Box Score  

The Malone University football team suffered a 38-14 loss at home on Saturday evening to Wayne State (MI) University, the squad ranked at No. 21 in the most recent AFCA Division II National Poll.  The Pioneers trailed by a slim 14-7 margin late in the second quarter before the Warriors managed to tack on a pair of touchdowns within the final 80 seconds of the half to take a commanding 28-7 advantage into the locker room at intermission.  The Wayne State lead then grew to 38-7 with a third quarter TD and a fourth-quarter field goal.  Late in the final stanza, Malone running back Malik Felton crossed the goal line with his second rushing touchdown of the game but it was not enough to overcome the sizable deficit.

Wayne State, the 2011 NCAA Division II National Runner-up, improved both its overall and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) record to 2-1 with the victory while Malone fell to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in the GLIAC.

The Warriors were efficient on offense throughout the evening, punting just once and scoring points on six of their nine possessions.  The balanced Wayne State attack totaled 343 yards, 170 of those rushing and 173 passing.  Malone countered with 144 yards on the ground and 94 through the air for a total output of 238 yards. 

The visitors began the scoring on the game's opening drive as a big 50-yard pass from quarterback Mickey Mohner to wide receiver Steve Conway helped set up a seven-yard TD run by Wayne State running back Toney Davis.

The Warriors then found the endzone once again on their second possession as a one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Jessie Johnson capped off a 12-play, 60-yard drive, putting WSU on top 14-0 less than 10 minutes into the first quarter.

Malone moved the ball deep into Wayne State territory on its ensuing possession, but was unable to come away with any points as the Warriors halted the drive on an interception by linebacker Steve O'Shell.

However, the Pioneer defense managed to limit the damage from the turnover, forcing an incompletion on a fourth-and-seven to keep the deficit at 14-0.   Malone then moved downfield, cutting the margin to 14-7 on Felton's first touchdown run of the evening – a 29-yard dash through the middle of the field.

Wayne State answered back, engineering an eight-play, 62-yard march that concluded when a scrambling Mohner found wide receiver James Jackson on a 16-yard touchdown pass to push the advantage to 21-7 with 1:17 showing on the second-quarter clock.  Moments before the TD pass, the Malone defense had forced a 47-yard field goal on a fourth-and-five.  WSU kicker Stef Terleckyj drilled the ball through the uprights on the attempt, but the Pioneers had jumped offside on the play and Wayne State opted to accept the penalty.  The decision to take points off the scoreboard ended up paying off four plays later when Mohner found Jackson slanting across the goal line.

After forcing a quick Malone punt, Mohner and Jackson connected again, this time on a 38-yard touchdown pass that pushed the WSU lead to 28-7 with just eight ticks remaining on the second-quarter clock.

A two-yard TD run by Davis and a 41-yard Terleckyj field goal accounted for the Warriors' second-half scoring.  Malone made the most of its final possession of the game as Felton's four-yard touchdown run concluded an 11-play, 62-yard drive, making the score 38-14.

Felton ended the night with 53 total rushing yards on 12 carries.  Running back Emil Chambliss added 37 rushing yards on 11 attempts.  Quarterback Will Szpor completed nine of 17 passes for 94 yards.  Wide receiver Justin McLean caught two passes for 25 yards while fellow wideout Tyler Billie added two catches for 30 yards. 

Linebacker Antonio Scassa paced the Malone defense with 13 total tackles.  Linebacker James Benedix contributed 11 stops while safety Demarco Donaldson posted eight tackles and a pass break-up.

For Wayne State, Davis notched 83 rushing yards on 17 attempts with the two scores.  Mohner completed 10 of 18 passes for 173 yards and two TD's.  Jackson posted 54 yards on his two touchdown grabs.  Linebacker Nick Thomas led the way for the Warrior defense with seven tackles.

After starting the year with three GLIAC “crossover” games against three tough opponents from the conference's North Division, the Pioneers will now conclude their regular-season slate with seven games against the seven other teams from the GLIAC South Division, starting with next Saturday's match-up against Tiffin University.  Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Fawcett Stadium.  Fans that cannot be in attendance 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.  Click here for links to each.