Game Leaders
Team Stats
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Time of Poss.
DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College recovered from an early misstep on Saturday but saw the visiting Bulldogs eventually pull away for the 27-6 victory over the Jackets inside Justin F. Coressel Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It only took 63 seconds for Adrian to grab the lead, as Defiance lost a fumble on its first snap of the contest. AC pounced on the ball at DC's own 17-yard line and scored two plays later to grab the quick, 6-0, edge.
The Jackets steadied themselves however, drawing even two drives later with a 55-yard scoring march. DC kept the ball on the ground for five of the six plays in the drive, as Drew Kuesel and Rick Powell combined for 26 yards on the ground. The drive was capped by a two-yard scamper into the end zone by Powell to force the 6-6 tie with 7:56 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Adrian defense would settle in from there however, allowing just 135 total yards of offense from the Yellow Jackets over the final 52:56 of play. The scoring drought allowed AC to build a lead with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter that gave the Bulldogs a 20-6 cushion.
Neither side dented the scoring column in the second half, until Adrian took possession inside DC's 15-yard line after a failed fourth-down try with 2:06 left in the game. AC capitalized on the field position and a fatigued Yellow Jacket defense to push the spread to its final 21-point margin.
Defiance was led by 69 yards on the ground from Kuesel and 51 yards on five catches from Brian Mircovich, while Tony Sierra had 12 tackles and Hunter Robertson ended with nine stops and a sack.
The Jackets (0-2) will begin Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday, when it hosts Hanover (0-2) for a 1:30 pm start on Homecoming.