Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
ALBION, Mich. – Dominic Bona passed for 296 yards and four touchdowns, Mike Czarnecki rushed for 240 yards and three scores, and Colin Parks contributed 135 rushing yards and a 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Albion College outlasted the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 65-52, in front of a spirited Community Day crowd at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium.
Czarnecki scored on runs of 65 and 92 yards in the second quarter, but it was his 6-yard run with 2:57 to play that gave the Britons the lead for good. Albion moved the ball into Stevens Point territory when Parks ripped off a 22-yard run and 15 more yards were assessed on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Bona and Mikal McKoy hooked up on a pair of screen passes to move the ball to the Stevens Point 34, and Czarnecki covered the remaining yardage on the next two plays.
"I don't think we played our best game, but we made plays when we needed to," Albion Head Coach Craig Rundle said. "Our ability to run the ball was the difference."
Parks scored his touchdown after Stevens Point had turned the ball over on downs at its 25-yard line.
Jeremy Shepherd tacked on Albion's final score of the night when he returned an interception 60 yards with 1:08 to play. It was one of three interceptions on the night for the defense afterAnthony Waite and Davis Simon picked passes in the first quarter.
Stevens Point quarterback Kyle Larson threw for 389 yards and five touchdowns, but he was harassed by Briton defensive linemen Jarrett Bochniak and David Van Ittersum who combined for a pair of sacks and four hurries.
"I was pleased with our defensive performance," Rundle said. "I thought we came out and played strong early on. For us to get three turnovers and get a score was big."
Nearly lost in the scoring was the fact that Bona became Albion's all-time passing yardage leader. Bona has thrown for 6,144 yards in his three-plus seasons, eclipsing the Steve Wasil's mark of 6,018 from 2002-05.
Albion continues non-league play Sept. 12 at Augustana (Ill.). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Eastern Time.