The Malone University football team dropped its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at the University of Findlay on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 49-17.

After falling behind 14-3 in the first quarter, the Pioneers fought back to within four after putting together a 13-play, 79-yard touchdown drive.  Quarterback Will Szpor led the Pioneers down field by completing four passes of nine yards or more.  The red-shirt senior then punched the ball across the goal line on a two-yard run, trimming the deficit to 14-10 with 4:07 remaining on the second-quarter clock.

The Oilers answered back with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive, pushing their advantage to 21-10 just before the half on a three-yard TD pass.  Following a long kickoff return to open the third quarter, Findlay then increased its lead to 28-10 on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Daiquone Ford.

Pioneer cornerback Jordan Johnson got Malone back in the game midway through the third quarter after intercepting a Findlay pass and returning it 68 yards for a touchdown.

However, the visitors were unable to get any closer the rest of the way as the Oilers put together lengthy touchdown drives on their next three possessions to pull away for the victory.

Malone Individual Highlights
-Szpor completed six of ten passes for 52 yards and also tallied 10 rushing yards
-RB Matt Blasiole posted 74 rushing yards on 13 carries and recorded one catch for 18 yards
-WR Eian Elsass notched five receptions for 44 yards
-LB Ryan Weber racked up 10 tackles, including one sack
-DB Daniel Tepe, LB Fred Baker Jr. and DB James Pawlyk were all credited with seven tackles
-Johnson made six stops to go with his interception return for a TD
 
Findlay Individual Highlights
-QB Rhys Gervais completed 21 of 30 passes for 299 yards with three TDs and one interception
-Ford posted 54 yards and two TDs
-WR Tim Szabo registered six receptions for 116 yards and a TD
-LB Myles Alexander posted a game-high 12 tackles
 
Game Notes
-Szpor moved past Shane Nalepa to take over the No. 4 spot on Malone's all-time list for pass attempts during Saturday's game, now with 715 in his career.  He needs 17 more to tie Billy Bob Orsagh for third
-Blasiole is now up to 952 rushing yards on the season, needing 48 more in the season finale to become the sixth Pioneer to rush for 1000 yards in a single season.
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will host Northwood University on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the final game of the season for both teams.  Due to construction at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Saturday's game will be played at GlenOak High School's Bob Commings Field.  Malone's seniors and their families will be recognized prior to the start of the contest.