The Malone University football team dropped to 0-2 on the season, falling to Shaw University 34-27 in Durham, North Carolina Saturday afternoon. For the second straight game, the Pioneers saw themselves down by three touchdowns in the second half, and for the second straight game, they came up a touchdown shy of overcoming the deficit.  
 
Recap
The Bears needed just six plays on the game's opening drive to get into the endzone and take a 7-0 lead. Shaw, a team that finished 1-for-13 on third-down conversions last week, converted two third downs on the drive. The first conversion was a chain-moving 61-yard screen pass on 3rd-and-8; the second conversion was an 8-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-6.
 
After trading punts with Shaw on the next two drives, Malone tied it up at 7-7 four minutes later on a 45-yard touchdown run by Matt Blasiole, sprung by a key block from right guard Brenson Ennis. Shaw answered right back, though, engineering a 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped off with a wide-open 19-yard touchdown grab by Trevante Long. The ensuing point after try was wide, but Shaw maintained a 13-7 lead.
 
After two more punts, a costly Malone fumble deep in its own end led directly to a 2-play touchdown drive from the Bears, who made it 20-7 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. A turnover on downs by the Pioneers on the ensuing drive preceded another Shaw punt.
 
Taking over at their own 31, the Pioneers marched 61 yards deep inside Shaw territory. The eight-play drive, highlighted by a 44-yard reception by James Jackson, his first as a Pioneer, stalled at the 8-yard line where Malone would be forced into a field goal try. Marcus Moeller's 25-yard attempt was blocked, however, and the Bears proceeded to put together another touchdown drive just before halftime to take a 27-7 lead into the break.
 
A long Jordan Johnson kickoff return set up the Pioneers with great field position on their first possession of the second half. A five-play, 44-yard drive, highlighted by a 32-yard reception by Eian Elsass and finished off with 4-yard touchdown run by  redshirt-freshman Xavier Garland, cut the Shaw lead to 27-14 just two minutes into the third quarter. The Bears responded with a 15-play, 82 yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run
 
Down 34-14 midway through the third quarter, the Pioneers began to chip away at the lead. Another long kickoff return, this one a 70-yarder by Ashton Dulin, gave the Pioneers another short field. A 23-yard rush by Dakota Hobbs on a well-executed reverse play set up the Pioneers inside the 10. Two plays later, Garland carried into the endzone from three yards out to make it a 34-20 contest. Moeller's PAT was wide.
 
Malone forced a Shaw punt on the next possession but failed to convert a fourth down in opponent's territory after taking over. A fantastic goal-line stand by the Malone defense on the subsequent possession kept the Pioneers in the game.
 
After stopping Shaw inside the 1-yard line, Malone took over with 9:30 remaining down two scores. Quarterback John Iacucci cut the lead down to seven points by orchestrating a 10-play, 99-yard scoring drive. Iacucci found wide receiver Ashton Dulin three times for 52 yards on the drive, including a 16-yard hookup on 4th-and-2 from near midfield. The three-minute drive culminated on a James Jackson 12-yard touchdown catch with 6:28 left to play.
 
The Pioneer defense came up big once again, forcing a three-and-out on Shaw's next drive, Malone then went to work at its own 31-yard line down 34-27 with four minutes remaining. The drive ended, however, when the Pioneers failed to convert a fourth down at the Bears' 38. With just over 90 seconds left on the game clock, Shaw was able to play keep-away down the stretch, holding on for the 34-27 victory.
 
Game Highlights
-Malone racked up 458 yards of total offense and 21 first downs, but was just 3-of-13 on third downs and 2-of-5 on fourth-down tries.
-Shaw accumulated 427 yards of offense and was 7-for-16 on third downs.
-The Pioneers' run game generated 224 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards a carry.
-Threw the air, Malone completed just 39.3% of its passes, but averaged better than 21 yards a completion.
-Malone was penalized eight times for 74 yards while Shaw was called for seven miscues for 61 yards.
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Matt Blasiole carried the ball 11 times for 74 yards, but was guilty of the game's only turnover.
-Xavier Garland totaled 59 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns in his first collegiate game.
-John Iacucci totaled 234 yards passing on 11 completions and 57 yards running on just seven carries.
-Wide receivers Eian Elsass (2-78), Ashton Dulin (4-66), and James Jackson (2-56) combined for 200 yards receiving on eight catches.
-Ryan Weber led the Malone defense with 13 tackles while Josh Correll was right behind with 12 stops, including two for loss.
-Defensive end Roy Johnson posted eight tackles (two for loss)
-Defensive tackle Drew Shreve was credited with six tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack.
 
Shaw Individual Highlights
-Quarterback Vidal Woodruff completed 25-of-35 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns
-Michael Sherman ran for a team-high 70 yards on 19 carries
-Trevante Long caught a team-high seven passes for 85 yards and a score while 5'8" wideout Daniel Bender caught six balls for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
-Jaleel Scroggins led Shaw with 11 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
 
Up Next
Malone will play its first game at the newly-renovated Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium next Saturday, September 23rd at 3:00 pm against Missouri S&T.