The Bluffton University football team hosted Trine University for its home opener on a beautiful Saturday, Sept. 14. The Trine rushing attack and a pick-6 was too much for Bluffton to overcome as the Beavers fell to 0-2 following a 35-20 setback.

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The Beavers would strike gold first when sophomore quarterback Zachary Nobis (Bryan) hit Darian Greeley (Belleville, MI/Chippewa Valley) out of the backfield for a 26-yard touchdown pass and 7-0 Bluffton lead. Trine responded with 21 unanswered points for a 21-7 lead after one quarter of play. Bluffton would tack on three more when kicker Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) drilled a 34-yard field goal to cut the Thunder lead to 21-10.

Trine hit paydirt two more times and would ultimately seal the 35-20 victory. With 36 seconds left in the game, freshman McKinley Hunter (Canton, Ga./Cherokee) blocked a Trine punt allowing Antonio Crossty (Wooster) to scoop and score, making it 35-20, but too late for a Bluffton comeback.

Bluffton totaled 376 yards of offense with 247 yards passing and 129 yards on the ground. Nobis went 10-of-21 for 162 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions on the day. Ryan Markoff (Centerville/Valparaiso University) and Samuel Coleman (Troy/Wilmington) would also see playing time, combining on 5-of-11 for 85 yards in the contest. Jontez Chaney-McClarin (Cleveland/Hocking College) led the Bluffton receivers with 63 yards total on the day. The Bluffton defense limited Trine to just 270 yards of total offense, controlling the ball for nearly 34 minutes.

Crossty led the way on defense with 11 tackles. Senior Ronald Vargyas (Delta/Delta) notched his first career interception and he chipped in with five tackles. Hunter was in on nine stops, while John Boyd III (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) wrapped up seven tackles. Junior defensive back Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) knocked down a field goal midway through the final stanza, giving Bluffton two blocked kicks on the day.

Bluffton is back in action next Saturday, Sept. 21, when the Beavers host Franklin College in the first of two home matchups with the Grizzlies this season. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Alumni Field.