By Scott DeWeerd, '15

Albion College edged Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association foe Olivet College by a foot Saturday afternoon — Cody Lehman's foot. Kicking into a 13 mile per hour wind, the senior blasted a 37-yard field goal through the uprights with three seconds remaining giving the Britons a thrilling 30-28 victory. The kick was the longest of Lehman's career. 

"It was a big kick for Cody," said Head Coach Craig Rundle. "He missed some kicks early on but I had complete confidence in him once we were inside his range." 

The game-winning scoring drive began after Olivet downed a punt on the Albion 5-yard line with 3:50 remaining in regulation. Dominic Bona and Collin Parks led the Britons 75 yards in 16 plays while making five crucial third down conversions in addition to a three-yard run by Parks on fourth-and-one  

"Parks and Bona came up big," said Rundle. "They made plays when we needed them to." 

Bona completed 24-of-40 passing attempts for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Parks had 105 all-purpose yards, 38 coming on the game's final drive. Mike Czarnecki added 109 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Tyler White and Zach Brigham led the Britons in receptions with seven apiece. Brendan McClorey recorded his first career touchdown reception. Chris Jakubik led the defense with 16 tackles. 

The day started out poorly for the Britons as Olivet controlled the first quarter scoring 14 points and holding Albion to just five total plays. But Bona exploited a hole in the Comets' secondary on the first play of the second quarter and Albion found the end zone for the first time three plays later. The Britons scored 27 consecutive points and led 27-14 entering the fourth quarter. 

"The first quarter was rough," said Rundle. "Our offense couldn't get on the field. But the defense responded to the challenge and played well down the stretch." 

Olivet mounted their comeback scoring on back-to-back possessions in the fourth, taking a 28-27 lead with eight minutes remaining. 

The Britons racked up 443 yards of total offense on the day and improved to 4-4 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. 

Albion hits the road next Saturday, Nov. 8, as it travels to Alma for a 1 o'clock showdown.