The Malone University football team travelled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Saturday and suffered a narrow 28-27 defeat in its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic contest against Michigan Tech University.

The Pioneers (0-2, 0-2 GLIAC) held a 20-14 advantage at intermission after an evenly-played first half.  The Huskies (2-0, 2-0 GLIAC), ranked 22nd in this week's D2Football.com National Poll, got on the scoreboard first after taking the opening kickoff and marching 78 yards for a score.  Malone answered on its first offensive possession, tying the game up at 7-7 on 10-yard touchdown run by tailback Matt Blasiole.

The Pioneers then took advantage of a Husky fumble, wrapping up a quick 35-yard touchdown drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Szpor to wide receiver Ashton Dulin.  The ensuing extra-point attempt clanged off the upright, leaving the score at 13-7.

Malone halted MTU's next drive on downs, giving the ball back to the Pioneer offense.  The visitors then drove 75 yards, increasing their advantage to 20-7 on a one-yard TD plunge by Blasiole.

Michigan Tech responded on its next drive, cutting the deficit to 20-14 on a three-yard rushing touchdown.

The Huskies then pulled ahead 21-20 near the start of the third quarter, capping a 40-yard drive with a two-yard rushing TD by Alex Sherbinow.

Malone battled back at the end of the third as Szpor found wide receiver Eian Elsass on a 44-yard TD pass, making the score 27-21.

Minutes later, the Huskies would recover a fumble deep in Pioneer territory, but the Malone defense came up big, halting MTU on downs at the MU 14-yard line.

The Pioneers moved to ball near midfield on their next drive, but MTU forced a punt, givng the ball back to the hosts with 7:46 to play.

Michigan Tech then drove down the field, converting a fourth-down attempt before taking the lead on a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brandon Cowie to David Walter with 6:05 showing on the clock.

With starting quarterback Will Szpor forced to leave the game with an injury, Malone was unable to capitalize on its final drive and Michigan Tech then ran the final 3:59 off the clock, sealing the narrow win.

Pioneer Individual Highlights
-Szpor completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns
-Blasiole carried the ball 24 times, gaining 67 yards and scoring two TDs
-Dulin caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown
-Elsass added three receptions for 60 yards and a score
-LB Ryan Weber paced the Malone defense with 11 total tackles and a pass break-up
-DB Lucas Haupt followed with 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break-up
-DB James Pawlyk was credited with seven tackles and a fumble recovery

Game Notes
-Michigan Tech held a 380 to 346 edge in total yards
-The Pioneers converted on 9 of 14 third-down attempts and held a 32:55 to 27:05 advantage in time of possession
-The Malone defense stopped the Huskies on downs three different times during the contest
-Prior to Saturday, the last time a Pioneer threw for 250 yards or more in a single game was Oct. 29, 2011 when Szpor amassed 279 passing yards in a 31-23 victory at Notre Dame College
-Dulin's big game marked the first 100-yard receiving performance for a Pioneer since Jordan Phillips snagged six catches for 120 yards last fall against Lake Erie College
-Ronnie Beers' three rushing TDs in last year's victory over Northern Michigan University was the last time a Pioneer scored two or more in a single game (prior to Blasiole's two TD performance vs. MTU on Saturday)
 
Up Next: The Pioneers travel to Detroit, Michigan next Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. contest against the Warriors.  Listen to the game live at www.malonepioneers.com/showcase