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The Malone University football team endured a tough 52-10 loss in its Homecoming Game against Saint Xavier (IL) University on Saturday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium.   The Cougars, ranked #1 in the most recent NAIA National Poll, held a commanding 45-0 edge at halftime after racking up 31 second-quarter points.  Pioneer slot back Josh McLaughlin, who filled in at the quarterback position in the second half for injured starter Will Szpor, led two fourth-quarter scoring drives.  However, it was not nearly enough to overcome SXU's  big lead.  The Pioneers fell to 3-3 overall following Saturday's defeat while the Cougars remained undefeated, improving their record to 6-0 on the season.

After each team had come up empty on its first few drives of the game, the momentum swung significantly in the visitors' favor on a critical play with about three minutes remaining in the first quarter.   As Szpor dropped back to throw from the Pioneer 11-yard line, he lost the football after being sacked by two Cougar defenders.  The ball bounced backwards into the endzone where it was recovered by Saint Xavier linebacker Zach Dolph for a touchdown.  Malone not only fell behind on the play, but the hit also knocked Szpor out for the remainder of the game.

The Cougars pushed their lead to 14-0 with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 32-yard TD pass from quarterback Jimmy Coy to wide receiver Cory Wennmacher.  With the help of a blocked punt and a Malone fumble, Coy then proceeded to put the game out of reach by throwing four more touchdown passes over the first 10 minutes of the second quarter.  Three of his second-quarter TD tosses went to wideout Shane Zackery while the fourth was snagged by receiver Wes Gastel. 

Kicker Tom Lynch then tacked on a 31-yard field goal as the second-quarter clock expired, sending  the two teams to locker room with SXU on top 45-0.

After struggling to get on track following Szpor's injury, the Pioneer offense managed to post 139 yards in the second half.  Malone drove 71 yards on eight plays on its opening possession of the fourth quarter, getting on the scoreboard with a 26-yard field goal by kicker Nick Allison.

Saint Xavier recovered the ensuing Pioneer on-side kick and then pushed its advantage to 52-3 on a two-yard TD pass from back-up quarterback Joe Gill to wide receiver Patrick Kelso.

Following a 69-yard kickoff return by wide receiver Justin McLean, McLaughlin then concluded the scoring midway through the fourth quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run.

Saint Xavier tallied 392 yards of offense on the afternoon, 282 of which came in the decisive first half.  Malone ended the day with 124 total yards, 56 on the ground and 68 through the air.  In all, the Pioneers committed six turnovers with three lost fumbles and three interceptions.

McLaughlin completed four of his six passes on the afternoon for 44 yards.  He was also Malone's leading rusher with 10 carries for 61 yards.  Tight end Drew Bond hauled in three catches for 14 yards.  Running back Malik Felton added one rush for 11 yards and two receptions, totaling 24 yards. 

Defensively, linebacker Brandon Commodore and defensive lineman Guilherme Moreira each posted seven tackles.   Commodore also forced a fumble while Moreira made 1.5 tackles for loss.  Linebacker Glen Whirley added five solo tackles and a forced fumble.  Defensive lineman William Witherspoon notched three sacks.

For SXU, Coy had a huge first half, completing 16 of 27 pass attempts for 256 yards and five scores.  Gill then worked the final two quarters, connecting on 10 of 15 passes for 64 yards and one score.  Zackery posted five catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns.  Running back Sean Bryce picked up 58 rushing yards on 12 carries.  Linebacker Ryan Fejedelem paced the defense with 10 total tackles and a fumble recovery.

Malone will look to bounce back next Saturday when it takes on local rival Walsh University (1-5 overall) in a 6:00 p.m. contest at Fawcett Stadium (the Pioneers are considered the visiting team in this year's match-up).  Fans that cannot be in attendance to watch the 17th annual battle for the Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy can catch all of 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).