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Kenyon College Athletics

40
Winner Kenyon KEN 1-0 , 0-0
10
Kalamazoo KAL 0-1 , 0-0
Winner
Kenyon KEN
1-0 , 0-0
40
Final
10
Kalamazoo KAL
0-1 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
KEN Kenyon 2 10 7 21 40
KAL Kalamazoo 3 0 7 0 10
Drew Morgan
Graham Stokes

Game Recap: Football |

Air attack, defense carry Kenyon to victory

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Quarterback Drew Morgan threw for four touchdowns and the Kenyon College defense held the Kalamazoo College Hornets to just 237 total yards of offense, as the 2026 football season opened Saturday in favorable fashion for the Owls, who chalked up a 40-10 road win.

The game was decided in the second half, when the Owls outscored the host Hornets 28-7. Prior to that, the only significant separation between the two teams in first-half play was a five-yard touchdown toss from Morgan to sophomore Joey Tramontana. That score pushed the Kenyon team into halftime with a 12-3 lead.

Kalamazoo showed some signs of life in the third quarter, taking its second possession of the second half 74 yards over 13 plays. The drive ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Ledin to Kyler Maiorana. The point-after kick pulled the Hornets within two, at 12-10, with 7:42 left in the third quarter.


Feeling a little pressure, the Owls offense responded two possessions later. Morgan marched the team down the field and, on the seventh play of the drive, connected with first-year receiver Max Heis for a 25-yard scoring strike.


Two possessions after that, it was junior receiver Tyler Gladden's turn to shine for Kenyon. Facing a third-and-seven on their own 23-yard line, the Owls saw Morgan drop in a 38-yard pass to Gladden. The two then hooked up for a nine-yard pass and, on the next play, Gladden drew a pass interference call, giving the Owls a first down. The very next play, Gladden split two defenders and Morgan fired in a strike, leading to a 25-yard touchdown and a much more comfortable 16-point lead for the Owls.


Gladden finished the game as the top receiver, hauling in six passes for 106 yards. Meanwhile, Morgan posted a 22-for-40 day for 342 passing yards and the previously mentioned flurry of touchdowns.


Late in the game, Kenyon continued its air attack and, with 2:33 left, Morgan and Damian Snell connected on a 20-yard scoring play, giving the Owls a 33-10 lead.


Not to be outdone, the Kenyon defense put an exclamation mark on the game with a 25-yard interception return from sophomore Andrew Pohlman and, later, a forced fumble from Rylan Ehrenfeld and recovery by Michael Kerr.


In all, the Owls defense forced three turnovers, allowed only 14 first downs and held the Hornets to just a 25-percent conversion rate on third down. Throughout the game, Kalamazoo struggled to post 62 rushing yards and 175 passing yards, for an average of 3.65 yards per play. 


The victory was even more special for Kenyon head coach Ian Good, a Kalamazoo graduate who came up short in his previous three games, over the last four years, against his alma mater.


Good and the rest of the Owls will return to action next Saturday for the team's home- and conference-opening contest against The College of Wooster Fighting Scots, a squad that lost to Wilmington College, 22-19, in its season-opening game.

 
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Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Play Visiting Team Score Home Team Score
1st Quarter KEN KAL
KEN
06:34 - KEN - Blazevich,Trey 0 yd safety
2 0
KAL
01:30 - KAL - Lewis,Cameron 25 yd field goal 9 plays, 48 yards, TOP 04:17
2 3
2nd Quarter KEN KAL
KEN
07:02 - KEN - Bell,Tyler 41 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 01:26
5 3
KEN
01:25 - KEN - Tramontana,Joey 5 yd pass from Morgan,Drew (Bell,Tyler kick) 10 plays, 68 yards, TOP 04:50
12 3
3rd Quarter KEN KAL
KAL
07:39 - KAL - Maiorana,Kyler 2 yd pass from Ledin,Brayden (Lewis,Cameron kick) 11 plays, 74 yards, TOP 04:44
12 10
KEN
01:03 - KEN - Heis,Max 28 yd pass from Morgan,Drew (Bell,Tyler kick) 7 plays, 58 yards, TOP 03:20
19 10
4th Quarter KEN KAL
KEN
09:49 - KEN - Gladden,Tyler 25 yd pass from Morgan,Drew (Bell,Tyler kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:59
26 10
KEN
02:33 - KEN - Snell,Damian 20 yd pass from Morgan,Drew (Bell,Tyler kick) 5 plays, 33 yards, TOP 03:06
33 10
KEN
01:49 - KEN - Pohlman,Andrew 25 yd interception (Bell,Tyler kick)
40 10

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