On a cloudy and muggy Homecoming afternoon, the Alma College football team went searching for their first win of 2013 as MIAA foe Olivet College came to town for the league opener. The Scots, on the cusp of victory, saw the game slip through their fingertips as the Comets won a thrilling 20-13 overtime contest at Bahlke Field.

With the loss, Alma is now 0-5 in 2013 and 0-1 in the MIAA, while Olivet improved to 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in the league.

"I'm proud of my guys, but we just need to find a way to win," said Alma Head Coach Greg Pscodna. "I told them after the game that we are right there, but we've got to find a way to win. We gave up the go-ahead score and then came down and kicked the 47-yard field goal, so Jack did a tremendous job and we were able to get that far.

"Olivet's running back got loose in overtime, and we had a negative play to start our drive off and that put us in a hole. Tough loss for everyone involved."

After an Alma punt on their first possession, Olivet drove 58 yards on 13 plays to the Alma 22-yard line. The drive stalled and the Comets attempted a 39-yard field goal that was blocked by Alma Jr. DB Adam Nelson (St. Clair Shores, Mich./U of D Jesuit), preserving the 0-0 score.

Alma's next drive was stymied by an interception by Sr. QB Jarrett Leister (St. Louis, Mich./Mt. Pleasant) that gave Olivet the ball on the Scots' 35-yard line. However, the Comets could not take advantage and turned the ball over on downs after four plays.

The Scots then embarked on a very impressive 17-play, 64-yard drive that stalled on the Comets' 10-yard line. But, Alma was able to take a 3-0 lead as Sr. K Jack Pryde (Royal Oak, Mich./Royal Oak) kicked a 27-yard field goal. After the Scots's defense held on three plays, Alma's offense was poised to strike again.

The home team made the score 10-0 as Leister completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jr. WR Tyler Watters (Williamston, Mich./Williamston) with 3:48 left in the half. That would prove to be final scoring of the first frame, as the Scots had the 10-point advantage at the midway point.

However, Olivet is undefeated for a reason and the visitors came out of the locker room at halftime with a renewed vigor for the game. They proceeded to march down the field on a 77-yard, eight-play drive that took 4:11 off of the clock. Olivet then cut the deficit to 10-7 as QB Braden Black ran for a one-yard.

Neither team would score again until late in the contest as the final five plus minutes got quite interesting. After a negative yardage punt by the Scots gave the Comets the ball at their own 41-yard line, Olivet had a solid 59-yard, nine-play drive that culminated with a Black 12-yard touchdown score. However, a missed extra point kept the Olivet advantage at 13-10 with 47 seconds remaining in the game.

A short kickoff and a solid return by So. TE Troy Gahm (Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord) gave Alma the ball at midfield with 43 ticks left on the clock. The Scots earned one first down before the Olivet defense held Alma to a fourth down at the Comets 30-yard line. It was Pryde time and the kicker would not disappoint. With six seconds remaining, he calmly lined up and booted a 47-yard field goal that was good from over 50 yards and the game was tied at 13-13, heading into overtime.

Olivet received the ball first in the extra frame and on their third play, RB Javier Lara rushed 17 yards for a touchdown and following the point after, the Comets led 20-13. This gave the ball to the Scots with the home team having to answer to keep the game alive. However, that was not to happen for the Scots on this Homecoming day. A fourth down pass from Leister to So. RB Grant Wilson (Redford Township, Mich./Lee Thurston) was dropped and the game was over with Olivet earning the seven-point road win.

Statistically, the game was about as even as the score. Olivet had 17 first downs, while Alma finished with 15. Total yards also went to the Comets by a slim margin of 293-279 but time of possession favored the Scots by 30:17 to 29:43.

Individually, Leister finished with 14 completions on 27 attempts for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wilson was the leading rusher for the Scots with 42 yards on 10 carries, while Watters paced the receivers with five catches for 97 yards and a score.

On defense, Nelson paced Alma with 10 total tackles and had the field goal block. So. LB Gavin Smith (Westphalia, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia) was next with eight tackles, including 0.5 for a loss, while Sr. DL Frank Furnari (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt) finished with seven tackles and 1.5 for a loss. As a group, the Scots recorded a season-high five quarterback sacks (by five different players) and had nine tackles for loss. Sr. LB Austin Smith (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) had a solid day with one sack, a tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one pass break-up.

Alma continues their season next Saturday afternoon when they play at defending MIAA champion Adrian College. Kickoff is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.