Box Score


The Malone University football team fell at home to Ashland University on Saturday night at Fawcett Stadium by a final score of 31-7.  The Eagles, ranked sixth in the most recent AFCA NCAA Division II National Poll, led the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest 17-7 at halftime and then put the game away by outscoring Malone 14-0 over the final two quarters.

The Pioneers (1-6 overall, 1-6 GLIAC) trailed by a slim 10-7 margin late in the second quarter before a critical Malone fumble gave Ashland (8-0 overall, 7-0 GLIAC) the ball at the MU 37-yard line with just under two minutes remaining in the half.  After an incompletion on first down, Eagle running back Anthony Taylor took the handoff from quarterback Taylor Housewright and broke through the line, racing 37 yards to the end zone to put the visitors on top 17-7. 

The Pioneers took the ensuing kickoff and drove deep into Ashland territory, but kicker Jake Hardy's 36-yard field-goal try drifted just wide to the right as the second-quarter clock expired.

The Eagle defense, which entered Saturday's contest ranked ninth in the nation in points allowed per game, then clamped down in the second half, limiting the Pioneers to four first downs and 40 total yards over the final 30 minutes.  Malone's best second-half scoring opportunity came midway through the fourth quarter when Pioneer linebacker Taylor Wilhelm recovered a fumbled punt return at the Ashland 27-yard line.  Malone moved the ball inside the Eagle 10-yard line, but was unable to put any points on the scoreboard as Ashland came up with a stop on fourth down.

The Malone defense managed to keep the hosts in the game, halting the Eagles' first drive of the third quarter on downs and later forcing an Ashland fumble at the Pioneer one-yard line that was then recovered in the end zone for a touchback. 

However, despite the lack of points on two of Ashland's first three possesions of the second half, the Eagles' long, time-consuming drives began to take their toll.  Late in the third quarter, Housewright capped a seven-play, 58-yard Ashland drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Anthony Capasso, putting Ashland in front 24-7.  With under four minutes to play in the contest, Taylor then concluded the evening's scoring by breaking free on an 82-yard touchdown dash.

Ashland's first touchdown of the game came with a little trickery as Housewright, who also handles punting duties for the Eagles, executed a successful fake punt, hitting wide receiver/defensive back Brian Gamble for a 74-yard TD pass. 

Malone managed to tie things up just over a minute later with its own lengthy completion as quarterback Will Szpor found wide receiver Josh McLaughlin wide open over the middle on a 64-yard scoring strike.

Ashland would then take the lead for good a little over five minutes into the second quarter when kicker Cameron Casey concluded a 12-play, 78-yard drive by drilling a 22-yard field goal.

The Eagles, who came into the contest ranked 10th in the country in total offense, posted 27 first downs and 627 total yards over the course of the evening with 318 yards on the ground and 309 yards through the air.  Malone countered with 224 total yards – 60 rushing and 164 passing.

Szpor completed 10 of his 25 pass attempts on the night for 137 yards.  Running back Steven Niewiedzial was the Pioneers' leading rusher with 47 yards on 11 carries.  McLaughlin racked up five catches for 73 yards, including the long touchdown reception from Szpor.  McLaughlin also attempted two passes after catching a pair of throws behind the line of scrimmage.  One of McLaughlin's passes was completed to wide receiver Justin McLean for 26 yards.  The other pass was picked off by Gamble on an acrobatic catch along the sideline.  McLean finished the evening with four catches for 65 yards.

Defensive back Logan Francis was all over the field for the Pioneer defense, posting a game-high 13 total tackles.  He also played a part in two of the Eagles' three turnovers, recovering a first-quarter fumble and then later forcing the Ashland fumble at the Malone one-yard line that resulted in a Pioneer touchback.  Demarco Donaldson followed with nine tackles, two pass break-ups and, like Francis, also posted one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.  Linebackers Antonio Scassa and Charles Dickens IV also made a significant impact with eight and seven tackles, respectively.

For Ashland, Housewright completed 19 of 30 passes for 309 yards with two scores.  Taylor piled up 212 rushing yards on 22 attempts with two touchdowns.  Capasso caught five passes for 123 yards and one TD.  Gamble hauled in two catches for 82 yards while also registering three tackles, an interception and two pass break-ups on defense.  Linebacker Cody Bloom added a team-high 10 total tackles.

The Pioneers will return to action next Saturday when they host their final home game of the year against Notre Dame College (1-7 overall, 0-7 GLIAC) at 1:00 p.m.    Homecoming and Senior Day will be celebrated before and during the contest.  Fans can catch all of the action on the Malone Sports Network (radio broadcast on WNPQ 95.9 FM or streaming live audio on the internet at www.thelight959.com). Live video and statistics will also be provided on www.malonepioneers.com