lonergan
Ann Leppke
35
Quincy QU 3-7 , 3-5
42
Winner Missouri S&T MST 5-5 , 5-3
Quincy QU
3-7 , 3-5
35
Final
42
Missouri S&T MST
5-5 , 5-3
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
QU Quincy 0 14 14 7 35
MST Missouri S&T 7 14 14 7 42

Game Recap: Football | | Brendan Bittner

Hawks Come Up Just Short in Season Finale at S&T

QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University football team saw its rally from a two-touchdown deficit come up just five yards shy as Missouri S&T prevailed, 42-35, in Saturday's (Nov. 14) season finale in Rolla, Mo.
 
Trailing by seven with the Miners getting the ball at their own 37, the QU defense needed to come up with a stop to give the offense a chance at tying the game.
 
The Hawks did just that, forcing a three-and-out to bring on the host's punt team. The punter could not handle the snap and fell on the ball, giving possession to the Hawks at the S&T 19-yard line
 
Fifth-year senior quarterback Nick Lonergan (Jacksonville, Ill.), who made his 39th and final collegiate start, called his own number on the first play, rushing for 11 yards to the 8-yard line. A personal foul set the Hawks up at the 4-yard line, but a short rush and three straight incompletions sealed the win for the Miners (5-5, 5-3 GLVC).
 
The Hawks (3-7, 3-5 GLVC) took a bit to get going offensively as the Miners opened up a 14-0 lead with 9:48 to play in the first half.
 
QU got on the board following S&T's scoring drive by going 10 plays for 70 yards as Lonergan hit sophomore wide receiver Jake Braskett (Wonder Lake, Ill./McHenry) on a 33-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-7 play. The Hawks also converted twice on third down on the drive.
 
The defense then forced a three-and-out and QU capitalized with another long touchdown drive – 10 plays for 76 yards – capped by a 10-yard fade from Lonergan to junior receiver De'Carlos Poole (Springfield, Ill.) that tied the game at 14-14 with 49 seconds left in the half.
 
The Miners returned the ensuing kickoff to the Quincy 40-yard line and Tyler Swart scored on a one-yard dive play with one second remaining to give the home team a 21-14 lead going into halftime.
 
The Hawks were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way. They cut into a 28-14 lead on a Lonergan 28-yard pass to Poindexter on 4th-and-14 with 6:49 left in the third quarter.
 
The Miners answered right back before Lonergan connected on 17, 19 and 46-yard passes, the latter being a touchdown to Poindexter, who finished with nine catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
 
That score cut the deficit to 35-28, but the Miners held the ball for the next four minutes and Swart hit Ray Mullen on a nine-yard touchdown with 11:48 left to push the lead to 42-28.
 
The Hawks then drove 74 yards on 12 plays as freshman Darius Burse (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park) finished the possession with a two-yard bruising run to cut S&T's lead to 42-35.
 
The defense came up with back-to-back stops, but the offense could not convert on its final drive with a short field.
 
The Hawks out-gained the Miners, 465-390, and held the ball for 33 minutes, 27 seconds. The Hawks could not get their running game going, accounting for just 99 yards on the ground, including eight sacks of Lonergan. Burse led the QU ground game with 60 yards on 17 carries.
 
Lonergan was 22-for-38 for 366 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in his final game. He finished his career with 8,424 yards and 62 touchdown passes. Lonergan also broke the school's single-season touchdown record with 21. He goes down as the career leader in every passing category in QU's record book.
 
Poindexter was Lonergan's favorite target, but Poole also finished with five receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.
 
Freshman safety Shane Barrett (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East) led the Hawks with eight tackles. Redshirt-freshman linebacker Jeffrey Hinkle (Robertsville, Mo./Pacific) finished with six stops and an interception. Freshman linebacker Cody Leonard (Carrollton, Ill.) had six tackles and his first career sack.
 
QU
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