GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Hawks, Pumas Square Off in Indiana

Quincy University Hawks (3-1, 1-1 GLVC) at Saint Joseph's College Pumas (2-2, 1-1 GLVC)
Saturday, Hawktober 1, 2016 | Noon
Alumni Stadium | Rensselaer, IN

BOUNCE BACK: For the first time in 2016, the Quincy University football team will enter a game coming off a loss as the Hawks look to rebound from a 37-20 defeat to Southwest Baptist last week at QU Stadium. This week, they will hit the road for Indiana to take on Saint Joseph's for the Pumas' homecoming game. The Hawks will play four of their next five games away from home before returning to their friendly confines for the final two games of the season.

SJC-QU RECENT HISTORY: Since the two schools began playing football in the GLVC in 2012, Quincy and Saint Joseph's have produced a series of close games decided in the fourth quarter. The Pumas won the first two games against QU in their GLVC history, but the Hawks have won the last two. In 2012, the teams went to overtime in Rensselaer with the Hawks falling, 24-21. It is the only overtime game for Quincy in the five-year Tom Pajic era. On QU's last trip to Alumni Stadium in 2014, the Hawks trailed 7-0 going into the fourth quarter before scoring 17 unanswered points to defeat the Pumas on a rain-soaked, muddy Saturday. Then-sophomore wideout Eric Poindexter (Newport News, Va./Warwick/Monroe College) caught nine passes for 114 yards and a touchdown and then-freshman running back Chris Harris (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown. Last season, the Hawks sealed their 18-16 Homecoming win on the final play of the game, as then-freshman cornerback Christopher Parker (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park) made a tackle at the goal line on a two-point conversion.

SPLIT QB: In last week's game against the Bearcats, redshirt-sophomore quarterback Robbie Kelley (Rochester, Ill.) had to leave the game in the second quarter after sustaining an injury to his lower body. He gave way to true freshman Andrew Rund (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Priory), who saw his first extended action behind center. Kelley eventually returned briefly in the third quarter, throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Poindexter on third down on his first play back, but he would again exit in the fourth quarter, giving way to Rund.

OFFENSIVE RHYTHM: With the quarterbacks shuffling in and out, and Rund taking his own hits when running outside the pocket, the Hawks could not get much going offensively against an athletic SBU defense. The Hawks garnered just 230 offensive yards and the running game, which had been so productive through three games, could not get on track. QU rushed for just 72 yards as redshirt-freshman Dominique Bobo (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade/Valparaiso) was QU's leading running back with 25 yards on four carries in his first collegiate game. Rund actually led the Hawks in rushing with 38 yards on 13 attempts.

ONE PICK: Facing 4th-and-2 inside the red zone, the Hawks were looking to get in the end zone just before halftime and cut their deficit to one score. But Maurice Downey intercepted Rund's pass in the end zone to keep the score at 21-6. It is the Hawks' only interception thrown on the season as they are one of just 20 teams in Division II with one or zero picks on the year. The Hawks are 40th nationally in passing efficiency with 10 touchdowns and a 61.4 completion percentage.

LEONARD TFL: All season, the QU defense has been led by sophomore linebacker Cody Leonard (Carrollton, Ill.), who last week posted a season-high 11 tackles (seven solo) to give him 34 for the year. Leonard, who did not have a tackle for loss last week, ranks sixth in Division II in that category with 2.4 tackles for loss per game. He also has two sacks and an interception on the season to go with his 9.5 tackles for loss.

DEFENSE STILL STRONG: Despite allowing a season-high 37 points to the Bearcats last week, the QU defense is still ranked as the best in the GLVC and ninth in the nation. The Hawks are allowing just 265 yards per game and have not allowed an opponent to reach the 400-yard mark this season. For comparison, the Hawks allowed six of their 10 opponents to gain 400 yards last season, including four over 500 yards. The Hawks are also still ranked 16th in pass defense, allowing just 157 yards per game through the air. QU is also second in the GLVC with five interceptions.

TICK, TOCK, TICK...: For the fourth straight week, the Hawks owned the time of possession battle against the Bearcats, holding the ball for 32 minutes, 40 seconds. Quincy is second in Division II in time of possession, averaging 36 minutes, 20 seconds per game, which is still a full minute less than Minnesota-Duluth's 37 minutes, 40 seconds.

LEADING TDs: The Hawks have the GLVC's leading scorers in both receiving touchdowns and rushing touchdowns. Poindexter is the GLVC leader in receiving touchdowns with five. Going back to last season, he has now caught a touchdown pass in five straight games. Meanwhile, redshirt-freshman tailback Jaylan James (St. Louis, Mo./Miller Career Academy) shares the top spot for rushing touchdowns with SBU's Bubba Jenkins. Each has five touchdows apiece. The Hawks are second in the GLVC in points per game (40.5), just a half-point behind Missouri S&T, which scored 54 against Saint Joseph's last week.

UP NEXT: The Hawks resume GLVC play next Saturday (Hawktober 8) when they take on William Jewell in Liberty, Mo. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#8 Christopher Parker: DB; 5' 8"; Sophomore

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

#14 Andrew Rund: QB; 6' 4"; Freshman

#18 Dominique Bobo: RB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#8 Christopher Parker
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: DB

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

#14 Andrew Rund
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: QB

#18 Dominique Bobo
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman
: RB