Liberty, Mo. - The Quincy University football team traveled to William Jewell on Saturday (Oct. 14) for the third annual Battle of the Birds game. The Hawks had an electric second quarter and held off a fired up Cardinals squad in the fourth to secure their fifth win of the season. 

First Half
The Hawks started with some fire on the cloudy Saturday. JQ Brown took the ball for a long rush of 68 yards in the first thirty seconds of the game to put the Hawks up 7-0. William Jewell bounced back with a one-yard rush two drives later, tying up the game. Drake Davis got a piece of touchdown action later in the first quarter with a 19-yard rush up the right side. 

The Hawks broadened the score gap by 31 points in the second quarter. Davis found Anthony Gilpin Jr. on a short pass, and Gilpin Jr. dashed for 60 yards along the sideline for the first touchdown of the quarter. This was Gilpin Jr.'s first receiving touchdown of the year. Both teams went ten minutes before another touchdown, again from the Hawks. A long, four-minute, ten-play drive led to the next Quincy touchdown, credited to Jadon Washington for his 2-yard rush up the middle. 

The Hawks regained possession off a punt. After five plays, the Hawks scored another touchdown, this time from Marlin Washington. Washington made a 39-yard run down the right side, extending the Hawks lead 35-7. Michael Owens kicked the ball off for the next William Jewell drive and nabbed a fumble from the Cardinals, helping the Hawks keep possession for the last eleven seconds. The Hawks pushed to the William Jewell 28-yard line when Owens then made a 45-yard field goal to end the half, Quincy up 38-7. 

Second Half
The third quarter was uneventful for both teams, only playing between the Quincy 20- and William Jewell 7-yard lines. 

The fourth quarter started off in favor of the Hawks with Owens making another long field goal (35 yards), giving the Hawks more wiggle room for the last thirteen minutes of play. The Cardinals found their fire on the next drive, forcing 14 plays and a one-yard rush to give them their first touchdown since the first quarter. The Cardinals got touchdowns on back-to-back drives following their first touchdown in the fourth quarter, closing the gap to 41-28 in favor of the Hawks. The Hawks were able to hold off the Cardinals for the rest of play, bouncing back from last year's senior day loss against the Cardinals. 

The Hawks return home for a few weekends and take on the undefeated University of Indianapolis Greyhounds on Saturday, October 21st. The Hawks will be hosting a Trucks and Tractors Day, where fans will be able to view local firetrucks, dumptrucks, and an undercover cop car between 11am and 2pm on game day.