ADRIAN, Mich. – Facing a 13-3 halftime deficit, the Adrian College football team had a season-defining moment entering the second half. The Bulldogs and Flying Dutchmen both were fighting to stay in the MIAA title race with a second conference loss essentially taking them out of the picture. Adrian (6-2, 3-1 MIAA) responded by outscoring Hope, 24-6, in the second half to complete a 27-19 comeback win at Docking Stadium.
The first half was filled with miscues by the Bulldogs as they committed four turnovers in seven drives and were staring at a 10-point deficit heading into the locker room. Cameron Cook put Adrian ahead 3-0 with 6:09 left in the first on a 25-yard field goal before the Flying Dutchmen scored the next 13 points. Aaron Mick kicked a pair of field goals (29, 36) to give Hope a 6-3 lead and then with 1:17 left in the second it was Brandon Zervas with a seven-yard touchdown run capping off an 80-yard drive that lasted 3:27. The Bulldogs and Flying Dutchmen converted 2-of-7 on third down in the first half as Hope outgained Adrian by a 194-136 margin in total offense.
The Bulldogs got a huge break on the first play of the third as Robert Kish fumbled and Wallen Augustin recovered at the Hope 23-yard line. Adrian kept it all on the ground in seven plays before Jeremy Wortham's two-yard touchdown run with 11:59 left in the third made it 13-10.
Hope's next possession yielded just two plays and on the second play, Kish was sacked by Damon Fuller who jarred the ball loose and it was recovered by Nate Boardman. He scooped it up and ran two yards to the Hope 16-yard line. Once again, Adrian kept the ball on the ground and eventually settled for a 20-yard field goal by Cook with 8:01 left in the third to tie the score at 13-13.
The Flying Dutchmen moved the ball into Adrian territory on their next drive but Reggie Duncan fumbled at the Adrian 38 forced by Matt Sullivan. Juwan King jumped on the ball for a third straight takeaway by Adrian's defense to start the second half. Adrian scored on the turnover moving 62 yards in nine plays and taking 4:17 off the clock. Emmanuel Stewart rushed for the final 19 yards of the drive including an eight-yard scamper with 2:47 left in the third for an Adrian 20-13 lead.
The Flying Dutchmen began the fourth quarter lining up for a 33-yard field goal attempt by Aaron Mick. He yanked the kick wide left as Adrian's defense gave up 60 yards on the drive but no points. Adrian used a tough-man drive which lasted 9:09 and culminated with a 14-play, 80-yard drive with just one pass completion of 18 yards on third-and-6 from Hope's 23-yard line. Wortham punished the Hope defense with a five-yard touchdown run with 6:06 to play giving the Bulldogs a 27-13 lead.
Hope converted on fourth down three times on their next drive including two pass interference calls against Adrian, but failed to get fourth-and-6 at the Adrian 25-yard line turning it over with 2:43 to go. The Bulldogs ran the clock down to 1:38 but had their punt blocked and recovered by Hope at the Adrian 11-yard line. Kish connected on an 11-yard touchdown with 1:14 remaining and Mick missed the extra point for a 27-19 score. Ellis Ewing recovered the onside kick for Adrian and the victory formation was on.
Adrian gained 311 total yards and rushed for 185 yards on 56 carries. Hope gained 314 total yards including 217 on the ground. Hope was held to 3-for-13 on third down while Adrian was 9-for-17. Dae'Von Robinson led Adrian with 81 rushing yards. Connor Storms needed to punt just twice but averaged 49 yards. Charles Fleck led the defense with 11 tackles and also picked off a pass in the end zone for a touchback.