KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Quincy football suffered a tough road loss on Saturday afternoon, falling 44–21 to Truman State in Kirksville. The Bulldogs leaned on a dominant ground game and a stifling defense to hand the Hawks their third defeat of the season, dropping QU to 4–3 overall and 2–2 in GLVC play.
Truman State set the tone early with a long 52-yard touchdown run on its opening possession, stunning the Hawks less than a minute into the game. Quincy's next drive ended with a turnover deep in its own territory, which quickly led to another short touchdown run that gave the Bulldogs a 14–0 advantage midway through the first quarter. The deficit grew to 17–0 later in the period when Truman State connected on a 35-yard field goal, capitalizing on their strong field position and control of the line of scrimmage.
In the second quarter, Truman State continued to build momentum, finishing off a quick five play 63-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24–0. Quincy was unable to find a rhythm offensively in the first half, as the Hawks' running game was bottled up and the pressure in the pocket made it difficult to sustain drives.
The Hawks found life in the second half behind the arm of freshman quarterback
Bradyn Little. On their opening drive of the third quarter, Quincy marched 65 yards downfield and capped it off with a six-yard touchdown pass from Little to freshman receiver
Jackson Burnett, trimming the deficit to 24–7. Truman State answered immediately with another scoring drive that ended in a rushing touchdown, pushing the lead back to 31–7. Quincy came right back as Little connected with fellow freshman
Elijah Genenbacher on a 13-yard touchdown pass, cutting the margin to 31–14 and trying to keep the Hawks within striking distance. Any momentum was short-lived, however, as Truman State struck again later in the quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run, stretching the lead to 38–14 before the fourth.
In the final frame, Truman State continued to wear down Quincy's defense with its ground attack and added to the lead with a pair of field goals from 31 and 26 yards out. The Hawks managed one more bright spot in the closing seconds, as Little engineered a 78-yard drive in the final minutes and capped it off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to
Troy TW Crozier with 11 seconds remaining, producing the final score of 44–21.
The difference in the game came in the rushing attack. Truman State controlled the line of scrimmage and piled up 282 yards on the ground at over six yards per carry, while Quincy was held to minus-11 rushing yards on 17 attempts. All three Hawk losses this season have come in games where the offense has been held under 100 rushing yards, with 77 against Roosevelt, 17 against McKendree, and now minus-11 against Truman State. Protection issues also hurt the Hawks, as the offensive line surrendered a season-high five sacks.
Despite the struggles in the run game, Quincy's passing attack delivered its best outing of the season. The Hawks finished with 311 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air, moving the chains 22 times and putting together multiple extended drives. Freshman quarterback
Bradyn Little threw for a season-high 311 yards on 35 completions and matched his career-best with three touchdown passes, marking his second three-touchdown performance of the year.
Several Hawk receivers contributed in the passing game. Freshman
Jackson Burnett posted a season-high seven receptions for 66 yards and scored his third touchdown of the season. Sophomore
Owen Hampton hauled in a career-high nine catches for 67 yards, while freshman
Elijah Genenbacher added two receptions for 21 yards and his third touchdown of the year. Sophomore TW Crozier gave Quincy a boost late, finishing with four receptions for 64 yards and his first reception touchdown in a QU uniform.
On defense, Quincy had some bright spots despite Truman State's strong rushing effort. Linebacker
Brock Wiley surpassed 100 career tackles with his seven stops, while safety
Myles Smith set a new career high with six tackles.
Jacob Duke and
Brock Inman also paced the defense with eight tackles apiece, as the Hawks battled to contain the Bulldogs' relentless ground attack.
The Hawks will look to regroup back at home when they host Missouri S&T on Saturday, October 25, at 1:00 PM inside QU Stadium.