Adrian College Falls 17-12 to Calvin on Homecoming, Drops to 0-2 in MIAA

Penalties and a failed fourth-down conversion in the red zone doomed Adrian's homecoming despite 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns from Braiden Whitaker against Calvin.

Adrian College lost 17-12 to Calvin in MIAA football on Saturday, Oct. 3, dropping its homecoming game at Docking Stadium and slipping to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs, who opened the season with a win over Ohio Northern behind three interceptions from Luke Stento, remain winless in the league.

Pregame festivities included the Misty Blues Skydiving team parachuting onto the field with the game ball, but the Bulldogs had trouble sustaining anything once kickoff arrived. Adrian drew eight penalties for 70 yards. "We had a hard time getting the flow together," head coach Joe Palka said. "It's just undisciplined football offensively and we just can't tolerate it. We're going to have to take a hard look at that and that kind of stuff's going to have to get cleaned up."

Calvin struck first after an early defensive stop, with kicker Sal Ruffino converting a 43-yard field goal. Adrian needed just four plays to answer, as quarterback Jake Wright connected with Braiden Whitaker on a 58-yard touchdown pass over the middle. A blocked extra point left the Bulldogs in front 6-3.

The Bulldogs later stiffened at their own goal line to end a Calvin possession that ran 21 plays, chewed up nearly seven minutes and covered 94 yards. But after an Adrian three-and-out and a strong punt return gave the Knights favorable field position, Thomas Vaccaro hit Luke Michmerhuizen for a 10-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left in the second quarter, sending Calvin to halftime with a 10-6 edge.

The blocked extra point shadowed the Bulldogs after the break. Trailing by four in the third quarter, Adrian kept its offense on the field for a fourth-and-short inside the red zone, and a deflected pass ended a 14-play drive with no points. Calvin took advantage, mounting an 87-yard march that Vaccaro finished with a 37-yard touchdown throw to Hunter Hogan for a 17-6 lead.

Wright and Whitaker teamed up again in the final minute to cut the margin to 17-12, but the Knights recovered the ensuing onside kick and closed out the victory.

Whitaker finished with 11 receptions for 158 yards and both Adrian touchdowns, his third 100-yard receiving performance in the past four games. Riley Dunbar chipped in eight catches for 60 yards. For Calvin, Vaccaro completed 23 of 37 passes for 211 yards and two scores while pacing the Knights on the ground with 70 yards on 11 carries, and Michmerhuizen led the receiving corps with eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Palka said his message to the team afterward centered on persistence. "I told the team in the locker room that it's not going to get any easier," he said. "You just have to keep fighting. You have to keep working every day. The football gods tend to level things out and hopefully something falls in our favor as we work to get better and improve on what we saw today."

Adrian now heads into a bye week. The Bulldogs return to action Oct. 17 with a trip to Holland to face rival Hope, then host Trine on Oct. 24 in their next home game.