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The Malone University football team suffered a tough 56-0 loss on Saturday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium to Marian (IN) University, the No. 3 ranked team in the most recent NAIA National Poll. The Knights' defense, which had shut out three of its first four opponents this year, controlled the contest, limiting the Pioneers to just three first downs and 84 yards of total offense over the course of the afternoon. Marian led 28-0 at the half and then tacked on four more touchdowns over the final two quarters to put the contest away. Malone's record slipped to 2-2 overall with the loss while the Knights improved to 5-0 on the year.

Marian took the opening kickoff and drove 54 yards on 12 plays.  The Knights were not able to put any points on the scoreboard, though, as kicker Mike Josifovski's 23-yard field goal try sailed wide left. However, after the first of ten three-and-outs on the day by the Malone offense, Marian got the ball back and marched 59 yards on seven plays, taking the lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Wiese to running back Tevin Lake.

Marian added three more touchdowns in the second stanza with Lake touchdown runs of three and 13 yards sandwiched around a 68-yard trick-play touchdown reception by wide receiver Julian Williams. On the first play from scrimmage following a fourth-down stop by the Knights' defense, Wiese took the snap and threw a backwards pass to running back Dexter Taylor along the far side of the field. As the Pioneer defense pursued Taylor, Williams snuck down the sideline and was all alone to snag Taylor's TD toss.

After both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions of the third quarter, Malone advanced the ball to the Knights' 27-yard line. Marian snuffed out the Pioneers' best scoring chance of the afternoon, though, as defensive back Dustin Craig picked off a third-down throw from Malone quarterback Will Szpor.

Marian then drove 64 yards on eight plays, pulling ahead 35-0 on a three-yard TD pass from Wiese to Williams.

The Pioneers managed to move the ball into Knight territory just once more over the remainder of the contest. The Knights added three more TD's in the fourth quarter on a three-yard run by running back William Stubbs, a 10-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Reece Green and a four-yard TD pass from quarterback Caleb Small to wide receiver Dana Harrell.

In all, Marian compiled 26 first downs and 545 yards of total offense with 258 yards coming on the ground and 287 yards coming through the air. Of the Pioneers' 84 yards, 22 were rushing and 62 were passing. The Knights also allowed Malone to convert on just two of 15 third downs and held an almost 2-1 advantage in time of possession (39:22 for Marian, 20:38 for Malone).

Saturday marked just the third time in program history that the Pioneers had been held scoreless in a game. The only other previous shutouts were a 21-0 loss to Westminster (PA) College in 1997 and a 15-0 loss to Walsh University in 1999.

The 56-point margin of defeat was also the largest in Malone football history. Prior to Saturday, the Pioneers had suffered a pair of 41-point losses during the 2001 season with a 50-9 defeat to Walsh and a 58-17 loss to the University of Saint Francis (IN).

On the afternoon, Szpor completed 12 of 22 passes for 62 yards. Slot back Josh McLaughlin pulled in three catches for 38 yards. Running back Bernard Chevalier was Malone's leading rusher with nine yards on seven carries.

Safety Demarco Donaldson led the way for the Pioneer defense with 18 total tackles. Cornerback Lepear Smith followed with eight tackles, including one tackle for loss and one pass break up. Linebacker Matt Vick also tallied eight stops. Safety Logan Francis registered six tackles while defensive lineman Brock Lundeen notched four solo tackles, including a sack.

For Marian, Wiese completed 16 of 20 pass attempts for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Lake gained 115 rushing yards on 19 attempts with three TD's (two rushing, one receiving). Williams pulled in five catches for 122 yards and two scores. Defensive end Seth Vondersaar paced the defense with seven total tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Malone will look to rebound next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. as the squad travels to Michigan to take on Concordia University (0-4 overall), a first-year program located in Ann Arbor. Fans that cannot be in attendance 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).