Box Score

The Malone University football team suffered a hard-fought 38-28 defeat in its Homecoming Game against rival Walsh University on Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers played hard for 60 minutes in the 19th annual battle for the John Bankert-Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy, racking up a season-high 354 rushing yards, stopping the Cavaliers on a critical goal-line stand and outgaining Walsh by a 490-429 margin in total yards.  However, three critical Malone turnovers led to 14 Cavalier points and proved to be the difference in a closely-contested affair played in front of 3000 fans at Fawcett Stadium.

The cross-town rivals traded touchdowns back and forth over the first three quarters with Malone answering a Walsh touchdown on three separate occasions.

The Cavs opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game as quarterback Paul Kempe hit wide receiver Jerald Robinson on a three-yard touchdown pass to cap a seven-play, 68-yard drive on the game's opening possession.

Malone would move the ball all the way to the Walsh five-yard line on its ensuing drive, but kicker Jacob Bishop's 22-yard field-goal try clanged off the left upright, leaving Walsh with a 7-0 advantage.  After the Pioneer defense forced a punt, Malone would even the score when running back Bryce Pratt crossed the goal line on a five-yard rush to end a nine-play, 85-yard touchdown drive.

The Pioneer defense forced a three-and-out on the Cavaliers' next possession, but Walsh would get the ball right back after recovering a muffed punt at its own 45-yard line.  Although the Cavs were unable to create points immediately after the turnover, the fumbled punt return flipped the field position in Walsh's favor and the visitors cashed in minutes later, pulling in front with a quick five-play, 27-yard touchdown drive that culminated on a 14-yard rushing touchdown by running back Steve Smith.

Malone would knot the score once again at the 7:59 mark of the second quarter as Pioneer running back Justin Davis answered Smith's score with a three-yard rushing touchdown of his own.

Walsh would then put together a 15-play drive, moving deep into Pioneer territory with a 1st-and-10 on the Malone 11-yard line.  Following a seven-yard pick-up on first down, and a two-yard gain on second down, the Pioneer defense held strong, stopping Cavalier rushing attempts for no gain on both third and fourth down to keep the score deadlocked 14-14 at the half.

The Pioneers drove down the field on the opening possession of the third quarter and appeared to be in great shape to take the lead before the Cavaliers forced a fumble at their own four-yard line and recovered it in the end zone for a touchback.

Walsh then drove 80 yards in seven plays following the turnover, pulling in front 21-14 on an 10-yard touchdown pass from Kempe to wide receiver Krishawn Hogan.

Just like they had done all afternoon, the Pioneers answered the Walsh score with a TD drive of their own as quarterback Will Szpor faked an option pitch and then raced 30 yards to the house to make the score 21-21 with just under seven minutes to play in the third quarter.

Walsh regained the lead on its next drive, pulling ahead 28-21 on a 12-yard TD pass from Kempe to Smith with 2:44 showing on the third-quarter clock.  Malone would once again begin to move the ball down the field and into Walsh territory before Cavalier defensive back Pat White came up with one of the biggest plays of the afternoon, intercepting a pass at his own 19-yard line and returning it 81 yards for a touchdown to stretch the visitors' lead to 35-21.

The Walsh defense then stopped the Pioneers on downs near midfield and the Cavs marched back into the red zone once again as a 12-yard rush by Smith gave Walsh a 1st-and-goal from the Malone five-yard line.  Walsh was unable to punch it in, though, as the Pioneer defense stepped up, forcing the Cavs to settle for a 21-yard field goal.

Leading 38-21 with under five minutes to play, Walsh attempted a short, line-drive kickoff.  Pioneer linebacker Fred Baker Jr., normally a blocker for kickoff returns, fielded the ball at the Malone 27-yard line and then raced through the Walsh kickoff coverage team, advancing 69 yards before being forced out of bounds at the Walsh four-yard line. 

Pratt then found the end zone on the very next play following Baker's big return, trimming the Walsh lead to 38-28 with 4:18 remaining.

Malone was unable to recover its ensuing on-side kick, though, and Walsh ran out the clock to seal the 10-point win.

The Pioneers' 354 rushing yards marked the most Malone had gained on the ground in a single game since the squad notched 381 rushing yards against Olivet Nazarene (IL) University in 2010.  The Pioneers added 136 passing yards to give the squad a total output of 490 yards.  Walsh countered with 226 yards rushing and 203 passing for 429 total yards.

The Cavaliers and Pioneers both had success on third down (Walsh was 8 of 16, Malone 8 of 13) and each posted over 20 first downs (24 for Walsh, 23 for Malone).  However, Walsh did not commit a turnover and held a 33:22 to 26:38 advantage in time of possession.

Davis and Pratt each eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the Pioneers, marking the first time since the 2009 season finale against Olivet Nazarene that Malone has had two rushers reach the century mark in a single game (Joseph Peters gained 122 yards, Courtney Greer added 105).   Davis finished with 126 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries (11.5 average) while Pratt posted 107 yards and two TDs on 21 attempts (5.1 average). 

Szpor completed 11 of his 17 passes for 136 yards while also gaining 73 yards and scoring a TD on eight rushing attempts.  Wide out Jordan Phillips was Malone's leading receiver with four catches for 49 yards.

Linebacker Philip Fisher and safety Demarco Donaldson paced the Malone defense with 11 tackles apiece.  Linebacker Cristian Garcia and safety Brandon Commodore each added eight tackles.  Baker Jr. posted seven tackles to go with his lengthy kickoff return.

For Walsh, Kempe completed 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 203 yards and three touchdowns.  Aaron Male tallied 111 rushing yards on 15 carries.  Smith pulled in six receptions for 47 yards to go with 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving).  Cameron Trudell led the way for the Walsh defense with a game-high 13 tackles.

Dick Gallagher Memorial Scholarship: Prior to the start of Saturday's contest, Malone's Lepear Smith was recognized as the Pioneers' recipient of the Dick Gallagher Memorial Scholarship.  Each year, one football player from Malone and one football player from Walsh receive the award which is named in honor of Gallagher, the former director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Brian Moser was Walsh's recipient.

Malone will be back in action at Fawcett Stadium next Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. contest against Lake Erie College.  Fans who cannot attend the game in person can catch all of the action on the Malone Sports Network (on the radio at ESPN 990 AM and streaming on the internet at www.espn990.com).  Free streaming video and statistics will also be provided.  Click here for links to each of the multimedia offerings.