KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Defiance Yellow Jackets set a new single-game program record for total offense with 663 total yards but a late score lifted the Kalamazoo Hornets to a 42-35 win on Saturday at Angell Field. Defiance falls to 1-2 on the season heading into conference play while Kalamazoo improves to 3-0 for the second straight season.
Yellow Jackets sophomore running back Jacob Deisler (Paulding, Ohio/Paulding) scored three total touchdowns, and senior quarterback Jordan Ambrose went over 100 yards on the ground for the second straight while tossing a season-high four touchdowns as well.
Deisler’s first two scores helped give Defiance the upper hand with a 14-13 lead at halftime before the teams started trading points in the second half. DC took the football first and marched down the field on a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped off by Deisler, who found a seam off the left edge fo the line and rumbled ahead 12 yards for the game’s first points. Kalamazoo answered after just one snap on offense as quarterback Josh Nichols fired the first of his five touchdown passes, a 60-yard dart to Jonah Spates.
The next two Defiance drives ended with a fumble and a missed 34-yard field goal but the defense forced the Hornets to punt until the Jackets took the ball to start the second quarter. Ambrose slung a screen pass to Deisler up the right sideline as the tailback did the rest for his second score of the game when he juked one defender and shook off another to break away for a 29-yard touchdown.
The two squads traded punts for the remainder of the second quarter with just one Defiance first down during that stretch. The lone exception was a second lost fumble by the Yellow Jackets four minutes before the half that Kalamazoo answered five plays later when Nichols linked up with Conner Bell for a 22-yard touchdown. Defiance kept the lead thanks to a missed point-after attempt by the Kalamazoo kicker.
Halfway through the third, the Jackets took their final lead of the game on the second touchdown pass of the game by Ambrose, which was caught by Jadon Scott for his first college touchdown. The Hornets evened the score on their next possession after a 10-play, 82-yard drive that took just two minutes off the clock as Nichols and Spates connected to score for the second time on a 17-yard pass. After the touchdown, Kalamazoo converted a two-point conversion to tie the game. Kalamazoo’s defense stepped up to force DC into a three-and-out and took the lead three plays later when Lucas Hanifan hauled in a 58-yard score from Nichols with two minutes left in the third.
Each team traded punts to close the third before the offense took over in the fourth and scored every time they touched the ball for the remainder of the game.
Defiance tied the game at 28-28 with 8:10 to play when Tawann Rome secured a catch from Ambrose on a seven-yard curl route from the left slot, then he split two defensive backs to race to the end zone for his first touchdown of the campaign. Kalamazoo regained the lead on Nichol’s fifth passing score just a minute and a half later. The scoring continued to run up when Defiance touched the ball next when Ambrose lofted the ball up the right sideline to Deisler on a wheel route out of the backfield that he sped down the right sideline 52 yards for his third score of the game.
The Hornets took over with 5:43 left in the contest with the game tied, 35-35. Kalamazoo orchestrated their longest drive of the ballgame in terms of time by taking 3:27 to reach the four-yard line, which is where running back Jon Brunette toted in the game-winning touchdown. Defiance had one last shot in the final seconds when Tawann Rome caught a 30-yard pass from Ambrose in the end zone, but the potential game-winning touchdown was wiped out as Rome was ruled out of bounds.
In addition to the total offensive output by the Yellow Jackets, the team set a program record with 31 first downs. The offensive split totaled 369 yards passing for Jordan Ambrose on 33 completions, both career-bests, while he also led a 294-yard rushing attack. Kalamazoo racked up 435 yard, including 289 in the air, while possessing the ball for 21:03. Ambrose totaled 120 yards on the ground followed by Tyshaun Freeman’s 96 yards. Deisler rushed for 38 yards and caught six passes for 109 yards, setting career-highs in each category during his first career multi-touchdown game. Rome went over 100 yards for the third time in his career while snagging a single-game-best 11 catches to produce 112 yards. On the defensive side for Defiance, Coty Johnson II led the team in tackles for the second straight contest.
The Yellow Jackets take a week off before beginning the HCAC slate at Hanover on September 30. Kickoff against the Panthers is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.