By Scott DeWeerd, '15

The Albion College special teams unit propelled the Britons to a thrilling 37-36 overtime win against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival Hope College inSaturday afternoon's Homecoming showdown at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium. 

Hope lined up for a game-winning field goal from 28 yards out with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 30. But Seth Hubbard and the Albion special teams unit overpowered the Hope line making a crucial block to send the game to overtime. Just minutes later they were at it again as Hubbard got his hand on a Hope extra point attempt to seal the overtime victory for the Britons.

"We tell our kids special teams decide close game," Head Coach Craig Rundle said. "They made the plays down the stretch." 

The game jumped out to a quick start with Hope's Brandon Zervas returning the opening kickoff 57 yards. The Flying Dutchmen found the end zone five plays later. 

Charged by a fired up homecoming crowd, Albion responded with a 79-yard touchdown drive capped by a one yard run from bruising tailback Colin Parks. 

The high-powered offenses continued to exchange blows throughout the game, combining for 951 total yards of offense. 

"The offense took care of business," said Rundle. "They made the key plays. [Quarterback Dominic] Bona played well and made great decisions." 

Bona completed 39-of-48 passing attempts for 348 yards and three touchdowns, coming up clutch on multiple occasions. Bona commanded a critical 79-yard drive in the fourth quarter and followed it with a two-point conversion to tie the game at 30 and ultimately send the game into overtime. 

The Albion rushing attack combined for 128 yards against a stingy Hope run-defense. Mike Czarnecki compiled 77 yards on 17 carries including a five-yard game-winning touchdown run. Parks added 54 yards on 10 carries. 

Tyler White and Zach Brigham took turns dominating the Hope secondary, combining for 25 catches, 222 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns on the day. White had 10 catches in the first half and Brigham had 9 catches in the second half. 

Linebacker Collin Ahrens came up big on the defensive side of the ball making 15 tackles including a tackle for loss. Chris Jakubik, Anthony Waite, Dave Van Ittersum, and Dillon Erivin added eight tackles each. 

Albion is now 2-2 overall. 

"It was a big win for us," said Rundle. "There is no margin for error with only six conference games. We want to control our own destiny." 

The Britons return to the field next Saturday at 6 0'clock when they host a Kalamazoo College team making its conference debut.