ALBION -- Jeremiah Major was a major factor, as the Albion College football team gritted out a 24-14 win over Hanover College. In their home opener, the Britons racked up 450 yards of total offense.

This is the fourth consecutive home opener victory for the Britons, dating back to 2018. 

KEY STATS

Major had an unbelievable day on defense, recording a career-high 13 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and one pass breakup. He was the only Brit to finish with double-digit tackles. 

Phillip Jones-Price ran for his third consecutive 100-plus yard day. With 112 yards on Saturday, the junior is now averaging 114.6 yards per game -- ranking him 27th in the nation heading into Saturday. 

Justin Thomas had another stellar day, hauling in five catches for 138 yards and a TD. 

After taking over under center in the second half, Kyle Thomas threw for 102 yards and one touchdown -- to his brother -- on just three attempts. The senior added a score with his legs as well.

Punter Hunter Williams was fantastic all day, averaging 36.4 yards per punt and landing two of his five inside the 20-yard line. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

After forcing the Panthers into a three and out, Albion used a 4-play, 54-yard drive to put seven points on the board early. On third and nine, Jack Bush found Justin Thomas for 17-yards. On the next play, the fifth year senior connected with classmate Kolby Canfield for a strike over the middle, resulting in a 36-yard touchdown. Jackson Cooney sailed the PAT through the uprights, giving the Brits a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. 

Hanover threatened on their next drive, but a Drew Shafer pick at the 28-yard line gave the ball back to Albion.

With 11 seconds left in the quarter, the Panthers tied the score on a 10-play, 74-yard drive. 

A sloppy second quarter from both teams kept the score knotted at seven. Albion got the ball back with 13 seconds before the half and cashed in a field goal. Bush found Brendan Teal for 40-yards, putting the Britons inside the red zone. A Cooney field goal was good, giving the Britons a 10-7 edge at the half. 

Hanover quickly took the lead on their first drive of the second half. An 87-yard drive was enough to put the visitors momentarily ahead, 14-10. 

With 5:32 remaining in the third quarter, Albion started a new drive with great field position -- at their own 44. It took just three plays for the Brits to retake the lead, as Kyle Thomas found his brother for a 56-yard touchdown pass and a 16-14 Albion lead. Another good Cooney PAT gave Albion the lead for good. 

Albion's final score came on their next possession, courtesy of  Kyle Thomas' 11-yard TD rush and another Cooney PAT.

NOTABLE QUOTES

Thomas on taking over under center in the second half: "I still prepare every week to be put in this position … So when the opportunity came I just ran with it and tried to make the best of it."

Head coach Dustin Beurer on the game as a whole: "I think defense and special teams, especially Hunter [Williams] had a great first half …  We want Kyle [Thomas] to be a jack-of-all-trades and he was ready to go when we needed him today … He threw great passes, he showed great pocket presence, a different level of maturity … He wants to win more than anything and it shows."

Beurer on the play of Major: "Jerry Major is probably one of the best players in the conference … He's waited in the wings for his opportunity the last two years, it's hard for really good players to wait, but he's done that and been patient … He's taken this opportunity and ran with it and we are lucky to have him."

Beurer looking ahead to week four: "Fortunately right now we've played three weeks where we haven't played a complete football game with all three units so we have to start doing that going into league play … We've got to clean it up, but I'm excited to see what happens going forward."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

Dating back to 2019, the Britons are now winners of 11 straight games. With the win over Hanover, Albion has not dropped a non-league game since 2017. 

Hanover held nearly a 10-minute edge in time of possession. 

Costly penalties hurt the Brits, as 93 yards of penalties were charged against them. 

UP NEXT

Albion closes out non conference action next week before heading into a bye week. The Brits will host UW-Eau Claire -- who brings a powerful run game -- for a 1 p.m. kickoff.