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The Malone University football team fell 28-7 to NAIA No. 12 Marian (IN) University on Saturday afternoon in Mid-States Football Association Mideast League action at Fawcett Stadium. The Knights built a commanding 25-0 halftime lead with four second-quarter touchdowns, three of which coming on plays of 30 yards or more. The Pioneers got on the scoreboard just over two minutes into the fourth quarter with a big play of their own as they trimmed the deficit to 25-7 on a 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Karls to wide receiver Matt Kiel. However, Malone was unable to get any closer the rest of the way as Marian tacked on a 32-yard field goal later in the period to account for the 28-7 final. The Pioneers' record fell to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the MSFA Mideast with the loss while the Knights moved one step closer to securing their first ever NAIA playoff spot, improving to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in league play.

Although Malone's defense posted six sacks, recovered a fumble, and blocked both a field goal and an extra point, Marian still managed to post 462 yards of total offense on the afternoon with 366 of those yards coming through the air. The Pioneers countered by registering 127 rushing yards and 134 passing yards for a total output of 261 yards. The hosts also had one field goal blocked, lost two fumbles and were penalized eight times for 90 yards.

After blocking a 48-yard Malone field-goal attempt late in the first quarter, the Knights put together an 11-play, 68-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clay Coomer to running back Clifford Brown. Following a Pioneer three-and-out, a fair catch interference penalty on the ensuing punt gave Marian a first and ten on the Malone 40-yard line. The Knights quickly capitalized on this good field position as Coomer hit wide receiver Julian Williams on a 30-yard touchdown pass with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half. Malone defensive lineman Guilherme Moreira managed to get a hand on the extra point try, though, keeping the score at 13-0.

The Knights struck again seven minutes later as Coomer connected with wide receiver Chris Rutherford on a 91-yard scoring strike, increasing the lead to 19-0 (two-point conversion attempt failed). Marian then wrapped up the second-quarter scoring barrage on its next drive as Coomer tallied his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 32-yard toss to wide receiver JaQuan Patilla.

Karls' 70-yard TD pass, his longest completion of the season, cut Marian's advantage to 18 early in the fourth quarter, but the Knights tacked on the field goal and then recovered two Pioneer fumbles later in the stanza to cement the win.

Running back Markus McFolling paced the Malone ground game with 78 yards on 19 attempts. Karls completed six of 15 passes for 134 yards, including the long TD throw. Kiel posted three catches for 84 yards and one score while tight end Tom Ferron caught two passes for 29 yards. Defensive lineman Cody Carroll had a huge game with six solo tackles, including three sacks and five tackles for loss. Carroll also forced a fumble and got his hand on a Marian field-goal attempt on the opening drive of the game. Defensive back Willie Pearson tallied a team-high seven tackles. Linebacker Wesley Kauffman posted six tackles with one sack and two tackles for loss.

For Marian, Coomer completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 366 yards and four touchdowns. Williams hauled in seven catches for 55 yards and one score. Rutherford caught six passes for 175 yards, including the 91-yard touchdown strike. Running back Joey Neberieza posted 33 rushing yards on 12 carries. Linebacker Brock Caraboa led the way on defense with 13 total tackles, including one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Malone will wrap up its season next Saturday at home with a 2:00 p.m. MSFA Mideast contest against Olivet Nazarene (IL) University. In addition to being “Senior Day”, Saturday's game will also be “Fill Up Fawcett” day and “Church Appreciation” day as local congregations and Kiwanis International team up with the Pioneers to help benefit the Stark County Hunger Task Force and Refuge of Hope. Fans will be admitted to the game free of charge with the donation of at least one non-perishable food item. All churches in attendance, as well as, Malone's seniors will be recognized during the contest.

In addition to a radio broadcast on WNPQ 95.9 FM, free streaming video, audio, and live statistics will also be available on Saturday for fans who are out of town or who cannot make it to Fawcett Stadium to catch the action in person.