Hawks Head East to Take on Saint Joseph's

Quincy University Hawks (3-3, 1-2 GLVC) at Saint Joseph's College Pumas (5-1, 2-1 GLVC)
Oct. 18, 2014 | Noon
Alumni Stadium - Rennselaer, Ind.

RADIO: ESPN 1440 WGEM-AM (LISTEN ONLINE)
LIVE STATS

QUINCY GAME NOTES (.pdf)

ROADTRIPPIN': The Hawks hit the road on Saturday for the first time since Sept. 20 as they head east to take on Saint Joseph's in Rensselaer, Ind. It is the Hawks' first of just two overnight trips of the season. The first two bus rides were just day trips to Belleville, Ill. and Jefferson City, Mo. Next week, Quincy heads west to take on William Jewell in Liberty, Mo.

VS. THE PUMAS: The Hawks are 2-7 all-time against Saint Joseph's, the first meeting between the teams coming in 1996. QU dropped the first five all-time matchups, then won back-to-back games in 2001 and 2002. The series resumed in 2012 when Quincy came back from a 21-point deficit only to fall in overtime, 24-21, in Rensselaer. Last season, SJC led by 15 points late, but the Hawks got a touchdown and recovered an onside kick, but quarterback Nick Lonergan (Jacksonville, Ill.) was sacked on the final play to end the game, 34-26.

LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: The Hawks rallied from a 24-7 first-half deficit last week, outscoring Southwest Baptist, 52-10, after that point to claim a 59-34 win at Flinn Stadium. Quincy piled up 644 yards of total offense, including 376 in the second half. The Hawks also forced two turnovers in the final 30 minutes.

HARRIS BREAKING RECORDS: The story of the game, though, was the performance of redshirt-freshman Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin), who set school and GLVC records for rushing touchdowns with seven. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound back averaged 9.1 yards per carry, running 24 ties for 218 yards, a figure that ranks third all-time in league history. He was named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week and was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by D2Football.com, Beyond Sports Network and BennettRank. His 93-yard run in the final minute put an exclamation point on the win and was the longest rushing play in program and conference history.

ALLISON NAMED GLVC S.T. PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt-sophomore kicker Blake Allison (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) joined Harris as a weekly award winner, taking GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week laurels. It was the first time in program history two Hawks have won GLVC honors in the same week. Harris and Allison were also the first QU players at their positions to be named GLVC players of the week. Allison won the award after scoring 11 points on Saturday, kicking a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter that cut Quincy's deficit to 34-31 and converting all eight of his extra point attempts – one shy of the league record. He is now 4-for-4 in his career on field goals and 34-for-37 on extra points. Allison also averaged 49 yards per kickoff on ten kicks in the game.

'THE OTHERS': Harris was not the only electric player out of the QU backfield as the Hawks totaled 363 yards on the ground. Redshirt-junior Sterling Ross (New Port Richey, Fla./Ridgewood) ran for 89 yards on just seven carries and Lonergan ran 13 times for 56 yards. The Hawks are averaging 176.2 yards per game on the ground.

LONERGAN EFFICIENT: Lonergan continues to keep the Hawks' offense rolling through the air as the redshirt-junior completed 69.5 percent (16-for-23) of his passes last week. He threw just his second interception of the season, which is tied for the league low among starting signal-callers. Lonergan ranks 20th in the nation in passing efficiency (152.6) with eight touchdowns and 1,394 yards through the air. He is just 109 yards shy of 5,000 for his career and three passing touchdowns shy of Quincy's all-time career mark (37).

MAKE A 'DAY' OF IT: The QU defense wreaked havoc in the Southwest Baptist backfield on Saturday, led by redshirt-sophomore defensive end Tanner Day (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West), who brought down quarterback Willie Tindal for two sacks and totaled five tackles (three for loss). The Hawks had six sacks on Saturday, their most since the 2012 season finale when they had six at William Jewell.

STOPPING THE RUN: The Hawks limited the Bearcats to just 23 yards rushing on Saturday, marking the third time this season they have allowed 44 yards or fewer on the ground. Quincy ranks 17th in the nation and second in the league in run defense (99.0 yards allowed per game). That will need to hold up this week as the Pumas come into the game leading the GLVC in rushing offense (245.5 yards per game).

PLAYING WITHOUT PENALTIES: The Hawks lead the GLVC in fewest penalties, averaging just 5.5 flags and 41.0 penalty yards per game. They rank 27th in Division II in fewest penalties.

NEXT UP: The Hawks will continue their brief two-game road trip next Saturday (Oct. 25) with a trip to Liberty, Mo. to take on William Jewell. The Cardinals (3-3, 3-0 GLVC) have been the surprise of the league, going unbeaten through the first three conference games, despite having been picked ninth in the preseason coaches poll. The Cards upset Truman State, 21-17, in Kirksville, Mo. last week and travel to Missouri S&T on Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Blake Allison: K; 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

#11 Tanner Day: DE; 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

#28 Chris Harris: RB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#5 Nick Lonergan: QB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#20 Sterling Ross: RB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#6 Blake Allison
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore
: K

#11 Tanner Day
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: DE

#28 Chris Harris
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB

#5 Nick Lonergan
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: QB

#20 Sterling Ross
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior
: RB