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OPENING DRIVE

The Alma College football team will play its last road game of the regular season, traveling to Angola, Ind., to face the Trine University Thunder. The Scots (5-3 overall, 2-2 MIAA) are 3-1 on the road this season and are seeking their first win in Angola since the 2006 campaign.

SCOUTING THE THUNDER

Trine enters the weekend with wins in five of its last six games and is in third place in the MIAA with a 6-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in league play. Senior QB Brandon Rooze directs the offense and has completed 116 of his 196 passes (59.2 pct) for 1,403 yards and 14 touchdowns - second most in the MIAA - while throwing only four interceptions. Rooze has a trio of receivers to throw to, including sophomore Jeffery Barnett, who leads the team with 39 catches for 506 yards and six scores. Junior Andrew Bonfiglio (35 rec., 425 yds., 4 TDs) and senior Ty Fischbach (30 rec., 386 yds., 3 TDs) are also factors in the Thunder air attack. On the ground, Lamar Carswell, the MIAA's leading back, has missed most of the last two games, leaving the running duties to junior Mark Wilson, who is averaging 4.6 yards per carry with four scores. On defense, senior LB Taylor James owns a team-best 66 tackes , while junior NT Me'Leick Miles has made 60 stops, including a team-high 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Troy Abbs is the head coach of the Thunder and is in his second season after leading Trine to a 6-4 mark and a second place finish in the MIAA a year ago.

THE SERIES

Alma and Trine will meet for the 14th time on Saturday in a series that began in 2003. The Thunder hold a 7-6 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last two meetings, including a 21-20 victory at Bahlke Field in Alma last season. The Scots' last win over Trine came in 2013, while their last victory in Angola was in 2006.

SEEKING SIX

With two games remaining in the regular season, the Scots have already matched their win total from a year ago. Last season marked the first five-win campaign since 2009, and the most wins under head coach Greg Pscodna. Alma's last six-win season came in 2006, while the last time the Scots won more than six games was in 2004.

THIRTY-PLUS

Alma is 5-0 this season when scoring more than 30 points. In addition, the Scots are 11-0 under Head Coach Greg Pscodna when putting more than 30 points on the board. The last time the Scots lost when scoring more than 30 points was September 24, 2011, in a 49-42 shootout at Washington and Lee.

FAST STARTS ... SOLID FINISHES

The Scots have scored first in each of the last seven games and are outscoring opponents by a 71-28 margin in the first quarter this season and own a 171-98 scoring advantage in the first half of games this year. Alma is being outscored only in the third quarter, and is equal with opponents in fourth quarter scoring, 50-50.

COOL RUNNINGS

The Scots are averaging 225.8 yards per game on the ground, 31st-best in NCAA Division III and third-best in the MIAA behind Hope and Trine, the only schools to average more than 200 yards on the ground. Alma has amassed over 1,800 yards rushing this season and currently has the most rushing yards since the 2005 campaign, when the Scots ran for 1,857 yards. The Scots are on pace to have one of the best rushing attacks in school history, as only five teams have rushed for 2,000 or more yards in a single season.

TURNOVERS AND MARGINS

Alma ranks 19th in NCAA Division III with 10 fumble recoveries and is 39th nationally in turnover margin, sporting a +6 mark after eight games. The Scots have intercepted a pass in all but one game this season.

PUSHING THE LINE BACK ...

The Scots are 35th in NCAA Division III with 24 sacks (3.00 per game), and rank 57th in team tackles for loss, averaging 7.5 per game.

... WHILE HOLDING THEIR OWN

Alma is seventh nationally for tackles for loss allowed this season, limiting opponents to just 3.75 tackles per game in their own backfield.

LOOKING INSIDE THE RECORD BOOK ...

• Alma's 1,806 yards rushing is 11th all time and the most in a season since 2005.
• The Scots 24 rushing touchdowns are the most since 2005 and are four shy of the school-record 28 scored in 1969.

THROUGH THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND

Dylan Zaborowski ranks fourth in the MIAA with an average of 209.6 yards passing per game, and is also fourth with 10 passing touchdowns. In addition, Zaborowski is the MIAA's fifth-ranked rusher, averaging 75.1 yards per game, and has scored 10 rushing touchdowns, fourth-best in the league. Zaborowski, who has carried the ball for a career-high 601 yards this season, ranks 44th nationally in total offense, accounting for 284.8 yards per game.

CAREER SCORING YEAR FOR ZABOROWSKI

In addition to his career-high rushing totals, Dylan Zaborowski has scored a career-high 66 points this season to tie for the team lead. Zaborowski, who has more points this season than his first two years combined (54), is 41st in NCAA Division III with 11 total touchdowns and leads all MIAA players in points responsible for (126), a mark that is 50th among NCAA III players.

MOVING ON UP

Dylan Zaborowski moved into fifth place on Alma College's career passing chart on Saturday at Olivet and now has 5,622 yards over the last three seasons as the Scots' primary quarterback. Zaborowski also moved into fourth place for career completions and enters the Trine game with 443. Zaborowski is the fifth signal-caller in Scots' history to throw for 5,500 yards and make 400 career completions.

