The Malone University football team endured a narrow 23-21 defeat in its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest at Tiffin University on Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers and Dragons had split their last four meetings prior to Saturday's match-up.  Three of those four contests were decided by six points or less, including a pair of games won by Malone in double overtime. Saturday's game was no different - a back-and-forth affair that was not decided until the final minute of action.

After Tiffin kicker Tomislav Derezic booted a 50-yard field goal to put the hosts on top 23-21 with just over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Malone (0-4 overall, 0-4 GLIAC) took the ensuing kickoff and moved towards midfield. However, the drive failed to produce any points as the Pioneers were unable to convert on a fourth-down pass play that appeared to be headed for the end zone, giving the ball back to Tiffin (2-2 overall, 2-2 GLIAC) at its own 44.

Despite the missed opportunity, the Malone defense stood firm, halting the Dragons' next possession at the Pioneer 20-yard line. A fake field-goal attempt followed, but the Tiffin pass flew wide of the mark, leaving Malone with one last chance.

Trailing 23-21, the Pioneer offense took over at its own 20 with just under two minutes remaining and no timeouts. Although Malone managed to pick up one first down, Dragon defensive back Carlton Watkins brought the contest to a close moments later, sealing the win with an interception.

The Pioneers remained resilient throughout the afternoon, battling back from early 14-0 and 17-6 deficits. Malone's first score of the afternoon came near the start of the second quarter when quarterback Kaleb Scott crossed the goal line with the first of two touchdown runs on the afternoon, making the score 14-6.

Malone then put together touchdown drives of 75 and 73 yards on its first two possessions of the third quarter to grab a 21-17 lead. Scott capped the first scoring march on the 12th play of the drive with a two-yard TD run. He then put the Pioneers on top later in the quarter by connecting with running back Kyle Nutter on a 17-yard screen pass.

Derezic cut the Malone lead to 21-20 with a 31-yard field goal at the 11:25 mark of the fourth quarter and then hit the big 50-yarder on the Dragons' next drive. Overall, the junior kicker drilled three of four field goals on the afternoon and had touchbacks on five of his six kickoffs.

The Dragons finished the afternoon with 400 total yards, including 301 through the air. Malone countered with 330 yards, 182 passing and 148 rushing. Only five penalties were called in the game as the Pioneers were flagged twice for 10 yards while Tiffin was penalized three times for just 15 yards.

Running back Ronnie Beers had a big day for the Malone offense as he posted four catches for 31 yards and carried the ball 17 times for 116 yards (6.8 average), marking the first time this season that a Pioneer has eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground.

In his second collegiate start, Scott completed nine of 20 passes for 176 yards and one score. He also rushed for 26 yards and scored the two rushing touchdowns.

Linebacker Dan Mower led the way for the MU defense with 10 tackles. Fellow linebacker Ryan Weber added nine stops with a sack and a forced fumble.

For Tiffin, quarterback Antonio Pipkin connected on 29 of 39 throws for 301 yards and a score. He also rushed for 64 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Wide receiver Pedro Correa hauled in seven catches for a game-high 116 yards with one touchdown.

Malone will be back in action next Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Ashland University. Fans can catch all the action live on the Malone Sports Network (radio broadcast on ESPN 990 AM or streaming live at www.espn990.com).