Box Score

The Malone University football team registered a hard-fought 31-23 victory in its match-up with Notre Dame College on Saturday night at the Spire Center in Geneva, Ohio.  The Pioneers trailed by deficits of 7-0, 14-7, and 20-17 over the course of the evening, but managed to fight back each time, taking the lead for good late in the third quarter when defensive back Apollo Pegues scooped up a blocked punt and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. 

Malone quarterback Will Szpor then pushed the Pioneer advantage to 31-20 early in the fourth stanza after connecting with wide receiver Justin McLean on a 67-yard touchdown pass.  Notre Dame trimmed the Pioneer lead to eight on a 25-yard field goal by kicker Chris McLearn with five and half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.  However, the Falcons were unable to inch any closer as Malone defensive back DeAndre Long helped seal the win by intercepting a Notre Dame pass attempt deep in Pioneer territory with just over three minutes to play. 

Malone snapped a three-game slide with Saturday's victory, improving to 4-5 overall.  Notre Dame, meanwhile, fell to 5-4 after suffering its second straight defeat.

In his first game back in the starting lineup after being limited the last few weeks due to injury, Szpor completed 23 of 35 passes for a season-high 279 yards and three touchdowns.  McLean also had a big night as he hauled in seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.  In all, McLean totaled 228 all-purpose yards.  In addition to his receiving total, he also posted two kickoff returns for 87 yards and one punt return for five yards.

The two squads combined for 24 first-quarter points.  NDC quarterback Rob Partridge got the scoring started at the 8:17 mark after tossing an eight-yard TD pass to wide receiver Keifer Titus.  McLean evened things up on the Pioneers' next possession after snagging a 29-yard touchdown reception from Szpor. 

Notre Dame running back Jack Foy then put the Falcons back in front minutes later after breaking free for a 54-yard touchdown run.  Pioneer kicker Nick Allison then capped the first-quarter scoring by connecting on a 26-yard field goal to slice the Notre Dame advantage to 14-10.

The score then remained unchanged until just before halftime as Szpor capped off an 11-play, 79-yard scoring drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to running back Emil Chambliss.

Down 17-14 at intermission, Notre Dame pulled back in front on its first possession of the second half as Patridge and Titus connected on their second touchdown pass of the game, this time from  six yards out to make the score 20-17 (PAT failed).

Malone's special teams then came through with a huge play with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.  As Notre Dame tried to kick the ball away following a botched fake punt, Pioneer defensive back Brandon Allison blocked the attempt.  Pegues then scooped up the ball and took it all the way to the house.

McLean's big play then followed early in the fourth period as the 5'9 receiver leaped high to snag the ball over a Falcon defender and then raced 67 yards to the endzone.  The lengthy TD grab gave McLean six scoring plays of 60 yards or more this year as he has also previously registered TD receptions of 94, 81, and 61 yards and kickoff returns for touchdowns of 99 and 90 yards.

In all, the Pioneers registered 359 total offensive yards with 80 yards on the ground and 279 through the air.  Notre Dame countered with 324 total yards, 159 rushing and 165 passing.

Chambliss paced the Malone running game with 55 yards on 12 carries.  He also hauled in the seven-yard TD catch just before halftime.  Slot back Josh McLaughlin recorded five catches for 24 yards.  Wide receiver Ryan Murphy tallied four receptions for 37 yards while tight end Drew Bond caught three passes, totaling 30 yards.

Linebacker Matt Vick led the way for the Malone defense by posting a game-high 11 total tackles.  Linebacker Antonio Scassa followed with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.  Defensive back Lepear Smith added six total stops and two pass break-ups.

For Notre Dame, Partridge completed 19 of 39 pass attempts for 165 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.  Foy totaled 67 rushing yards on just two carries while also recording five catches for 26 yards.  Titus ended the night with five receptions for 64 yards, including the two TD grabs.  Linebacker Michael Lanigan paced the Falcon defense with nine total tackles.

Malone will be back in action at Fawcett Stadium next Saturday as the quad hosts Quincy (IL) University (3-4 overall) in an 11:00 a.m. contest.  Fans that cannot be in attendance can follow all the action on the Malone Sports Network (on the radio at WNPQ 95.9 FM and streaming live on the internet at www.thelight959.com).  Live video and statistics will also be provided.  Click here for links to each.