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On Oct. 15, Olivet’s football team hosted Trine University for the Comets’ second MIAA game of the season. 1,085 fans were in attendance at the Cutler Athletic Complex.
The Comets had the ball first, but Trine’s defense held and forced Olivet to punt. Trine earned the first points of the game, scoring a touchdown with 7:30 left in the first quarter. The Thunder missed the extra point, making the score 6-0.
Early in Olivet’s next drive, sophomore quarterback Evan Ormsby connected with senior Jalen Broussard for a pass that took the Comets to the Trine 40-yard line. A holding penalty backed Olivet up to their 48-yard line, but a facemask penalty on Trine gave the Comets a first down.
Freshman Samuel Kunnuji ran the ball to the Trine 7-yard line, and then Ormsby threw a touchdown pass to Broussard. An extra point by senior Sam Roose made the score 7-6 in favor of Olivet, with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter.
Olivet’s defense quickly forced Trine to punt, and the Comets got the ball back on their own 36-yard line with 2:13 left in the first quarter. Ormsby found Broussard yet again, for a 52-yard pass that landed the Comets on the Trine 12-yard line.
Two consecutive runs by senior Nuke Crowell followed by an Ormsby sneak put Olivet on the Trine 2-yard line. The first quarter ended there, with the Comets leading 7-6.
Freshman Dontal Wright capped the Olivet drive with a touchdown run to begin the second quarter. Roose successfully kicked another extra point to put Olivet up 14-7.
Trine responded by driving down the field to the Olivet 22-yard line. The Thunder threw an incomplete pass on third down, but the officials called pass interference on Olivet, giving Trine a fresh set of downs.
Two tackles for loss by Olivet coupled with a Trine false start led to the Thunder attempting a 27-yard field goal. Olivet senior Ricky Williamson blocked the kick, so the Comets took over on their own 20-yard line.
Olivet was forced to punt, and then the Comet defense stopped Trine. The Thunder tried to punt, but the kick was blocked by senior Logan Fee. Olivet got the ball back in Trine territory.
Trine intercepted an Olivet pass on the 1-yard line, and then drove to their own 30-yard line. The Comet defense held, leading to another Trine punt. At halftime, the score was 14-6 in favor of Olivet.
Trine received the opening kickoff in the second half but fumbled the ball. Olivet recovered it and scored quickly on a touchdown run by Crowell. Another good extra point from Roose made the score 21-6 with 14:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Trine drove down the field but threw an interception in the endzone. Olivet’s offense made it to midfield before stalling, and the Comets punted the ball away.
Trine scored a touchdown shortly after, and the Thunder completed a two-point conversion attempt to make the score 21-14 with 1:22 left in the third quarter. The period ended with the same score, with the Comets driving down the field.
Olivet was stopped by Trine and punted, giving the Thunder the ball back with 14:02 remaining in the game. The Comet defense forced a punt of their own, leading to an Olivet drive that made it to Trine’s five-yard line. Roose kicked a 22-yard field goal to put the Comets up 24-14 with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter.
Williamson and senior David Curl both recorded sacks on Trine’s next drive. However, Trine converted a fourth down and 11 play, scoring a touchdown to make the score 24-21 with 3:49 left on the clock.
Trine’s defense stopped Olivet, and the Comets punted. The Thunder were able to drive to Olivet’s 10-yard line and kick a 27-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime.
Trine won the overtime coin toss and chose to give Olivet the ball first. Ormsby threw another touchdown pass to Broussard, and Roose kicked the extra point to put Olivet up 31-24. Trine responded with a touchdown of their own, evening the score.
In double overtime, Trine scored first and failed to get a two-point conversion. Crowell rushed for an Olivet touchdown to even the score, and the Comets were stopped on their two-point conversion try as well.
In the third overtime, both teams were given a chance to complete a two-point conversion. Olivet did not convert, and Trine did. The final score was 39-37 in favor of the Thunder.
Stat leaders for the Comets were Ormsby with 157 passing yards, Crowell with 94 rushing yards, and Broussard with 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Fee led the way defensively with nine tackles, while Curl had three sacks.
Olivet continues its season next Saturday with a 2 p.m. game at Hope College.
Photos by Abbey Peters.