ADRIAN, Mich. – The 2011 season ended on a high note for the Adrian College football team as they posted a shutout against Alma College, 16-0, to finish the season with an 8-2 record and a 4-2 MIAA mark. For the second straight game at Performance Stadium, the Scots failed to score a point after a 7-0 loss in 2009.
The first half saw all of the scoring for the Bulldogs who won for the fifth straight time over Alma. The right foot of senior Logan Mitseff saved the team from leaving the field with no points as three drives stalled inside Alma territory. Mitseff set a career-high with three field goals and scored 10 of the team's 16 points in his final game.
Mitseff capped off a seven-play, 32-yard drive at the 9:54 mark of the first quarter with a 41-yard field goal which split the uprights to give AC a 3-0 lead. Adrian was helped out on their second drive as Alma attempted a rugby-type punt and Austin Montgomery was stripped off the ball by Charles Fleck at the Alma 5-yard line on fourth down. Danny Cobb carried twice for four yards and then junior quarterback Brandon Miller called his own number for a one-yard touchdown dive with 6:12 left in the first to give AC a 10-0 lead. It was Miller's second rushing score of the season.
Senior linebacker Darren Walter halted the Scots next drive as he popped running back Aaron Hahn for a two-yard loss at the Adrian 44-yard line. Sophomore lineman Aaron Gray fell on the ball for the first takeaway of the game for Adrian. The Bulldogs drove down to the Alma 5-yard line but had to settle for a Mitseff 22-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter to make it 13-0.
Senior cornerback Keman Jacobs intercepted Alma quarterback Jarrett Leister on the second play of the second quarter and returned it 48 yards to the Alma 11-yard line for the second takeaway of the afternoon by the Bulldog defense. Once again however the Adrian offense sputtered and Mitseff booted a 20-yard field goal with 11:42 left in the second to make it 16-0.
Neither team scored after that point as Leister was intercepted again this time by senior linebacker Bryan Garbarino midway through the second quarter. Adrian fumbled for their lone turnover of the game on the next possession at the Alma 33-yard line. The Scots moved as deep as the Adrian 35-yard line on their last possession of the first half but could not convert on third-and-11 and had to punt with 1:03 to go until intermission.
The third quarter featured four punts and little excitement as both teams combined to gain 122 yards. The Scots had their best chance at points on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Alma used a 10-play drive and took 5:40 off the clock, but stalled on fourth-and-2 at the Adrian 15-yard line as Hahn rushed for no gain with a tackle by junior Kevin Kleine.
Alma (2-8, 1-5 MIAA) only passed for three yards in the contest. It is not known whether that is a program low for Alma. The Scots ran the ball 45 times for 122 yards (2.7 ypr) and converted just 1-of-12 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down. Adrian gained 286 total yards including 168 on the ground. Freshman Dae'Von Robinson carried 14 times for a career-high 93 yards and also had a career-long 50-yard run. Cobb gained 71 yards on just seven carries. Miller finished 12-of-21 passing for 118 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Junior Justin Hemm caught six passes for 80 yards.
The Adrian defense had nine tackles for loss with three sacks for a loss of 16 yards. Senior end Steve Mauk finished with five tackles and a sack for a loss of 10 yards. Walter ended his career with five tackles including two tackles for a loss of six yards.