The Malone University football team lost a hard-fought Mid-States Football Association Mideast League contest at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday afternoon as the host Knights fought back from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit to register a 28-24 victory. After Marian had tied the game 21-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, Malone put together a methodical 73-yard, 19-play drive, grabbing a 24-21 lead with just over two minutes remaining on a 31-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Jake Hardy (Ortonville, MI). However, the Knights got the ball back with 2:11 showing on the clock and proceeded to drive 68 yards on 13 plays, converting a pair of fourth downs before taking their first lead of the game with only 10 seconds to play on a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Rogers to running back William Stubbs. The Pioneers managed to move the ball into Marian territory in the final moments but were unable to reach the end zone before time expired. Malone's record fell to 3-6 and 1-5 in the MSFA Mideast while the Knights improved to 6-4 overall and 3-3 in league play with the come-from-behind victory.

Each team posted 20 first downs in the evenly-matched contest. The Pioneers totaled 174 rushing yards and 210 passing yards for 384 total yards of offense while Marian posted 98 yards on the ground and 272 yards through the air for 370 total yards. Malone converted on nine of 17 third-down conversions and held a slight edge in time of possession (31:23-28:37) but the visitors were also penalized 11 times for 120 yards.

The Pioneers pulled ahead 7-0 midway through the first quarter when senior running back Joe Peters (Oakland, CA) broke free for his longest run of the season, a 62-yard sprint to the end zone. After an interception by Pioneer senior defensive back Jon Latimer (Dallas, TX) brought Marian's ensuing drive to a halt, redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI) pushed Malone's lead to 14-0 with just four seconds remaining in the opening stanza after connecting with junior wide receiver Jeff Perri (Alameda, CA) on a 17-yard touchdown pass.

The Knights cut the deficit to 14-7 at the 11:33 mark of the second frame as they scored the only points of the quarter on a 36-yard TD pass from Rogers to wide receiver Julian Williams. The Pioneers answered back on their opening drive of the second half when Peters took off on his second lengthy touchdown run of the game, this time for 36 yards, to put Malone on top 21-7.

Rogers evened the score at 21-21 after hitting wide out Chris Rutherford on touchdown passes of 15 and 59 yards. Malone then took almost 11 minutes off the fourth-quarter clock with its long drive that culminated in Hardy's go-ahead field goal. Marian had just enough time left, though, as the Knights drove down the field for the game-winning TD.

On the afternoon, Brohl completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 210 yards and one touchdown. Perri caught five passes for 54 yards and one score while junior wide receiver Mike Medina (San Diego, CA) pulled in four catches for 49 yards.

Peters totaled 145 rushing yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns. He also contributed in the passing game with five catches for 42 yards. Sophomore linebacker Matt Vick (Perry H.S.) led all tacklers with 12 stops. Junior defensive back Patrick O'Malley (Padua Franciscan H.S.) followed with nine tackles, including one tackle for loss while Latimer and freshman linebacker Antonio Scassa (Massillon Washington H.S.) each posted six tackles apiece.

Senior punter Mike Skvor (Long Beach, CA) averaged 46.2 yards on four kicks with a long boot of 66 yards.

For Marian, Rogers completed 17 of 29 passes for 272 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Stubbs gained 91 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Rutherford caught six passes for 150 yards and two scores while linebacker Brock Caraboa paced the defense with 11 total tackles.

This week, Malone (3-6 overall, 1-5 MSFA Mideast) will conclude its season with a 1:30 p.m. CST (2:30 p.m. EST) contest at Olivet Nazarene (IL) University. The Pioneers hold a 4-0 lead in the all-time series and defeated the Tigers on the road last season by a final tally of 43-3.

Malone Notes: Saturday marked the first time that Marian, now in its third year of intercollegiate football, has defeated the Pioneers (Although Malone still holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series)…Peters needs just 74 more rushing yards to become the fourth Malone player to rush for 1000 yards in a single season…Latimer needs one more interception to tie the Pioneer single-season record of five.