poindexter
Mathew Kirby
38
Winner Quincy QU 1-0
35
Drake DU 0-1
Winner
Quincy QU
1-0
38
Final
35
Drake DU
0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
QU Quincy 9 19 3 7 38
DU Drake 7 14 7 7 35

Game Recap: Football | | Brendan Bittner

UPSET! Hawks Defeat Division I Drake on Opening Night

QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University football team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday (Sept. 3) and upset Division I FCS opponent Drake, 38-35.
 
The Hawks made crucial plays in all three facets of the game – offense, defense and special teams – to pull off the upset over the Bulldogs, who entered having won all seven previous matchups.
 
Quincy last beat an FCS team in 2009 when it toppled Indiana State in overtime, 26-20. The Hawks are now 1-0 for the second time under head coach Tom Pajic.
 
The Hawks piled up 553 yards of offense with a balanced run-pass attack. Redshirt-freshman running back Jaylan James (St. Louis, Mo./Miller Career Academy), making his collegiate debut, led the backfield with 178 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. QU gained 260 yards on the ground, helping them maintain a decisive advantage in time of possession, 35:27 – 24:33.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Robbie Kelley (Rochester, Ill.) made his first collegiate start and went 18-for-25 through the air for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 60 yards on six carries, including a 44-yard scamper and a four-yard touchdown rush.

Kelley's top target was returning All-GLVC first team wideout Eric Poindexter (Newport News, Va./Warwick/Monroe College), who torched the Bulldogs for 165 yards on seven catches. He hauled in touchdown passes of 28 and 67 yards.
 
The starting offensive line of sophomore Devon Hickman (Cicero, Ill./Mount Carmel), junior Jared Carlton (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem), junior Ray Gieseo (Boca Raton, Fla.), senior Les Sakaria (Nolanville, Texas/Copperas) and senior Donavan Vance (Vail, Ariz./Cienega/Pima CC) led the way for both facets of the offense, leading the way for James and company and keeping Kelley upright. The Hawks did not take a sack on the night.
 
Defensively, the Hawks allowed just 375 yards of total offense, including only 142 on the ground. Quincy held Drake to 2-for-10 on third downs, a statistic the Hawks struggled with all last season. Drake's average third-down distance was 7.8 yards.
 
Quincy also picked off two passes, one by sophomore linebacker Cody Leonard (Carrollton, Ill.) and the other by redshirt-junior linebacker Nate Rueckemann (McHenry, Ill.). Leonard was explosive attacking the ball, making 10 tackles (seven solo), including 3.5 for loss. Redshirt-sophomore linebacker Jeffrey Hinkle (Robertsville, Mo./Pacific) and redshirt-senior defensive tackle Darius Carey (Florissant, Mo./CBC) each recorded a sack in the game.
 
The Hawks trailed less than three minutes into the game as the Bulldogs recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff and scored on a Conley Wilkins one-yard rush.
 
Quincy then went 14 plays on the next drive, but stalled inside the red zone and true freshman kicker Nathan Kewney (Quincy, Ill.) buried a 35-yard field goal. After Rueckemann's interception, Poindexter hauled in his 28-yard touchdown to give QU a 9-7 lead after a blocked PAT.
 
Drake had a 14-9 lead for 17 seconds as Kelley connected with Poindexter for a 67-yard bomb that put the Hawks up 15-14 after another blocked PAT.
 
QU stretched the lead to 28-14 on back-to-back drives that ended with James touchdowns. The Bulldogs responded just before halftime to cut the lead to a touchdown at the intermission.
 
Leonard's interception opened the second half and freshman kicker Grant Huelsmann (Breese, Ill./Breese Mater Dei) connected on a 22-yard field goal.
 
The Hawks entered the fourth quarter leading 31-28, but made it a 10-point game on Kelley's four-yard rushing touchdown.
 
Wilkins' one-yard dive with 1:29 remaining made things interesting, but the Hawks recovered the onside kick and kneeled out the clock.
 
The Hawks will now play at QU Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10 for the first time this season. They will play host to Mayville State, making a visit from North Dakota. Kickoff for the home opener is set for 1 p.m. with the tailgate lot opening at 9 a.m.
 
QU
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