TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A career and record breaking day for
Luke Lovell helped the Albion College football team remain perfect, cruising to a 49-17 win over Rose-Hulman. With six touchdown passes, the sophomore tied an Albion record for the most in a game with three other Briton quarterbacks (
Kyle Thomas, '19, Dominic Bona, '14, Travis Rundle, '00).
Including his six touchdown tosses, Lovell was 15 of 23 for 321 yards – a new career-best.
Senior
Mark Tocco hauled in six catches for 129 yards – setting a new career-high – and a pair of touchdowns.
Brendan Teal caught just three passes, but brought down two for touchdowns.
Jackson Cooney was a perfect 7 for 7 in PATs.
Defensively,
Ricky Pearson and
Larry Platt led the visitors with eight tackles apiece. Junior
Nick Fannon ended the day with 2.5 TFL.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As advertised, the Briton defense forced a RHIT three and out. With the ball at midfield, Albion capitalized on the great field position – highlighted by a 23-yard run by
Phillip Jones-Price. Jones-Price finished the day with 53 yards on the ground.
Two plays later, Lovell connected with Teal for a 3-yard TD and a 7-0 Briton lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Engineers used a long drive to tie the game at seven – a score that would hold until the end of the first quarter.
After the Briton defense got a fourth down stop at their own 40, the visitors cashed in with a 2-play, 60-yard drive to put themselves back on top, 14-7. Two big plays – coming from the tremendous tandem of Tocco and Teal – pushed Albion ahead.
Later in the second quarter, RHIT tacked on a field goal, but the Brits were poised for one more touchdown before the half. In four minutes, Albion went 91 yards before the drive culminated in a 28-yard Teal touchdown for a 21-10 lead at halftime.
With the ball first in the new half, the visitors inflated their advantage when Lovell once again found Tocco – this one for 34 yards. Up 28-10, the Britons added another touchdown on their next possession, when Lovell scampered into the end zone on a 6-yard rush.
CJ Weems brought in a 2-yard touchdown grab to increase the Briton lead to 42-10 late in the third quarter. Albion's final score came in the opening minute of the fourth, as Lovell hurled a deep pass to
Bailey Edwards for the seventh TD for the Brits.
"Today was a really solid team win against a quality, well-coached opponent on the road," said head coach,
Dustin Beurer. "The offensive line handled their different looks on defense and we were able to physically run the football."
Beurer on Lovell and the receivers: "Luke was dialed in at QB and it was nice to have [Brendan] Teal back in the fold at wide receiver. [Mark] Tocco continues to be Tocco and make plays and block … Bailey [Edwards] and CJ [Weems] chipped in with big catches as well."
Beurer on the outstanding defense: "I really liked how physical our corners played on their perimeter screen game and the guys in the box completely negated the run game."
Beurer on moving forward: "We had an improved day on special teams, but we need to improve on areas of discipline, as penalties played a role early in the game."
UP NEXT
After handling their first road test with east, the Britons remain on the road next weekend. Albion will head to UW-Eau Claire for a 1 p.m. CST kickoff.
