Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
By Scott DeWeerd, '15
The 21st-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University Titans snuck out of Sprankel-Sprandel Stadium with a 35-28 win over Albion College in a back-and-forth game fit for the Britons' home opener.
Trailing 35-21 with under four minutes remaining, the Britons commanded a 61-yard drive capped by an 8-yard run by quarterback Dominic Bona on 4th-and-goal. Down by a touchdown with one minute to play, Albion's last hope for a comeback was an onside kick — but IWU's Fernando Lozano fell on the ball to end Albion's chances.
When asked whether the team's goals were still ahead of them, Head Coach Craig Rundle responded, "Well, we play every game to win." Though disappointed with the loss, Rundle added that he still has high expectations for his team. "We can still make the playoffs."
The Britons out-gained the Titans by 113 yards of total offense and 13 first downs. Albion also impressed on special teams where it compiled 243 total yards, thanks in part to a huge day from electric runningback and punt/kick returner Michael Czarnecki. Czarnecki had four punt returns for 154 yards, including an 89-yard return for a touchdown in the second quarter, two kick returns for 33 yards, and 55 yards rushing on 15 carries.
"[Czarnecki] is a great player," said Rundle. "We're looking to get the ball in his hands any way we can."
Junior runningback Colin Parks also had an impressive day, rushing for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries. Bona added 187 yards through the air on 21-of-35 passing, as well as 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Tyler White had nine receptions for 100 yards.
On the other side of the ball, senior defensive end Dillon Ervin terrorized the Titans all game long. Ervin blew the running game up at the point of attack finding the ballcarrier in the backfield on five different occasions. Linebacker James Hartley was all over the field racking up nine tackles, one of them in the backfield, in addition to breaking up several pass attempts. Cornerback Chris Jakubik came up big in run support notching eight tackles of his own.
Despite some stellar individual performances, the Britons were crippled by turnovers and penalties. Much to the ire of their coach, Albion threw three interceptions and fumbled twice.
"We're killing ourselves out there," Rundle said. "We're not giving ourselves a chance to win. There were too mangy critical mistakes. We have to play smarter."
Despite the tough loss, the Britons have much to look forward to after playing neck-and-neck with one the country's top programs. Albion travels to Wisconsin next Saturday seeking their first win on the season against Concordia University. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time.