ANGOLA, IND. -- Trine University football scored on its first three possessions of the game and quickly jumped out to a 20-0 advantage against Hope (Mich.) College on its way to a 50-14 win against the Flying Dutchmen in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Associationgame at Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium in Angola, Ind.
The Thunder rushed for nearly 300 yards as a team (282) against the Dutchmen with junior Lamar Carswell (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) leading the way with 115 yards on 23 carries (5.0 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. It marked his third straight game with 100 or more yards. Senior Mark Wilson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) recorded 17 touches for 95 yards (5.6 ypc.) and scored once.
Senior quarterback Evan Wyse (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) posted his third game this season with three or more TD passes (three) while throwing for 134 yards and completing five-of-10 passing attempts. He also rushed for 32 yards and had one TD.
Junior Jeffery Barnett (Fremont, Ohio/Ross) had his second 100-yard receiving game of the season with 131 yards on five catches and was on the receiving end of two TD completions.
The Trine defense also had another strong outing, holding Hope to 265 yards of total offense (86 rushing and 179 passing) and came away with four takeaways on the day (one interception and three fumble recoveries). Sophomore Simeon Washington (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) had a team-high eight tackles (one solo and seven assists) to go along with a half tackle for loss. Sophomore Keaton Osborne (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble), sophomore Jared Billcheck (Jenera, Ohio/Arlington) and junior Zach DeMeester (Coldwater, Mich./Coldwater) all had fumble recoveries, while junior Cayleel Hill (Owings Mills, Md./Owings Mills) recorded his team-leading sixth interception of the season.
Trine (7-0, 3-0 MIAA) looked to make a statement early, scoring on its first possession of the game after receiving the opening kickoff, and marched 75 yards in eight plays in a Carswell-heavy drive that saw the tailback touch the ball six times, including a scoring play of five yards that gave the Thunder a 7-0 lead. Trine went on to score on its next two drives that ended in a pair of TD passes from Wyse, beginning with a 20-yard strike to senior wideout Andrew Bonfiglio (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) and an 11-yard hookup to Barnett as the Thunder led, 20-0, after the first 15 minutes.
After punting the ball to Hope to end a drive that carried over into the second quarter, Trine got the ball right back thanks to a Dutchmen fumble on their first play at their own 46-yard line. The ball was scooped up by Osborn who returned it 34 yards to give the Thunder offense possession at the Hope 12-yard line. On back-to-back runs by Wilson, the senior broke through to score on a five-yard scamper, putting Trine on top, 27-0, with 13:29 to go in the half. Hope (5-2, 3-1 MIAA) looked to mount a possible rally, recording consecutive scoring drives to pull to within 13 points, 27-14.
But the Thunder answered with back-to-back scoring drives of their own. Freshman kicker Ryan Hibbets (Monticello, Ind./Twin Lakes) extended the lead to, 30-14, with a 40-yard field goal with a little more than a minute remaining. Following a quick three-and-out by Hope, Trine had one more chance to add some possible points with a drive that began with 46 seconds left before the break at midfield. The Thunder took advantage and scored on their very first play when Wyse found Barnett for a 50-yard completion to swing all momentum back in favor of Trine and took a 36-14 margin into the locker rooms.
Hope began the third quarter with the ball, but turn the ball over on a fumble that was recovered by Trine's Zach DeMeester. Trine turned the turnover into more points with a scoring drive that ended with a two-yard run by Carswell, his second TD of the day, to blow the game open, 43-14, with 12:19 to go in the frame. The final points of the quarter came on a 13-play, 48-yard drive by the Thunder that was capped by a one-yard run by Wyse, making the score, 50-14, in favor of Trine heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter saw Hope drive down to the Trine 10-yard line early in the period, but would be forced into a fourth-down play that could have ended in a touchdown, but a Dutchmen receiver couldn't pull in the pass, ending the drive and giving the ball back to the Thunder. Neither team scored any points the rest of the way, but it was Trine who came out on top, 50-14, and remained unbeaten.
Trine will travel to Adrian, Mich. for a MIAA matchup against Adrian College next Saturday, Oct. 28. The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.