Box Score

The Malone University football team, led by first-year head coach Eric Hehman, dropped its season opener at NCAA Division II Tiffin University on Thursday evening by a final tally of 31-21. The Pioneers trailed by a narrow 17-14 deficit at halftime before a pair of critical interceptions, the second of which was returned 84 yards for a touchdown, allowed the Dragons to build a commanding 31-14 lead midway through the third quarter. A nifty 17-yard double-reverse pass from wide receiver Matt Kiel to tight end Ryan Boland on the first play of the fourth quarter pulled the Pioneers to within 10, but Malone was unable to get any closer the rest of the way as Tiffin went on to record the victory. The Dragons improved to 1-0 with the win while the Pioneers dropped to 0-1 on the young season.

Tiffin took the opening kickoff and drove 77 yards on 11 plays to grab an early 7-0 lead. Dragon running back David McKnight capped off the 5 ½ minute drive with a nine-yard dash into the endzone. The Pioneers answered back later in the quarter, knotting the game at 7-7 on a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Francis to Kiel.

Tiffin regained the lead three minutes into the second frame as Dragon quarterback Nate Scully hooked up with wide receiver Brendton Williams on a 40-yard TD pass. Malone once again answered back, though, as running back Markus McFolling concluded a 13-play, 77-yard Pioneer scoring drive by gashing through the middle of the Tiffin defense on an 18-yard touchdown run.

The Dragons wrapped up the first half scoring when kicker Mike Rutkowski connected on a 41-yard field with 18 seconds remaining in the period to send the hosts into the locker room holding a 17-14 advantage.

Tiffin advanced the ball deep into Pioneer territory on their first possession of the third quarter before Malone linebacker Matt Vick brought the drive to halt by picking off a Scully pass inside the Malone 15-yard line. However, Tiffin defensive back Courtney Embry returned the favor three plays later, intercepting a Francis pass and returning it to the Malone 25. After converting on a fourth down, the Dragons were able to cash in on the good field position as Scully hit wideout Trey Williams on a 13-yard TD pass, pushing the Tiffin lead to 24-14.

A 47-yard completion from Logan to Kiel quickly moved the Pioneers downfield on the first play of their ensuing possession. Dragon defensive back Mike Virgin then quickly swung the momentum back in the hosts' favor as he picked off the very next pass at the Tiffin 16 and returned it all the way to the endzone to make the score 31-14 with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter.

Despite the big play from the Dragon defense, Malone refused to surrender as the squad answered back with an eight-play, 71-yard touchdown drive on its next possession that trimmed the Tiffin advantage to 31-21. On third down and 11 from the Tiffin 17-yard line, the Pioneers managed to find the endzone with a little trickery. After McFolling took the snap and a couple of pitches were made behind the line of scrimmage, Kiel connected with a wide-open Boland to trim the Tiffin advantage to 31-21 three seconds into the fourth quarter.

Malone was unable to manufacture any additional points over the remainder of the period, though, as Tiffin ran down the clock to preserve the victory.

The Pioneers totaled 343 total yards (188 rushing, 155 passing) compared to 328 (75 rushing, 253 passing) for Tiffin and held a 20-17 advantage in total first downs. Despite its solid offensive production, Malone also threw three interceptions on the evening and converted on only two of 10 third downs.

McFolling totaled 127 rushing yards on 15 carries (8.5 average) with one touchdown. In the first start of his Malone career, Francis completed nine of 18 passes for 111 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Kiel caught two passes for 50 yards and also threw the TD pass to Boland. Wide receiver Ryan Murphy added three catches for 56 yards.

Defensively, linebacker Antonio Scassa led the way with 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Defensive lineman Frank McCormick followed with nine tackles and a sack while defensive back Isaiah Wyatt, linebacker Dexter Reed, and Vick each notched seven stops.

For Tiffin, Scully completed 18 of 25 attempts for 253 yards with two TD's and one interception. McKnight gained 85 rushing yards on 24 carries with one touchdown. Williams pulled in nine receptions for 116 yards and a score while Virgin totaled nine tackles with two picks, including the long interception return for a touchdown.

Malone will return to action next Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. CDT) contest at Saint Ambrose (IA) University.