QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University football team returns to the road Saturday, October 24, traveling to Rolla, Missouri, for a Great Lakes Valley Conference matchup against Missouri S&T. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 PM at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.
Quincy enters the contest at 2-5 overall and 1-3 in GLVC play following a 38-14 loss to Truman State last Saturday. Missouri S&T comes into the matchup at 1-6 overall and 1-4 in conference action after earning its first NCAA-counting victory of the season with a 28-21 win over McKendree.
The Hawks are searching for their first road victory of the season and their third consecutive win over the Miners.
Last Time Out
Quincy struggled to find an offensive rhythm in a 38-14 loss to Truman State at QU Stadium.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring with a field goal before the Hawks responded with an 11-play, 68-yard drive capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from Bradyn Little to Elijah Genenbacher, giving Quincy a 7-3 advantage. Truman regained the lead before the end of the first quarter and carried a 21-7 advantage into halftime.
Quincy opened the second half with its best drive of the game, marching 75 yards in nine plays before Collin Parsons scored from two yards out to cut the deficit to 21-14. Truman answered with a touchdown less than three minutes later and scored the final 17 points of the contest.
The Bulldogs finished with a 412-208 advantage in total offense and controlled the ground game, rushing for 250 yards while holding Quincy to 33.
Little completed 20-of-27 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown but was sacked six times for 56 yards and intercepted twice. Parsons carried 18 times for 82 yards and a touchdown, snapping his streak of five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances.
Genenbacher caught three passes for 20 yards and the Hawks' lone receiving touchdown, while Jackson Burnett led Quincy with 49 receiving yards.
Defensively, Quincy was unable to slow Truman running back Madden Irving, who rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Bulldogs also converted 12-of-18 third downs and held the ball for 33:55.
Hawks Look to Reestablish Ground Game
After being held to a season-low 33 rushing yards against Truman, Quincy will look to get Parsons and the running game back on track.
Parsons enters Saturday with 833 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 107 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt and 119 yards per game. He had surpassed 100 rushing yards in five consecutive games before Truman limited him to 82.
Missouri S&T allows 147.3 rushing yards per game, ranking fifth in the GLVC.
Establishing Parsons could be particularly important after Truman's pass rush consistently put Quincy behind the chains last week.
Little enters Saturday having completed 136-of-218 passes for 1,650 yards, 16 touchdowns and a nine interceptions.
Derrick Miller leads the receiving corps with 449 yards and three touchdowns, while Burnett has 343 yards and two scores. Genenbacher has recorded a team-high five receiving touchdowns to go along with 257 yards.
Protecting Little a Major Key
Quincy's offensive line faces another difficult challenge after allowing six sacks against Truman.
Missouri S&T ranks second in the GLVC with 2.43 sacks per game and averages 6.3 tackles for loss.
Junior defensive lineman Louis Traglia leads the Miners with three sacks while adding five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry. Traglia recorded two sacks in Missouri S&T's win over McKendree.
Quincy has allowed 2.43 sacks per game this season, while the Hawks have struggled to generate the same pressure defensively.
QU ranks last in the GLVC with 0.86 sacks per contest. That creates a significant matchup against a Missouri S&T offensive line that has allowed only one sack per game, the best mark in the conference.
Keeping Little upright and finding a way to disrupt S&T quarterback Eli Scott could play an important role Saturday.
Harris Presents Another Challenge on the Ground
For the second consecutive week, the Quincy defense will face one of the GLVC's most productive running backs.
Senior AJ Harris leads the Missouri S&T ground game with 581 yards and nine touchdowns on 122 carries. His nine rushing touchdowns tie Parsons for the GLVC lead and rank among the top totals in Division II.
Harris has surpassed 100 rushing yards four times this season, including a 110-yard performance against McKendree last week.
That matchup is particularly important for a Quincy defense that is allowing 221.7 rushing yards per game, the highest mark in the GLVC.
The Hawks have allowed an opposing player to reach 100 rushing yards in each of their last four losses, including Irving's 200-yard performance last Saturday. Under head coach Jason Killday, Quincy is 1-9 when allowing an opposing player to rush for at least 100 yards.
Containing Harris and forcing Missouri S&T to rely more heavily on its passing game could be one of the biggest keys to the matchup.
Miners Lean on Ground Game
Missouri S&T averages 324 yards of total offense per game, ranking eighth in the GLVC.
The Miners have been much more productive on the ground than through the air, averaging 159.4 rushing yards compared with 164.6 passing yards.
Scott has completed 103-of-193 passes for 1,030 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. His eight interceptions are among the highest totals in the GLVC, although he has gone two consecutive games without throwing one.
Missouri S&T ranks last in the conference in passing offense and passing yards per completion.
That places additional importance on Quincy's ability to slow Harris and the Miner rushing attack on early downs.
