GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Hawks Battle S&T in Season Finale

Quincy University Hawks (3-6, 3-4 GLVC) at Missouri S&T Miners (4-5, 4-3 GLVC)
Nov. 14, 2015 | 1 p.m.
Rolla, MO | Allgood-Bailey Stadium

2015 SEASON FINALE: The Quincy University football team finishes the season on Saturday in Rolla, Mo. for a game against Missouri S&T. The Hawks are looking to close the season on a winning note for the second time in four years under head coach Tom Pajic. QU is coming off a 56-30 defeat at McKendree last Saturday.

THE FINAL START: Redshirt-senior quarterback Nick Lonergan will make his final and 39th consecutive start for the Hawks on Saturday. The Jacksonville, Ill. native holds all of Quincy's career passing records, including completions (606), attempts (1,071), yards (8,058), touchdowns (58) and completion percentage (56.6). Lonergan exited last week's game at McKendree in the second quarter with a lower leg injury, but is expected to start against the Miners.

SERIES WITH THE MINERS: The Miners hold a 5-3 edge all-time against the Hawks in a series dating back to 1996. S&T has defeated Quincy in two of the three meetings since becoming GLVC opponents in 2012. The Hawks picked up their first win over the Miners in conference play last season, 20-13. The win on Nov. 1 last year gave QU a four-game winning streak. In that game at Flinn Stadium, the Hawks came back from a 13-10 deficit in the fourth quarter. After a 40-yard Blake Allison field goal tied the game, the Hawks marched 74 yards on the game-winning drive. Lonergan's 25-yard scramble on 3rd-and-15 came two plays before Chris Harris ripped off a 45-yard run that set up Lonergan's dive in the end zone with 2:52 to play.

THE S&T PROFILE: The Miners have the fourth-highest scoring offense in the GLVC, averaging 27 points per game, while allowing the sixth-fewest points per game (32). Dalton Major leads a S&T rushing attack that ranks fourth in the league. Lamar Wilkes is Missouri S&T's leading passer and the Miners have two players - Spencer Elrod and Braxton Graham - who rank in the top 10 in receiving yards per game in the league. Missouri S&T is minus-4 in turnover margin.

DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE: After keeping three out of their last four opponents under 400 yards of offense, the defense struggled against McKendree, which boasts the top offensive numbers in the GLVC. QU surrendered just 193 yards of offense to Truman State on Oct. 31.

3RD DOWN TROUBLES: The Hawks' biggest problem defensively comes on third down when they allow opponents to convert 55.9 percent of the time. Last week, that issue cropped up with the Bearcats converting on 10-of-12 third downs, while also picking up their only fourth down try.

FUTURE GLIMPSE: With Lonergan leaving last week's game early in the second quarter after suffering a lower leg injury on a quarterback keeper, the coaching staff turned over the keys of the offense to redshirt-freshman Robbie Kelley. Playing the first extended minutes of his collegiate career, the Rochester, Ill. native impressed. He was 15-21 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He did not commit a turnover. The Hawks scored all 30 of their points with Kelley in the game.

LONG DRIVES: The Hawks put together four long scoring drives against the Bearcats last week. QU's first touchdown came on a drive of 21 plays, 82 yards that took nine minutes, 29 seconds off the clock. Quincy converted four fourth downs on the possession. The Hawks also owned a 10-play, 73-yard (4:01) touchdown drive, a 15-play, 64-yard (8:04) drive that ended with a field goal and an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive (4:52).

THE SHORT DRIVE: The Hawks also completed a one-play, 67-yard drive. That possession started and ended on a perfect throw from Kelley down the seam that dropped into the arms of junior wide receiver De'Carlos Poole. It was the third-longest play of the season for Quincy. Lonergan has hit junior wideout Eric Poindexter on throws of 71 yards and 69 yards this season.

NEW STREAK?: Harris had his string of eight straight games with a rushing touchdown snapped against Truman State, but the sophomore barrelled his way into the end zone from seven yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter last week. His score brought the Hawks to within four points, 28-24, before the Bearcats scored four of the last five touchdowns in the game.

BRASKETT HEATING UP: Sophomore wide receiver Jake Braskett had just three catches on the season heading into the Halloween game against Truman State. Against the Bulldogs, the Wonder Lake, Ill. native caught five passes for 67 yards, including four during a second-half comeback. Last week, Braskett hauled in four passes for 52 yards and his first career touchdown catch.

GLVCSN: The athletic communications office broadcast four of its five home games on the GLVC Sports Network at QUHawks.com/watch. The four broadcasts totaled 1,896 unique video loads, an average of 474 per game. Our thanks to QU baseball student-athlete and intern Ryan Snyder and his crew for all their help this fall.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Blake Allison: K; 5' 10"; Senior

#10 Jake Braskett: WR; 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore

#28 Chris Harris: RB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#3 Robbie Kelley: QB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

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

#13 Eric Poindexter: WR; 5' 11"; Junior

#19 De'Carlos Poole: WR; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#6 Blake Allison
: 5' 10"; Senior
: K

#10 Jake Braskett
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore
: WR

#28 Chris Harris
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: RB

#3 Robbie Kelley
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: QB

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

#13 Eric Poindexter
: 5' 11"; Junior
: WR

#19 De'Carlos Poole
: Redshirt Junior
: WR