34 compared to 21:26 for Kalamazoo. The Bulldog defense forced four turnovers and lost the ball on one fumble for a plus-three in that category.
Miller completed 13-of-19 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Hemm caught seven balls for 154 yards and two scores. It was his sixth career-100 yard receiving game. Damon Brown carried 28 times for 121 yards. It was his third 100-yard game of the season and second in a row. Juntunen made five tackles to go along with his fumble return for a touchdown. Juwan King also had five tackles and a pass breakup.