Box Score

The Malone University football team was unable to overcome four costly turnovers in a 38-14 defeat at the University of Findlay on Saturday afternoon.  The Oilers took advantage of an interception and three lost fumbles by the Pioneers, scoring touchdowns off each of the four takeaways. 

Malone opened the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest with a 12-play, 66-yard drive that was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Truman Franklin.  The Pioneers (1-8 overall, 1-8 GLIAC) then quickly got the ball back after forcing Findlay (6-3 overall, 6-3 GLIAC) to punt on its first possession of the game.  Just as it had done on the opening drive, the Malone offense began moving the ball before a fumble brought the visitors' early momentum to a halt. 

Findlay took over on the Pioneers' 15-yard line and quickly knotted the score at 7-7 following carries of six and nine yards by Oilers' running back Monterae Williams.

Trouble then struck again for Malone on the ensuing kickoff as a fumbled return gave the ball right back to Findlay at the Pioneer 31-yard line.  The Oilers once again turned to Williams, giving the senior five straight carries before he crossed the goal line on the final attempt - a six-yard touchdown run that put Findlay on top 14-7 with 1:20 showing on the first-quarter clock.

The turnover bug continued to bite the Pioneers on their very next possession as Malone's third fumble of the first quarter once again gave the ball to Findlay on the Malone side of the field.  And like they had done on their two previous drives, the Oilers capitalized on the good field position, pulling in front 21-7 on a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clay Belton to wide receiver Seth White.

Despite the drastic change in momentum following the three quick Findlay touchdowns, Malone managed to pull within 21-14 midway through the second quarter.  On the first play from scrimmage following an Oiler punt, Pioneer wide receiver Justin McLean got behind the Findlay defense, hauling in a 79-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Szpor to put Malone right back in the game.

Each team went three-and-out on its next possession before a 52-yard punt return by Oiler wide receiver Demetrius Trapps set up the Findlay offense at the Pioneer 18-yard line just before the end of the second quarter.  However, the Malone defense managed to keep the Oilers out of the endzone as Findlay settled for a 20-yard field goal to wrap up the first-half scoring.

Malone was then unable to cut into the 24-14 halftime deficit over the final 30 minutes as the Oilers pulled away with two big plays in the third quarter.  A Pioneer fumble recovery managed to stop a lengthy Findlay drive at the start of the second half, but the Oilers struck back just three plays later when defensive back Harold Jones-Quartey intercepted a Malone pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.

A Frank Dufour punt would then pin Findlay at its own five-yard line later in the quarter.  However, a 14-yard completion off a deflected pass moved the Oilers out of the shadow of their own goal posts.  Backup quarterback Jesse Slone, who had just subbed into the game for Belton, then connected with White on an 81-yard touchdown pass on the very next play to push the Findlay lead to 38-14 with a little over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

Findlay totaled 363 yards over the course of the afternoon with 207 on the ground and 156 through the air.  Malone countered with 272 total yards, 85 rushing and 187 passing.  Despite being edged in total yardage, the Pioneers held an almost 10-minute advantage in time of possession (34:49 to 25:11).  Malone also allowed Findlay to convert on just four of 10 third downs, but the visitors were haunted by their three first-quarter fumbles, unable to recover from the early deficit.

Overall, Szpor completed nine of 13 pass attempts for 126 yards with one touchdown and one interception.  Franklin also saw significant time at quarterback, completing seven of eight passes for 61 yards.  Eight different Malone players recorded rushing attempts, led by running back Ronnie Beers' 33 yards on eight carries.  McLean posted four catches for 105 yards including the 79-yard TD grab that marked the Pioneers' longest completion of the season.  Wide receiver Josh McLaughlin added four catches for 28 yards.

Linebacker Brandon Allison paced the Pioneer defense with nine tackles, including one tackle for loss.  Safety Demarco Donaldson followed with eight tackles and a pass break-up.  Safety Logan Francis made seven stops with one pass break-up while linebacker Brandon Commodore registered six total tackles.  Linebacker Antonio Scassa also made substantial contributions with four tackles and a forced fumble.

For Findlay, Belton completed eight of 16 pass attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown.  Williams posted 114 rushing yards on 26 carries, including the two first-quarter touchdown runs.  White hauled in four catches for 103 yards and two scores. 

The Pioneers will conclude their 2012 campaign next Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Ohio Dominican University (7-3 overall, 6-3 GLIAC).  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 ).  ODU will also provide live video and statistics during the game at http://livestats.prestosports.com/ohiodominican/