OLIVET, Mich. – The Trine University football team dominated their hosts from The University of Olivet in a Thursday night Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest.
The Thunder won the game 59-7, with 52 of those points coming in the first half. Those 59 points are the most by the team since the first week of the 2023 season, when Trine scored 61 against Anderson (Ind.) University.
The ground game led the way for the Thunder offense, which finished with 317 yards. A pair of rushers led the way for the team each finishing with more than 120 yards. Saleem Felder came up with 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Cortaveon Barnett finishing with 121 yards and three touchdowns.
Not to be outdone the defense forced six turnovers in the contest. For the second time this season the Thunder had four interceptions from three different defenders. Roman Schrock had a pair, taking one to the house for six points. Evan Smith and Cooper Keith had the other two. Blake Lincoln and Cal Lockhart each recovered a fumble to round out the turnovers.
The Comets started the game with he ball and fumbled the ball twice during the drive, with the second ending up as a turnover. Barnett quickly scored for Trine with a 29 yard run on the first play from scrimmage.
The Thunder got the ball back quickly with RJ West II making his first mark on the game. The junior quarterback connected on three straight passes to move the ball to the five yard line. He then ran into the endzone on a second down play to make the score 14-0.
Schrock ended the next drive with a 38 yard pick-six to continue to build the dominate performance and finish the scoring in the first quarter.
The Thunder went on to score 31 more points in the second quarter to build a 52-0 lead at halftime. Barnett scored two more rushing touchdowns and Felder added is first to account for 21 of the points. Zack Pillow scored the other touchdown on a 22 yard reception from West II. Bryce Hufford finished off the scoring with a 36 yard field goal.
Felder scored the final points of the game for Trine with a 78-yard run in the early part of the third quarter. The backups and their backups took over for the remainder of the contest and despite some moments of offensive success, failed to score any more. The Comets finally got on the board in the fourth quarter with a touchdown of their own to give the final score of 59-7.
West II finished the game as the leading passer with 144 yards on 12 completions. He had the one touchdown and an interception. Rashawn Street was the top target with 70 yards while Pillow finished second with 35.
Emil Drake led the team with six tackles while Cole Basey came in at second with five. Semajj Brooks, Anthony Trudell and Ridge Howard each finished the game with a sack.
The Thunder improve to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play after the victory. They will travel to face Calvin University for their next game on Saturday, October 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
