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Points should be plentiful this Saturday. September 22nd when the Malone University football team takes on Kentucky Wesleyan College in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) battle at Steele Stadium in Owensboro, Kentucky at 2:00 pm eastern time (1 o'clock central). The Pioneers and Panthers have combined to averaged 67 points a game in their two previous meetings.

Media Information
Live Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
Live Radio: ESPN 990 AM | espn990.com
Twitter: @Malone_Football | @maloneathletics

Gameday Storylines 
Malone Visits Kentucky Wesleyan Following Week-Three Bye
Coming off their biggest win in the Division II era, the Pioneers have had two weeks not only to celebrate, but also to prepare for their next challenge as they make the longest road trip of the season this Saturday. Malone is 7-6 all-time after a bye, 2-9 against teams from Kentucky, and 0-6 in games played in the Bluegrass State. Malone is winless in two tries against Kentucky Wesleyan, dropping a pair of offensive shootouts. The Pioneers lost 40-30 in Owensboro in 2016 before squandering a 17-point lead in a 34-30 contest in Canton a season ago. While they remain in pursuit of their first victory over the Panthers, the Pioneers are also looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since the first two weeks of 2011.
 
100 Wins & 1-0 in Conference
 Malone enters the week unbeaten in the G-MAC following the 42-12 week-two victory over Lake Erie, which was momentous in more ways than one. Not only was it the 100th win in program history, it was the Pioneers first win in the newly-renovated Tom Benson Stadium, the first home win against a G-MAC opponent, and the most-lopsided win since 2010.
The 42 points were the most since scoring 42 in an overtime win over Northern Michigan in 2014 and the most in regulation since scoring 59 against Alderson Broaddus, then a first-year program, in 2013. The Pioneer defense collected four sacks, the most since that same Alderson Broaddus game, and held Lake Erie to 224 total yards, the fewest since limiting a first-year Concordia program to 158 yards in 2011.
 
Malone Dominates Second Half
As impressive as it was, the final score wasn't truly indicative of how dominant the Pioneers were in their week-two victory, especially in the second half. Malone ran just three plays, two of which resulted in first downs, on their side of the field over the final two quarters. Over 28 plays in the second half, the defense limited Lake Erie to just 66 yards, 42 of which came on the final drive and 12 came on a forward-rolling fumble. Since being down 42-5 to Concordia in the opener, Malone has outscored its opponents 64-12 over the last five-plus quarters.
 
Malone Accomplishes Rare Feat
For the first time in the history of the program, the Pioneers never punted in the win over Lake Erie. The previous low was one punt, done seven times. Malone joined Findlay and Minnesota Duluth as the only two teams in Division II to play a game this season without punting. While the punting unit was left on the sidelines, Pioneer punter Marcus Moeller was busy in the kicking game. Moeller kicked off a career-high 10 times and went 3-for-5 in field goals and 3-for-5 in PATs under the wet conditions. In the process, Moeller tied a single-game school-record with three made field goals, something he had done two times prior, and moved into second all-time with 26 career makes. He now needs just five more field goals to tie the all-time mark.
 
Clayton Sets New G-MAC Record
Pioneer quarterback Deandre Clayton was fantastic in the victory vs. Lake Erie, completing 11 of 20 pass attempts for 211 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 106 yards on 17 carries on his way to setting the G-MAC single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback. For his efforts, Clayton was named the G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week, joining John Iacucci as the only two Pioneer signal-callers to earn weekly conference honors over the last nine seasons. Through two games, Clayton has accounted for 602 yards of total offense, guiding a Pioneer offense that ranks second in the G-MAC in scoring.
 
Pioneers to Watch
Offense: Clayton's top two targets Ashton Dulin and Markell Stephens-Peppers could be in for big games this week. Dulin totaled 199 yards, second-most in Malone history, against Kentucky Wesleyan last season. He recorded 168 yards against the Panthers in 2016. Through two games, Stephens-Peppers ranked second in DII among true freshmen with 169 receiving yards. The Pioneer ground game and senior running back Matt Blasiole should be excited to face a KWC defense that gave up 245 yards rushing to Malone in 2017. All-Conference left tackle Zak Hill could be in store for a big game against two undersized defensive ends.
 
Defense: The Pioneer secondary will have to play better than they did in 2017 when they allowed 410 passing yards and four touchdowns to the Panthers at home. Sophomore safety Jaylon Doss leads the team in tackles and has already delivered a number of punishing hits. Coverage linebacker Dawalyn Washington will be crucial to stopping the pass, especially in the slots. The play of outside backer Fred Johnson, who made his first career start in week two, will also be a big factor in both the run and the passing game.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan at a Glance
The Panthers are led by first-year head coach Taurean Smith, who took over the program in July after previously serving as the defensive coordinator over the past four seasons. Smith's team is coming off of a 19-13 win over Kentucky State last week in which they tied it at 13-13 with 1:33 remaining on a field goal and they won it on a last-minute interception return touchdown. The Panthers, riding the high of their first win of the season, will look to make it two straight this week and three-straight over the Pioneers overall. Their only conference win in 2017 came against Malone in Canton.
 
In the midst of a three-game home stretch, Kentucky Wesleyan will also look for their first G-MAC win of 2018 after dropping a 69-19 decision to Findlay in the opener. The Panthers have struggled to generate offense and have turned the ball over five times. KWC is just 5-for-37 (13.5%) on third downs and has been penalized 27 times for 316 yards. The opportunistic defense has forced eight turnovers, including six interceptions, three of which have been returned for touchdowns.
 
Panthers to Watch
Offense: Junior quarterback Mike McGee has thrown 38 career touchdown passes in 17 career starts. He totaled 410 yards, the second-most in G-MAC history, against Malone last season. His favorite target De'Ondre Boggs has a team-high 13 receptions for 158 yards. The Panthers' top running back Corey Johnson ran for 122 yards in the win over Malone last season; he has averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 2018.
 
 Defense: All-Conference defensive end Dalan Cofer leads the team with two sacks and made a team-high 10 stops vs. Malone last season. Freshman outside linebacker Jalen Humphrey has a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss. Freshman cornerback Alijah McGhee has picked off a league-high three passes. All-Conference Honorable Mention Safety Ty Martin-Miles, the lone senior starting on defense, leads the team with 29 tackles, including 23 solo.
 
By the Numbers
11 – DII wide receivers currently on NFL active rosters, including Kentucky Wesleyan's Keelan Cole, the 2016 G-MAC Player of the Year.
12 – Points scored by Lake Erie in the loss in week two, marking the fewest by a Malone opponent since 2011.
37 – Rushing yards allowed by the Pioneers in the win over the Storm, marking the fewest since holding Urbana to -7 yards in 2008.
124 – Rushing yards by Eric Rector, the most-ever from a Pioneer quarterback, against St. Francis in 2002. Rector, who also ran for 102 yards vs. Geneva that season, and Shane Nalepa, who ran for 101 vs. Taylor in 1993, were the only two Malone QBs to hit the century mark before Deandre Clayton accomplished the feat in week two.
384 – Rushing yards given up by Kentucky Wesleyan vs. Findlay in week one, the third-highest in G-MAC history. The Panthers, who also own the first and second worst marks, have surrendered at least 200 yards rushing to 18 of their last 24 opponents.
 
Looking Ahead
Malone will celebrate its 2018 Homecoming against Hillsdale College on Saturday, September 29th at 2:00 pm at Tom Benson Stadium.