ZABOROWSKI AGAINST THE THUNDER

Dylan Zaborowski has completed 27 of his 60 passes in two career games against Trine, totaling 285 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, he has carried the ball 21 times for 29 yards and one score.

200 - TWICE

Danny Hugan II became the first player in school history to post two 200-yard receiving games in a career, catching eight passes for a season-high 211 yards and three touchdowns last weekend at Olivet.

1,000 YARDS IN HIS SIGHTS

Danny Hugan II is tied for 10th among Alma College receivers for most yards in a single season, and enters the Trine game with 874, matching Joe Cline's mark from 2007. Hugan is 126 yards away from becoming the fourth 1,000-yard receiver in school history, and the first to accomplish the feat since Cline posted a school-record 1,256 yards in 2006. Hugan is averaging 109.3 yards per game - tops in the MIAA - and ranks in the top 20 among NCAA Division III players for receiving yards (15th), receiving yards per game (19th) and receptions per game (18th, 7.4 rpg).

CAREER RECEIVER

Danny Hugan II is quickly climbing the career charts for wide receivers and currently ranks 13th with 1,695 career yards. Hugan also has 130 career receptions, 12th all time.

TIME TO PLAY THE GAHM

Troy Gahm become the first player in school history to record four tackles for loss in a single game three times in his career with his four TFL performance at Olivet last weekend. Gahm has a career-high 16.5 tackles for loss this season, as well as a career-best 10 sacks to lead the MIAA in both categories. Gahm ranks eighth nationally in sacks and 10th in Division III for tackles for loss.

TACKLING LEADER

Zac Peterson leads the Scots with sits atop the MIAA with 83 total tackles this season. He also ranks 42nd in NCAA Division III, averaging 10.4 tackles per game.

TARTAN TIDBITS

• The Scots are tied for the lead in the MIAA and tank 19th in Division III with a pair of blocked punts, both of which were recorded last weekend at Olivet.
• Alma is leading the MIAA in fewest penalties this season and has only been flagged 36 times, a mark that is 21st in NCAA Division III.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE OLIVET GAME ...

• Danny Hugan II matched a career-high with three touchdown passes and also caught the longest pass of his career, a 75-yard touchdown.
• Caleb Reinhart tied a season-high with 13 carries and posted a season-high 63 yards rushing. He also caught a season-high two passes.
• Joe Hernandez registered a career-high nine tackles, while Colton Tyson made a career-best 17 stops. Cody Coleman matched a career-high with eight tackles.
• Dustin Trip recorded his first career interception.

IF YOU'VE BEEN WITH US ALL SEASON, THESE MAY LOOK FAMILIAR ...

• The Running Man – Nick Sullivan has carried the ball a school-record 185 times this season, surpassing the record 163 times he toted the ball a year ago. Sullivan is the second player in school history to record 148 or more carries in two or more seasons, joining Mackenzie McGrady, who accomplished the feat in 2007 and 2009. Sullivan is averaging 109.1 yards per game rushing, 55th in NCAA Division III, and is seeking to become the Scots' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005. He is currently 236 yards away from the 1,000-yard mark. Sullivan sat out the Olivet game and is expected to miss the Trine game as well.
• Scoring Sullivan – Nick Sullivan has scored a team-high 66 points after eight games this season with 11 touchdowns on the ground to tie for the lead in the MIAA. Sullivan, who ranks 22nd in NCAA Division III for rushing touchdowns, is only four points away from matching his scoring output from a year ago (70 points in 10 games). Sullivan is ranked 41st nationally for total touchdowns and has scored two or more times in three games this season. In addition, Sullivan has found the end zone in each of his last five contests.
• More on Sullivan – Nick Sullivan is the 13th player in Alma College history to rush for 1,500 career yards and is the first player to hit the mark since Mackenzie McGrady, who totaled 1,583 yards from 2007-09. Sullivan moved into 11th place on the Alma College career rushing chart against Albion and has 1,645 career yards, passing McGrady. Sullivan also currently ranks 10th in career rushing attempts with 341 carries.
• Nine for Thelen – Justin Thelen recorded his ninth career interception against Albion, becoming the 12th player in Alma College history to reach that mark. Thelen has a team-high four picks this year, matching his career-high from a year ago, and ranks 28th nationally for interceptions.
• One decade at a time – The Scots have won a MIAA championship in each decade, dating back to the 1900s. Their last league title was in 2004.
• Team captains – Senior RB Nick Sullivan (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers) and senior DB Justin Thelen (Westphalia, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia) are serving as team captains for the 2016 campaign. The captains were voted on by the team.

NEXT UP...

The Scots return home for their regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 12, when they host Adrian College. Alma has dropped its last nine meetings with the Bulldogs and will be looking for its first victory over Adrian since the 2006 season. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Bahlke Field, with the program's 10 seniors being honored prior to the start of the game.