tanner day
Ann Leppke
31
Winner Northern Michigan NMU 1-1
14
Quincy QU 1-1
Winner
Northern Michigan NMU
1-1
31
Final
14
Quincy QU
1-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NMU Northern Michigan 7 14 10 0 31
QU Quincy 7 0 7 0 14

Game Recap: Football | | Brendan Bittner

Northern Michigan Spoils Quincy's Home Opener, 31-14

QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University football team scored the game's first touchdown, but Northern Michigan wiped away that lead and scored the next 31 on its way to spoiling the Hawks' home opener, 31-14, at Flinn Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 13) evening.
 
The Hawks were out-gained on the ground, 157-71, as they struggled with the Wildcats' size on the offensive line. Four of NMU's five starting offensive linemen checked in at better than 315 pounds.
 
After a punt by each team at the start of the game, the Hawks got the ball at their own 19-yard line and put together an impressive drive. Redshirt-junior Nick Lonergan (Jacksonville, Ill.) found freshman wide receiver Kody Wood (Jacksonville, Ill.) three times – including a 28-yard pass that moved the Hawks to the NMU 8-yard line. Redshirt-freshman Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead after the PAT.
 
The teams then exchanged punts again, but the Wildcats (1-1) set up in great field position at the QU 45-yard line. On the next play, Shaye Brown connected with Kelvin Smarwt on a 45-yard catch-and-run late in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7.
 
On its first possession of the second quarter, the Wildcats put together an 11-play drive. The Hawks nearly turned over NMU on the final play of the drive as senior linebacker Dan Camp (Rochester, Ill.) forced a fumble inside the 10-yard line, but wide receiver Austin Young pounced on the loose ball and carried it in for the score.
 
The QU offense was able to move the ball against Northern Michigan, but was unable to finish drives against the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference squad. The Hawks got the ball to the NMU 36-yard line early in the second quarter, but could not convert on 3rd-and-9.
 
Lonergan completed his first nine passes and finished 21-for-32 for 225 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked five times as he was sent scampering for most of the game.
 
Wyatt Jurasin's seven-yard run with 42 seconds left in the second quarter pushed the NMU lead to 21-7. The Hawks did not have an answer for Jurasin, who ran for 135 yards on 29 carries.
 
The Wildcats scored on their first two possessions of the second half, getting a seven-yard score from Jurasin and a 38-yard field goal by Ryan LaBerge to stretch their lead to 31-7.
 
Quincy quickly responded in hopes of igniting a comeback. The Hawks switched to a no-huddle offense and got the Wildcats on their toes. Lonergan completed the 70-yard drive in less than three minutes, capping the possession with a six-yard strike to redshirt-freshman tight end Owen Schoenenberger (Evansville, Wis.) to cut the lead to 31-14.
 
That would be the last time either team would score. The Hawks twice moved into Northern Michigan territory, but the Hawks could not convert on fourth downs.
 
Wood was Lonergan's favorite target, going to the rookie eight times for a total of 103 yards. Schoenenberger caught six passes for 66 yards. Harris was Quincy's leading rusher, gaining 55 yards on 14 carries.
 
Brown was 16-for-23 for 220 yards in guiding the Northern Michigan spread offense. He found Smarwt six times for 114 yards and a touchdown.
 
Senior linebacker Ike Onike (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) led the Hawks with 12 tackles (nine solo), while Camp finished with 11 stops (five solo). Redshirt-sophomore Tanner Day (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East) had the lone sack for the Hawks. Three of his five tackles went for a loss. Redshirt-sophomore cornerback Jasus Harkins (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) recorded his second career interception in the third quarter.
 
The Hawks return to the field next Saturday (Sept. 20) when they open Great Lakes Valley Conference play against Lincoln in Jefferson City, Mo.
 
QU
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