Gioia Provides Versatility
Senior Tyler Gioia gives Missouri S&T an option capable of contributing in several different ways.
Gioia leads the Miners with 22 receptions, 235 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
He has also carried 13 times for 55 yards and two scores and has completed two of his three pass attempts for 60 yards.
That versatility was on display against McKendree.
Gioia caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before breaking free for a 37-yard rushing touchdown in the third.
Quincy will need to account for Gioia regardless of where he lines up.
Missouri S&T Coming Off First Win
The Miners enter Saturday with momentum after defeating McKendree 28-21 at Allgood-Bailey Stadium on homecoming.
Missouri S&T jumped out to a 21-0 advantage behind touchdown receptions from Sam Ryan and Gioia and a two-yard Harris rushing score.
Gioia's 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter extended the lead to 28-7.
McKendree rallied to within seven but could not complete the comeback.
Missouri S&T rushed for 172 yards while holding the Bearcats to 98 on the ground. Harris led the way with 110 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
Scott was efficient through the air, completing 10-of-15 passes for 112 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Miner defense also intercepted two passes and recorded five sacks, including two from Traglia.
Red Zone Advantage
One of the strongest statistical advantages for Quincy comes once the Hawks reach the red zone.
Quincy remains a perfect 100 percent on red-zone opportunities this season, one of just four teams in Division II still perfect in that category.
Missouri S&T, meanwhile, ranks last in the GLVC in red-zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 93.1 percent of their trips inside the 20.
With Quincy coming off a game in which offensive possessions were difficult to sustain, converting scoring opportunities when they arise will be crucial.
Third Downs Could Keep Offenses on Field
Neither defense has consistently gotten off the field on third down.
Missouri S&T ranks last in the GLVC in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 50.5 percent of their opportunities. Quincy ranks eighth at 46.7 percent.
That issue hurt the Hawks significantly against Truman, which converted 12-of-18 third-down attempts.
Quincy's offense has converted 43.2 percent of its own third downs this season, giving the Hawks an opportunity to sustain drives against an S&T defense that has struggled in that area.
Possession Battle
Time of possession has been another major difference between the two teams.
Missouri S&T averages 30:36 of possession per game, ranking third in the GLVC. Quincy averages only 25:14, ranking near the bottom of Division II.
The Hawks have lost the time-of-possession battle in each of their seven games this season and are 4-12 under Killday when their opponent holds the ball longer.
That trend continued against Truman, which controlled possession for nearly 34 minutes.
Sustaining drives offensively while getting stops on third down could help Quincy prevent Missouri S&T from controlling the pace Saturday.
Series History
Missouri S&T leads the series against Quincy 12-6 dating back to 1996.
The Miners hold a 7-2 advantage when the teams meet in Rolla, but Quincy has won each of the last two matchups.
The Hawks earned a 21-14 victory at Allgood-Bailey Stadium in 2024, marking their first win in Rolla since 1998. Quincy followed with a dramatic 31-30 victory at QU Stadium last season.
Missouri S&T took an early 14-7 lead before Quincy twice battled back to tie the game at 14 and 21.
The Hawks grabbed their first lead on a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter, but the Miners answered before adding a safety early in the fourth to take a 30-24 advantage.
Quincy responded with what proved to be the game-winning score when Parsons powered into the end zone from one yard out with 9:22 remaining.
The Hawks protected the 31-30 advantage the rest of the way.
Parsons finished with 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Little completed 17-of-26 passes for 209 yards and two scores.
Missouri S&T outgained Quincy 424-368 and held the ball for 31:36, but the Hawks forced two Miner fumbles and were perfect on all three red-zone opportunities.
Matchup Outlook
Saturday brings together two teams looking to build momentum heading into the final month of the regular season.
Quincy is searching for its first road victory of 2026 and enters Rolla having lost four consecutive road games dating back to last season.
The Hawks are 6-7 on the road during Killday's three seasons and have won their last two meetings with Missouri S&T, including their most recent trip to Allgood-Bailey Stadium.
For Quincy, the formula begins with reestablishing Parsons and protecting Little after Truman controlled the line of scrimmage last week.
Defensively, slowing Harris will be critical after the Hawks allowed another 200-yard rushing performance against Truman.
Missouri S&T enters with confidence and showed against McKendree that it can create pressure, force turnovers and control the game on the ground.
With both teams allowing approximately 35 points per game and both defenses struggling on third down, opportunities could be available offensively.
The team that controls the rushing game, protects its quarterback and stays on the field on third down could ultimately have the advantage.
Kickoff between Quincy and Missouri S&T is scheduled for 1 PM Saturday at Allgood-Bailey Stadium in Rolla, Missouri.
GLVCSN
Live Stats
Quincy Game Notes
Box Score vs. Truman State
