poindexter
Mathew Kirby
24
Winner Missouri S&T MST 5-6 , 4-4
20
Quincy QU 5-6 , 3-5
Winner
Missouri S&T MST
5-6 , 4-4
24
Final
20
Quincy QU
5-6 , 3-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
MST Missouri S&T 10 0 7 7 24
QU Quincy 7 6 7 0 20

Game Recap: Football | | Brendan Bittner

Last Gasp Drive Comes Up Just Short Against S&T

QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University football team came just three yards shy of beating Missouri S&T as the Miners sneaked out of QU Stadium with a 24-20 win on Saturday (Nov. 12) afternoon in the season finale. The Hawks also celebrated Senior Day prior to kickoff.

The Hawks (5-6, 3-5 GLVC) started their final drive with 22 seconds left at their own 32-yard line. On the first play, redshirt-sophomore quarterback Robbie Kelley (Rochester, Ill.) hit junior wide receiver Brendan Saak (Belleville, Ill./Belleville East) on a 39-yard pass up the seam, putting the ball at the S&T 29-yard line.
 
Quincy clocked the ball with 15 seconds left before a roughing the passer penalty set up the Hawks at the 15-yard line. Kelley had his next pass to redshirt-junior tight end Owen Schoenenberger (Evansville, Wis.) broken up by Isaac Williams. The Miners were flagged for pass interference on the next play as senior wide receiver Eric Poindexter (Newport News, Va./Warwick/Monroe College) was not able to free himself from his defender.
 
But with three seconds left from the 3-yard line, Kelley dropped back and his pass to Poindexter was tipped away by Jeremi Ross, ending the Hawks' season.
 
In last week's game against McKendree, the Hawks played catch-up the entire way as they gave up the first 14 points of the game. On Saturday, the Miners (5-6, 4-4 GLVC) led 10-0 after their first two possessions.
 
On its second drive of the game, the Hawks fought back and made it 10-7 as redshirt-junior running back Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) broke through a couple tackles and hit the pylon on a 15-yard touchdown run to cap a 13-play, 80-yard drive.
 
The defense stopped the Miners with three-and-outs on their first two drives of the second quarter and the offense gave Quincy the lead with 3:29 left in the first half. The Hawks ran a read-option that tricked the S&T defense and Kelley strolled into the end zone on a nine-yard run. The snap on the point-after attempt was high and Saak, the holder, was forced to throw the ball into a well-covered end zone to keep the score 13-10 going into halftime.
 
The Hawks looked like they were going to make it a two-score game in the third quarter as junior wide receiver D.J. Daughtry (Highland City, Fla./Bartow) hauled in a pass up the seam and was off to the races, but he was caught from behind and was stripped on a hard tackle at the 5-yard line. The Miners picked up the fumble in the end zone.
 
Five plays later, the Miners scored on an eight-yard pass from Tyler Swart to Braxton Graham to take a 17-13 lead.
 
After a nice return by Poindexter set up the Hawks at their own 39-yard line, Kelley found Saak over the middle. The pass was tipped by the receiver and redshirt-junior receiver Jake Braskett (Wonder Lake, Ill./McHenry) plucked it out of the air before the Miners could knock it down. Braskett raced to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown that gave Quincy a 20-17 lead.
 
The QU defense then got two straight stops, but on a third down from his own 40-yard line, Kelley was stripped on a sack and Tershawn Wharton fell on the fumble. Two plays later, Ben Matthews caught a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Miners a 24-20 lead.
 
The Hawks went three-and-out on their next possession, then drove to the Missouri S&T 35-yard line with four minutes to play, but could not convert on 4th-and-6. The Miners were able to run the clock down to 22 seconds before the Hawks last-gasp drive.
 
Poindexter caught eight passes for 113 yards, giving him 3,057 in his three-year Quincy career. He also set the single-season mark for receptions in a season (69) and was already the single season leader in touchdowns (13) and yards (1,331). Poindexter also holds the career marks in yards and touchdowns (32).
 
Kelley went 21-for-36 for 411 yards and one touchdown. His yardage total was the third-most in school history and his second-most this season. Harris rushed for 35 yards on 11 carries to lead the ground attack.
 
Redshirt-junior cornerback Adehkeem Brown (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue) intercepted two passes and finished the year with seven picks, tied for the most in a single season in program history. He now has 11 interceptions in his career, which puts him third all-time at QU.
 
Freshman safety D.T. Christiansen (O'Fallon, Mo./Living Word Christian) and sophomore linebacker Cody Leonard (Carrollton, Ill.) led the Hawks with seven tackles apiece.
 
The Hawks had a nine-minute advantage in time of possession and outgained the Miners, 479-381. Graham had nine catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Miners offensively.
 
QU
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