ADRIAN, Mich.--Sophomore quarterback Jack Wurzer completed 24 of 32 passes for a school-record 403 yards and four touchdowns to lead Adrian to a come-from-behind 34-31 victory over visiting Alma in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football and Family Weekend action on Saturday.
THE BASICS
= Final Score: Adrian College 34, Alma College 31
= Location: Kapnick Field at Docking Stadium; Weather: Sunny, 61 degrees, Wind SW 11 mph
= Records: Adrian Bulldogs 3-3 overall, 2-1 MIAA; Alma Scots 4-2 overall, 2-1 MIAA
TOP DAWGS
= Senior Colton Randle ran 15 times for a game-high 74 yards.
= Junior Henry Wilson recorded career- and game-highs of seven catches and 197 yards with two touchdowns.
= Sophomore defensive back Steven Moses (7 solo) and freshman linebacker Blake Masterman (5 solo) paced the Adrian defense with eight total tackles apiece.
= Junior Donald Scott also had two TD receptions on five catches for 69 yards.
= Senior Jalen Parker tied his career best of three receptions and established a personal-record 75 yards.
= Freshman linebacker Dwight Mann added seven total tackles (3 solo) on defense.
THE OPPOSITION
= Quarterback Mason Ippel rushed for 36 yards on 18 carries with a pair of TDs and was 8-for-23 while throwing for 95 yards.
= Max Kretzschmar posted game highs of nine tackles and 10 total stops.
= Reigning MIAA Defensive Player of the Week Patrick Hite had eight total stops, including 3-and-a-half tackles for loss of six yards.
= Thor Soffredine (7 solo) and Stephen White (6) chipped in eight and six total tackles, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
= Adrian, which trailed three times, took the lead for good with 12 minutes and 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when Wurzer found Wilson for 61-yard catch-and-run along with the home team sideline into the end zone. The Bulldogs led 27-24.
= The Bulldogs got an insurance score late in the game on a long drive that ended with a 30-yard TD strike from Wurzer to Scott. Adrian marched down the field in 11 plays that covered 80 yards and ate up 7:18 on the clock.
= The see-saw affair began with the first Wurzer-to-Scott connection of 8 yards at the 6:05 mark, capping a 16-play, 83-yard drive in 8:13.
= Alma tied it 7-7 thanks to a 72-yard interception return for a TD by Kretzschmar to open the second-quarter scoring just 42 seconds in.
= The Scots took its first lead of the afternoon with a Zach Clements 20-yard field goal at 5:41 left in the first half to go up 10-7 at the break. They got the three points after a Bulldog fumble at the home 40.
= Adrian opened the second-half scoring at 10:01 of the third quarter when Wurzer plunged into the end zone on a quarterback sneak from a yard out, completing on another sustained drive that consumed 4:59, 10 plays and 91 yards. The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead, 14-10.
= Alma went up 17-14 about six minutes later as Ippel had a 1-yard TD plunge of his own. It was set up by a blocked punt at the hands of Dontae Burks that put the ball at the Adrian 18.
= But the Bulldogs regrouped and scored on their ensuing possession in quick fashion. Wilson caught a 47-yard TD pass from Wurzer as Adrian went back on top, 20-17, after a 3-play, 65-yard drive in 94 seconds.
= The Scots took their last lead on the next time holding the ball and started the scoring in the final frame. At the 14:49 mark, Jarrett Bright grabbed a 7-yard TD pass from Chase Hinkle for an Alma 24-20 advantage.
= After the Bulldogs scored 14 unanswered points to take control, Alma tried a comeback of its own that fell short. Ippel had a 4-yard rushing TD with just 92 seconds remaining to account for the final score of 34-31.
= The Adrian defense had a huge stop early in the second quarter. After a Bulldog punt traveled just 5 yards to the Adrian 16-yard line, Alma had a short field to work in a 7-7 game. Austin Spratlin was tackled for a 1-yard loss at the Adrian 8 by Brandon Kwiatkowski and the 'Dogs had the turnover on downs.
= The Bulldogs dominated the statistical scoreboard: first downs (27-17), total offense (518-221) and passing yards (403-102).
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
= Adrian has won 12 of the last 13 meetings against Alma, which still leads the all-time series 48-32-1 that began in 1911.
= Alma came into the contest with the second-best rushing attack in the MIAA (234.0 ypg), but the Bulldogs' defense held the Scots to a season-low 119 in MIAA play.
= Mike McGee previously held the Bulldogs' single-game passing yards record with 386 at Kalamazoo College on Oct. 3, 2009.
= Wurzer's 24 completions are a career best and the fifth-highest total in school history.
= The Scots see their four-game win streak snapped and fall from a three-way tie for first place in the MIAA.
= Wurzer strengthens his lead in the MIAA with 264.3 passing yards average. Mason Opple has the second-best figure at 173.2 ypg.
= Wilson leads the conference with 112.8 receiving yards per game.
UP NEXT
= Adrian travels to MIAA foe Albion next Saturday at 1 p.m.
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