Box Score
The Malone University football team tallied a 59-42 non-conference win at Alderson Broaddus (WV) University on Saturday afternoon after piling up 49 second-half points and 349 yards over the final two quarters.Â
Malone turned the ball over three times during the first 30 minutes while converting on only two of eight third downs. However, it was a completely different story after intermission as the visitors quickly erased their 13-10 halftime deficit, leaving their mark on the Pioneer record book by crossing the goal line seven times over the remainder of the game. The 49 points set a new Malone record for the most points scored in one half, eclipsing the previous mark of 48 that was set in the first half of a 69-0 trouncing of Anna Maria (MA) College in 2010. The 35-point outburst in the third quarter of Saturday's game at ABU also tied the school record for points in a quarter (Malone also notched 35 in the second quarter of a 52-10 triumph over Urbana University in 2002).
434 of the Pioneers' 534 total yards came on the ground Saturday as Malone ended the afternoon with the third-highest single-game rushing total in school history, falling just 10 yards shy of its 444-yard performance against Anna Maria in 2010. The Battlers (4-4 overall), meanwhile, did almost all of their damage through the air with 483 passing yards and 47 rushing yards for a total output of 530 yards.Â
Malone was flagged 12 times for 112 yards over the course of the game, but managed to make enough big plays to overcome the penalties. The Pioneer defense also came up with stops in the red zone throughout the afternoon, making ABU settle for field goals on five of the Battlers' seven trips inside the Malone 20-yard line.
Numerous Pioneers put forth huge individual efforts during the shootout victory. Quarterback
Will Szpor entered the game at the start of the third quarter and provided a huge spark for the Malone offense, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver
Jordan Phillips while also rushing for two more scores. Overall, Szpor completed five of his nine passes for 92 yards while rushing for 81 yards on just eight carries.
Like Szpor, Phillips also played a part in four touchdowns, crossing the goal line on a 21-yard rushing TD, hauling in TD throws of 21 and 32 yards and returning a kickoff 95 yards for another score. Phillips ended the day with five kickoff returns for 182 yards which set a new Malone record for the highest kickoff-return yardage total ever recorded in a single game, smashing the previous record of 161 yards.  In addition, Phillips' 95-yard highlight-reel run back marked the third-longest kickoff return in school history.
Running backs
Justin Davis and
Steven Niewiedzial both eclipsed 100 rushing yards in the contest, marking the second time this year that the Pioneers have had two rushers eclipse the century mark (Davis & running back
Bryce Pratt accomplished the feat against Walsh University earlier this season). Davis carried the ball 22 times for 150 yards (6.8 average) and one score against the Battlers while Niewiedzial registered 129 yards on 15 attempts (8.6 average).
Defensively, the Pioneers posted season highs by forcing four turnovers and racking up eight sacks. Linebacker
Dan Mower and defensive lineman Brock Lundeed caused trouble for the Battler offense all afternoon. Mower posted an interception, two fumble recoveries, a sack and five total tackles. Lundeen forced a fumble while racking up 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Defensive back
Demarco Donaldson notched a team-high ten tackles. Defensive back
Jermaine Hunter Jr. came up with an interception and six total tackles while defensive backs
Dashawn Goodwin and
Glen Raphael each tallied a forced fumble.
For the Battlers, quarterback Wilson Vaughn completed 36 of 60 passes for 483 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Brandon Jones tallied 85 rushing yards and a TD on 19 carries. Wide receiver Andre Garcia snagged eight catches for 115 yards and a score while defensive back Dominique Williams paced the ABU defense with 10 total tackles.
After recovering Malone's first fumble of the day deep in Pioneer territory, ABU opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal. Phillips then put the visitors on top moments later, scoring his first TD of the game after taking the handoff on an end-around play and racing 21 yards to the end zone.
The Alderson Broaddus defense would set the Battler offense up with another short field at the end of the first quarter after forcing a second Pioneer fumble. This time, the hosts cashed in on the good field position, scoring a TD when Vaughn connected with Garcia for a seven-yard strike.
Each team tacked on second-quarter field goals and headed to the locker room with the score 13-10.
The Pioneers regained the lead for good at the start of the third quarter as Szpor engineered a nine-play, 92-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 21-yard TD pass to Phillips.
Following a fumble recovery by Mower, Szpor and Phillips connected again, this time on a 32-yard touchdown pass that gave Malone a 24-13 advantage less than five minutes into the second half.
A quick 57-yard touchdown drive by ABU pulled the hosts back to within four at 24-20, but Phillips struck again on the ensuing kickoff, fielding the ball at his own five and racing all the way to the house to restore the Pioneers' 11-point lead.
The Battlers' next drive would be cut short by a Hunter Jr. interception. Pioneer wide receiver
Josh McLaughlin then made the score 38-20 six plays later after plunging into the end zone on a three-yard rush.
Vaughn cut the deficit to 38-27 with a 26-yard touchdown pass before Davis wrapped up the third-quarter scoring for the Pioneers with a six-yard rushing touchdown.
ABU kicker Jordan Butler tacked on two more field goals at the start of the fourth quarter to trim the Pioneer lead to 45-33 but Szpor answered, capping a 13-play, 72-yard Malone march with a four-yard rushing TD.
After another Butler field goal made it 52-36 with three minutes to play, the Battlers made things interesting by recovering an on-side kick and then quickly crossing the goal line on a one-yard rushing touchdown.Â
However, Alderson Broaddus' ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 52-42. Szpor then erased any doubt moments later, faking the option pitch and racing 43 yards to the end zone.
The Pioneers will return to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday with a 12:00 p.m. home contest against the University of Findlay. 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.Â
Click here for links to each of the multimedia offerings.
Notes: Phillips' 260 all-purpose yards on Saturday marked the fifth-highest single-game all-purpose yardage total in program history…Malone's 59 points on Saturday tied for the fourth-highest scoring total in school history… Saturday's 534-yard performance marked the third time this year that the Pioneers have eclipsed 500 total yards...Prior to Saturday, 2009 was the last time that Malone had reached 500 or more yards in three separate games…Malone's eight sacks were the most recorded in a single game since 2010 when the squad also recorded eight in its season finale against Olivet Nazarene (IL) University…The 43 rushing yards given up on Saturday marked the fewest rushing yards that the Pioneers had surrendered in a game since 2010 when Malone held the University of Saint Francis (IN) to 38 rushing yards...Phillips finished one TD shy of tying the Malone single-game record...Lundeen's 3.5 sacks tied Brian Landies for the fourth-highest singe-game sack total in program history.
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