GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Battle of Unbeatens on Homecoming

Southwest Baptist University Bearcats (3-0, 1-0 GLVC) vs. Quincy University Hawks (3-0, 1-0 GLVC)
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 | 1 p.m.
QU Stadium | Quincy, IL

BATTLE OF UNBEATENS: The Quincy University football team enters Saturday's Homecoming tilt against visiting Southwest Baptist with a perfect 3-0 record. But so do the Bearcats. The unblemished teams are the final two unbeatens in the Great Lakes Valley Conference this season as an opportunity to stay on top of the conference standings is on the line.

HOMECOMING: Not only is this one of the most significant games in the Tom Pajic era of QU football, it also serves as the Hawks' Homecoming game. The school is welcoming back the 1986 team that brought football back to campus after a 33-year hiatus. The '86 team got together at a reception on Friday night and will take part in pregame and halftime festivities on Saturday. Throughout the week, the athletic department also released the top 30 moments in the last 30 years of the program's history.

.500 ON HOMECOMING: In four Homecoming games under Pajic, the Hawks are 2-2. Last season, the Hawks held off Saint Joseph's on a two-point conversion goal line stand, 18-16, in front of a record crowd of 3,117.

GLVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore linebacker Cody Leonard (Carrollton, Ill.) was tabbed the GLVC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in QU's 40-14 win at Lincoln last Saturday. Leonard led a stout Quincy defense with eight tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack. Leonard now has 9.5 tackles for loss on the season, putting him fourth in all of Division II.

LOOKING FOR FOUR: On Saturday, the Hawks can achieve the second four-game winning streak of the Pajic era. The Hawks won four games in a row in 2014 – a streak that started with a 59-34 thumping of Southwest Baptist. Redshirt-junior running back Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) rushed for a GLVC-record seven touchdowns in the game.POUND THE ROCK: For the third straight week, the Hawks' power running game was a force to be reckoned with as QU gained 303 yards on the ground on 52 carries. Redshirt-freshman running back Jaylan James (St. Louis, Mo./Miller Career Academy) toted the rock 24 times for 133 yards. He has now rushed for over 100 yards in each of his first three games and has 418 yards on the season. The next running back on QU's rushing list is freshman Briar Hancock (Paris, Mo.) with 58 yards. The Hawks will get reinforcements this week with two-time All-GLVC tailback Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) returning from an injury.

DUAL THREAT QB: Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Robbie Kelley (Rochester, Ill.) has looked impressive in his first season as QU's starting signal-caller. Kelley leads the GLVC and ranks 16th nationally in passing efficiency (172.2), completion percentage (68.4) and points responsible for (60). The last category is a product of Kelley's ability to make plays outside the pocket. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound quarterback has rushed for 135 yards on the season and has run for one touchdown in each of the first three games. Through the air, Kelley is 54-79 for 702 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions

IN THE TRENCHES: The key to the Hawks' success on offense is a byproduct of the early season dominance of the offensive line. Boasting only one senior starter, the O-line has helped Quincy to the top rushing offense in the GLVC, averaging 256 yards per game on the ground. The group consists of sophomore LT Devon Hickman (Cicero, Ill./Mount Carmel), junior LG Jared Carlton (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem), junior C Ray Gieseo (Boca Raton, Fla.), redshirt-freshman RG Austin Reiter (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) and senior RT Donavan Vance (Vail, Ariz./Cienega/Pima CC). That core has also allowed only one sack on the season and it came on an intentional grounding penalty.

STINGY DEFENSE: The Quincy defense has simply been dominant this season, especially in the last two games. In the Sept. 10 game against Mayville State and the first three quarters of the Lincoln game, the QU defense allowed a total of 170 yards and only 11 first downs. Overall, the Hawks rate as the sixth-best defense in Division II, allowing just 223 yards per game. They are third in rushing defense, surrendering just 50 yards per game and 32nd in passing defense (173 yards allowed per game).

PICKED A PECK OF PASSES: The QU secondary wreaked havoc on the Blue Tigers' passing game last week, intercepting three passes, including a pick-six returned 24 yards by sophomore safety Shane Barrett (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East). The touchdown and interception at the end of the first quarter gave the Hawks a commanding 21-0 lead. Earlier in the quarter, redshirt-junior cornerback Adehkeem Brown (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue) intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback to keep the Tigers off the board after a QU turnover. Redshirt-freshman safety Zac Lonergan (Jacksonville, Ill.) also intercepted the first pass of his career in the game. The Hawks rank second in the GLVC and 23rd in the country with five interceptions.

KEEPAWAY: On the back of their running game and going 9-for-17 on third downs, the Hawks owned a 21-minute discrepancy in time of possession against Lincoln. QU ranks second in the nation by holding the ball for an average of 37 minutes, 34 seconds per game.

COACH TO CURE MD: The QU coaching staff will participate in the American Football Coaches Association's Coach to Cure MD initiative this week. To donate $5 for research toward a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, text the word CURE to 90999.

UP NEXT: The Hawks play four of their next five on the road beginning Oct. 1 at Saint Joseph's.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Shane Barrett: DB; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#5 Adehkeem Brown: CB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior

#66 Jared Carlton: OL; 6' 2"; Junior

#72 Ray Gieseo: OL; 6' 1"; Junior

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

#74 Devon Hickman: OL; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#30 Jaylan James: RB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

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

#53 Cody Leonard: LB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#20 Zac Lonergan: DB; 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Shane Barrett
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: DB

#5 Adehkeem Brown
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior
: CB

#66 Jared Carlton
: 6' 2"; Junior
: OL

#72 Ray Gieseo
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OL

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

#74 Devon Hickman
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: OL

#30 Jaylan James
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB

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

#53 Cody Leonard
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: LB

#20 Zac Lonergan
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman
: DB