LEBANON, Ill. – The Quincy University football team erased multiple double-digit deficits and piled up nearly 600 yards of offense, but the Hawks came up just short in a 46-43 overtime thriller against McKendree University on Saturday (Oct. 3) in the Battle for the Land of Lincoln at Leemon Field. The loss moved Quincy to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in GLVC play.
The Bearcats struck first, marching 74 yards on their opening possession and taking a 7-0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 10:19 remaining in the opening quarter.
Quincy answered almost immediately. After an eight-yard completion to
Jackson Burnett opened the Hawks' first possession,
Collin Parsons broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run, evening the score at seven. The touchdown continued a milestone afternoon for Parsons, who surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards during the contest and found the end zone for the third consecutive game.
McKendree quickly regained control with touchdowns on each of its next two possessions, including a 72-yard run, building a 21-7 advantage with 6:12 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Hawks began working their way back early in the second. Quincy put together an eight-play, 76-yard drive that carried over from the first quarter, with
Bradyn Little connecting with
Owen Hampton for a 14-yard touchdown. A blocked extra point kept the score at 21-13.
After McKendree added a 38-yard field goal, the Quincy passing attack struck for another explosive play. Little found Burnett for 24 yards before hitting
Derrick Miller for a 39-yard touchdown, pulling the Hawks within 24-20 midway through the second quarter.
The Bearcats answered with a nine-play touchdown drive to restore an 11-point advantage, but Quincy closed the half with its longest drive of the opening 30 minutes.
Starting from its own nine-yard line with 1:55 remaining, Little directed an 11-play, 91-yard march. The Hawks moved methodically down the field before Aaron Harvey powered in from one yard out with nine seconds remaining. It marked Harvey's second consecutive game with a rushing touchdown and cut the McKendree advantage to 31-27 heading into halftime.
Quincy carried that momentum directly into the second half.
The Hawks received the opening kickoff and covered 73 yards in six plays. Little connected with Elijah Genenbacher three times on the drive, including a 28-yard touchdown that gave Quincy its first lead of the afternoon at 33-31 with 12:26 remaining in the third quarter.
The ensuing extra point, however, produced one of the game's biggest momentum swings. McKendree blocked the kick and returned it 83 yards for a defensive two-point conversion, tying the game at 33-33.
The Bearcats regained the lead later in the quarter on a 41-yard field goal, then extended the margin to 43-33 on a 30-yard touchdown run with 12:00 remaining in regulation.
Once again, Quincy answered with a big play.
Facing third-and-14 from its own 15 after Little was sacked on the opening play of the drive, the Hawks kept the possession alive with an 18-yard completion to Burnett. On the very next snap, Little found Parsons out of the backfield, and the running back raced 67 yards for his first career receiving touchdown, bringing Quincy back within 43-40 with 10:06 remaining.
The Hawks got another opportunity moments later after taking possession at the McKendree 33, but the drive stalled on fourth down. Quincy's defense answered by forcing a Bearcat punt, giving the offense one final opportunity from its own 30 with 4:17 remaining.
Little and the Hawks methodically moved into scoring range. Parsons opened the possession with an 11-yard run, while Little found Miller for a key 19-yard completion on third-and-10 to move QU inside the McKendree red zone. The Hawks ultimately faced fourth-and-15 from the 15, where freshman Joe Reif drilled a 31-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining to tie the game at 43-43 and force overtime.
Quincy received the ball first in overtime. After Little completed a two-yard pass to Tykell Hammers on first down, the Hawks were intercepted on the next play.
McKendree needed only four yards on its overtime possession before Truman Carnine connected on a 39-yard field goal, giving the Bearcats the 46-43 victory.
Despite the loss, the Quincy offense turned in its most productive performance of the season, totaling 596 yards of offense and 27 first downs. The Hawks threw for 429 yards while adding another 167 on the ground, averaging 8.2 yards per play.
Little delivered a career performance through the air, completing 33-of-49 passes for a career-high 429 yards and four touchdowns. It marked his second consecutive game with four touchdown passes after accomplishing the feat against Wayne State the previous week.
Parsons continued his strong start to the season with 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries, averaging 11.6 yards per attempt. His 71-yard rushing touchdown helped push him past 1,000 rushing yards for his career, while his lone reception went 67 yards for the first receiving touchdown of his collegiate career.
The Hawks had several career performances in the passing game. Miller led the way with 111 yards and a touchdown on five catches, giving him consecutive games with more than 100 receiving yards. Burnett set a career high with 92 receiving yards while matching Genenbacher for the team lead with eight receptions. Genenbacher's eight catches established a new career high as he finished with 58 yards and a touchdown. Hampton added two receptions for 40 yards and a score, while Harvey hauled in six passes for 36 yards.
Defensively, Taylin Scott established a new career high with a team-leading 12 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Jordan Elmore followed with 11 tackles and a tackle for loss, while Kendrick Adimado finished with eight stops. Matt Austin recorded Quincy's lone sack among his six tackles.
The Hawks return to QU Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10, hosting William Jewell College in the Battle of the Birds. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
