Box Score

The Malone University football team tallied 20 fourth-quarter points and 529 total offensive yards on Saturday afternoon but it was not quite enough to overcome a 27-10 second-half deficit as the Pioneers fell 34-30 in their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Tiffin University.

The host Dragons put together a touchdown drive on their opening possession of the game to grab an early 7-0 advantage.  Malone misfired on a 44-yard field goal on its ensuing drive, but then fought back to grab a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter.  Kicker Jacob Bishop drilled a 22-yard field goal to get the Pioneers on the scoreboard.  Following a Tiffin punt, running back Justin Davis capped off a 12-play, 90-yard march, plunging across the goal line on fourth-and-inches from inside the one-yard line.

Tiffin would regain the lead just before halftime.  Marcus Beaurem put the Dragon offense in excellent field position by returning Malone's ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the TU 45-yard line.  Tiffin quarterback Antonio Pipkin then led the Dragons the remaining 55 yards on 10 plays, scoring on a one-yard TD run to put the hosts in front 13-10 with just 19 seconds remaining on the second-quarter clock.

Tiffin's advantage then grew to 27-10 early in the fourth quarter after the Dragons capitalized on a pair of Pioneer turnovers, picking off two Malone passes in TU territory and then engineering touchdown drives of 71 and 55 yards.

Facing the 17-point deficit, the Pioneers refused to go away quietly.  Pioneer quarterback Brandyn Eckhart drove the visitors 80 yards on their next possession, trimming the Tiffin lead to 27-16 after connecting with running back Bryce Pratt on a 10-yard touchdown pass (extra point was no good).

With 5:43 to play, Malone attempted an onside kick to try and get the ball back but Tiffin recovered and, following a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, drove the remaining 28 yards to the endzone, stretching the lead to 34-16 on Pipkin's third rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

Eckhart was the catalyst on another lengthy Pioneer touchdown drive minutes later, this time a 14-play, 87-yard possession that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Pratt.  The Pioneers were then successful on a two-point conversion with a pass from Eckhart to Pratt, slicing the margin to 34-24 with 1:45 remaining.

Tiffin recovered Malone's next onside kick, but the Dragons were unable to run out the clock as defensive back Jermaine Hunter Jr. broke up a downfield pass on fourth down, giving the ball back to the Pioneer offense at the Malone 42-yard line with 1:20 to play.

Eckhart opened the drive with a 20-yard completion to wide receiver Jordan Phillips to move into Dragon territory.  Following a pair of incompletions, Davis hauled in a seven-yard reception on third-and-10.  Eckhart would then come through with a 14-yard completion to Phillips to convert on fourth down and keep Malone's hopes alive.  The junior quarterback then found the end zone on the very next play with a 17-yard run, pulling the Pioneers to within 34-30 with 19 seconds to go (extra point was no good).

However, despite the strong comeback attempt, Malone would not get another offensive opportunity as the Dragons recovered Malone's third onside kick attempt and then ran out the clock to preserve the four-point win.

The Pioneers posted season highs for first downs (33), rushing yards (330), passing yards (199), total yards (529), plays (88) and time of possession (35:17) in Saturday's contest.  Tiffin was limited to 18 first downs with 314 total yards (121 rushing, 193 passing), but the Dragons took advantage of their two interceptions and capitalized on good field position as just four of the hosts' 11 possessions started inside their own 40-yard line.  Malone was also hindered by 11 penalties, totaling 104 yards.

 Eckhart ended the afternoon having completed 10 of 19 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown.  He also carried the ball 11 times for 84 yards and a score.  Pratt posted 120 rushing yards and a TD on 17 rushing attempts (7.1 average), marking the third time in five games this year that he has eclipsed 100 yards.  In addition, the junior running back pulled in two passes for 11 yards, including his 10-yard touchdown reception that started the Pioneers' fourth-quarter rally.

Davis posted 98 rushing yards on 20 carries (4.9 average) with a TD while making a significant contribution in the passing game with four catches for 56 yards.  Phillips added four receptions for 51 yards while fellow wide receiver Josh McLaughlin snagged four passes for 46 yards.

Safety Demarco Donaldson once again led the way for the Malone defense with 11 total tackles and a forced fumble.  Linebackers Dan Mower and Nick Hendricks followed with seven and six stops, respectively.  On top of his fourth-down pass break-up, Hunter Jr. also picked off another pass and returned it 30 yards.

For Tiffin, Pipkin completed 18 of his 28 throws for 193 yards with one TD and one interception.  The freshman signal caller was also the Dragons' leading rusher with 72 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries.  Beaurem paced the Tiffin receiving corps with four catches for 62 yards.  Defensive end Joe Collard piled up 17 total tackles for the Tiffin defense.

After playing four of their first five contests on the road, the Pioneers will return to Fawcett Stadium next Saturday to host their Homecoming Game against rival Walsh University at 2:00 p.m.  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.

Malone Notes: Only once in Pioneer football history has Malone posted more than 33 first downs in a single game – 37 vs. Walsh during the 2007 season….The Pioneers' 529 total yards marked the highest offensive output for the squad since Malone racked up 669 total yards in its 2009 season finale against Olivet Nazarene (IL) University....Malone's output of 330 yards on the ground was also the highest rushing total for the Pioneers since a 381-yard performance against Olivet Nazarene in 2010.