QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University football team picked up its first victory of the 2026 season in front of the Homecoming crowd on Saturday (Sept. 19), defeating Lincoln University of Missouri 34-27 at QU Stadium. The win moved the Hawks to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in GLVC play while extending their winning streak over the Blue Tigers to seven straight games.
Quincy struck first late in the opening quarter. Starting from its own 12-yard line, the Hawks marched 88 yards in seven plays, highlighted by three consecutive completions to
Elijah Genenbacher for 58 yards.
Bradyn Little finished the drive by finding
Tykell Hammers for a 27-yard touchdown, giving QU a 7-0 lead with 4:14 remaining in the quarter.
Lincoln answered with a 12-play touchdown drive that stretched into the second quarter, tying the game at seven. The Blue Tigers then took advantage of a blocked Quincy punt, returning it 46 yards for a touchdown to jump ahead 13-7 with 10:37 remaining in the half.
The Hawks' defense provided the response.
With Lincoln facing third-and-four from its own 41-yard line,
Eddie Johnson stepped in front of an Antwon McKay Jr. pass and took his first career interception 45 yards to the end zone.
Joe Reif's extra point put Quincy back in front 14-13 with 6:47 remaining in the half.
Quincy added another score before the break. Taking over at the Lincoln 44 with 4:49 remaining, the Hawks put together a nine-play drive before Little connected with Genenbacher for a seven-yard touchdown with just 27 seconds left, sending QU into halftime with a 21-13 advantage. The score was Genenbacher's second touchdown reception of the season and sixth of his career.
The Hawks wasted little time adding to their advantage after halftime.
Zach Mally opened the third quarter with a 59-yard kickoff return to the Lincoln 34. Four plays later, Little found Hammers for a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 28-13. The score gave Hammers his first multi-touchdown game of his collegiate career.
Lincoln responded with a 12-play, 64-yard touchdown drive to pull within 28-20, but Quincy needed only one play to answer.
Backed up at its own 14-yard line,
Collin Parsons broke through the defense and raced 86 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Hawk advantage to 34-20 with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue Tigers cut the deficit to seven early in the fourth with an eight-yard touchdown run, making it 34-27 with 12:02 remaining. Lincoln later drove as far as the Quincy 29 with a chance to tie, but the Hawk defense came through again. On third-and-eight,
DJ Cross intercepted McKay Jr. at the QU 10 and returned it 45 yards into Lincoln territory for the second interception of his career.
Quincy then converted a key third-and-13 when Little connected with Hammers for 25 yards, allowing the Hawks to run out the remaining clock and secure the Homecoming victory.
Little turned in one of the strongest performances of his career, completing 15-of-24 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. It marked the fifth game of his career with at least three touchdown passes.
Parsons led the ground game with 120 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt. It was his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season and the fourth of his career.
Genenbacher turned in career highs with six receptions and 87 receiving yards, adding his second touchdown of the season. Hammers also posted a career performance, totaling a career-high 84 yards on four receptions while hauling in two touchdowns, his second and third scores of the season.
Derrick Miller added three catches for 54 yards as Quincy finished with 236 yards through the air.
Defensively, Johnson recorded 11 tackles for the second straight game, adding a tackle for loss and his 45-yard pick-six.
Jordan Elmore also finished with 11 stops, giving him double-digit tackles in each of the first three games of the season.
Brock Wiley and
Kendrick Adimado followed with nine tackles apiece, while
Matt Austin totaled eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and Quincy's lone sack.
The Hawks will remain at home next weekend, welcoming Wayne State University (Mich.) to QU Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1:00 PM.
