Adrian College football done in by costly mistakes in homecoming loss

ADRIAN – Moments before the kickoff of Adrian College football's homecoming game, every spectator inside Docking Stadium directed their gaze toward the press box. No, they weren't looking at the dashing media members sitting comfortably enjoying their pregame chicken tenders.

Rather, they watched as members of the Misty Blues Skydiving team descended from the blue sky above to deliver the official game ball to the field.

Their landing — smooth as silk — was in stark contrast to the product the Bulldogs presented on the field.

Adrian never found a rhythm, falling 17-12 to Calvin on Saturday, Oct. 3, in a game riddled with self-imposed errors. The Bulldogs were penalized eight times for a total of 70 yards in the loss.

"We had a hard time getting the flow together," head coach Joe Palka said. "It's just undisciplined football offensively and we just can't tolerate it. We're going to have to take a hard look at that and that kind of stuff's going to have to get cleaned up."

Calvin opened the scoring after getting an early defensive stop. The Knights drove into Adrian territory and kicker Sal Ruffino converted a 43-yard field goal.

On the fourth play of Adrian's drive, quarterback Jake Wright found wide receiver Braiden Whitaker on a deep shot across the middle for a 58-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs took a 6-3 lead after the extra point was blocked.

After two punts, Adrian used a goal-line stand to halt a 21-play Calvin drive that spanned almost seven minutes and 94 yards. Despite forcing the turnover on downs, a three-and-out, followed by a quality punt return, again set the Knights up in good field position.

With 29 seconds remaining in the first half, quarterback Thomas Vaccaro connected with wide receiver Luke Michmerhuizen for a 10-yard touchdown, giving Calvin a 10-6 halftime advantage.

The Bulldogs' missed extra point came back to haunt them in the third quarter. Trailing by four points, Adrian elected to leave its offense on the field on fourth-and-short in the red zone. A deflected pass put an end to a 14-play drive.

The Knights used the momentum from that stop to their advantage. Calvin responded with an 87-yard drive, capped off by a 37-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Hunter Hogan, extending its lead to 17-6.

Adrian cut the deficit to 17-12 in the final minute, thanks to another touchdown pass from Wright to Whitaker. The Knights recovered an onside kick attempt to seal the victory.

Braiden Whitaker, WR, Adrian – Whitaker hauled in 11 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs' receiver has recorded more than 100 receiving yards in three of his last four games.

Riley Dunbar, WR, Adrian – Dunbar snagged eight catches for 60 yards for the Bulldogs.

Thomas Vaccaro, QB, Calvin – Vaccaro went 23-for-37 passing for 211 yards and two touchdowns. The Knights' signal caller also led the team in rushing with 70 yards on 11 carries.

Luke Michmerhuizen, WR, Calvin – The Knights' wide receiver finished with a team-high eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

"I told the team in the locker room that it's not going to get any easier," Palka said. "You just have to keep fighting. You have to keep working every day. The football gods tend to level things out and hopefully something falls in our favor as we work to get better and improve on what we saw today."

Adrian falls to 2-3 (0-2 MIAA) on the season. The Bulldogs will be off next week before traveling to Holland to face rival Hope on Oct. 17. Adrian's next home game will be on Oct. 24 against Trine.

Contact sports editor Quinn Richards at QRichards@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Quinn_Richa.