Hawks Eye Fifth Straight Win in Final 2014 Road Game

Quincy University Hawks (6-3, 4-2 GLVC) at Truman State University Bulldogs (5-3, 4-2 GLVC)
Nov. 1, 2014 | 1 p.m.
Flinn Stadium - Quincy, Ill.

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QUINCY GAME NOTES (.pdf) | TRUMAN STATE GAMES NOTES (.pdf)

THE FINAL ROAD TRIP: The Hawks hit the road for the final time in 2014 as they travel just 74 miles over to Kirksville, Mo. to take on Truman State. The teams are in a three-way tie, along with William Jewell, for second place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Hawks have faired very well on the road this season, compiling a 3-1 record away from Flinn Stadium. Quincy has not won four road games in a season since it went 5-0 on the road in its 9-0 season in 1993.

VS. THE BULLDOGS: The Hawks are 1-3 all-time against Truman State with their lone win coming in 1951. Quincy fell to the Bulldogs in 2002 and 2003 before resuming the series last season as Truman joined the GLVC. Last year, the Bulldogs came to Flinn Stadium and blanked the Hawks, 33-0, in TSU's first-ever GLVC game.

LAST LOOK AT LAST WEEK: The only scoring in last week's 20-13 win over Missouri S&T came in the first and fourth quarters as the Hawks came back from a 13-10 fourth-quarter deficit to pick up their fourth striaght win. QU led 10-7 after one quarter, but chances for a shootout were eliminated by both defenses in the middle two quarters. The Miners took their first lead of the game with 13:22 left, but the Hawks tied it with a field goal at 13-13 with 9:52 remaining, and with less than three minutes to play, scored the game-winning touchdown.

KEEP THE GOOD TIMES ROLLING: The Hawks have won four straight games for the first time since 2008 and are looking for their first five-game streak since the 1994 season when QU was 8-1. This 2014 team is also trying to become just the fourth QU team to win seven games since the program's reinstatement in 1986. The '94 squad was the last team to hit that mark.

D-FENCE: The Quincy defense stepped up in a big way as the Hawks struggled to get in rhythm offensively against a dangerous Missouri S&T pass rush. The Hawks allowed just 13 points, marking the fourth time this season they have kept an opponent at 15 points or fewer – going 4-0 in those games. The Hawks rank fourth in the league in scoring defense (23.6) and second in total defense (323.1 yards allowed per game).

RUNNING INTO A WALL: Just as impressive has been the Hawks' ability to stop the run. It was a key in the Hawks' win over the Miners, limiting the visitors to just 58 yards on the ground. Quincy has kept four opponents at that total or fewer this year and seven opponents have rushed for fewer than 150 yards against the Hawks' stout run defense. QU leads the GLVC and is 16th in the country in rush defense, allowing just 102.3 yards per game on the ground.

TWO RUSHES: The defenses owned the game last week as the teams combined for just 454 yards, but two rushes by the Hawks gave them a late fourth quarter lead. With the game tied, 13-13, with less than five minutes to play, redshirt-freshman tailback Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin) broke through on a 45-yard run that put the Hawks inside the S&T 1-yard line. That's where redshirt-junior quarterback Nick Lonergan (Jacksonville, Ill.) sneaked in to the end zone to make it 20-13. Harris finished the game with 101 yards on the ground and Lonergan had 64 rushing yards when taking away yardage lost on sacks. For the season, Lonergan has 287 rushing yards gained before removing sack yardage. Meanwhile, Harris sits just 105 yards shy of a 1,000-yard rushing season.

CAMP, ONIKE CLIMBING CHARTS: Two of the key components in the Hawks' rush defense were dominant in Saturday's wins. Senior linebacker Dan Camp (Rochester, Ill.) finished with 14 tackles (nine solo), while senior linebacker Ike Onike (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) had 11 stops (five solo). Both are climbing Quincy's all-time defensive charts.

NEXT UP: The Hawks wrap up the 2014 season next Saturday (Nov. 15) when they play host to rival McKendree at Flinn Stadium. The Bearcats (3-6, 3-3 GLVC) have won three straight overall, defeating visiting William Jewell, 41-20, last week. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#35 Dan Camp: LB; 6' 0"; Senior

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

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

#18 Ike Onike: LB; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#35 Dan Camp
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LB

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

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

#18 Ike Onike
: 5' 11"; Senior
: LB