The Malone University football team racked up 580 yards of total offense on Saturday night at Fawcett Stadium as it rolled to a 48-12 Mid-States Football Association Mideast League victory against Trinity International (IL) University.  The Pioneers led 27-6 at halftime and then tacked on a pair of third-quarter rushing touchdowns to put the contest out of reach.  The win improved Malone’s record to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the MSFA Mideast while Trinity International fell to 0-10 overall and 0-6 in league play.

The Pioneers tallied 244 yards through the air and 336 yards on the ground to account for their season-high total of 580 offensive yards.  The Trojans countered with 168 rushing yards and 91 passing yards for a total output of 259 yards.  In addition to its sizable advantage in yardage, Malone also led 29-11 in total first downs, intercepted two Trinity International passes and held the Trojans out of the end zone on two trips inside the Malone 20 yard-line.

Junior running back Markus McFolling (Seaside, CA) put the Pioneers in front 7-0 on the game’s opening possession after capping a nine-play, 69-yard Malone scoring drive with a four-yard TD plunge.  After recovering a Pioneer fumble deep in Malone territory, TIU then pulled to within 7-6 at the 2:58 mark of the first quarter when Trinity quarterback Daniel Beals connected with tight end Kyle Mowen on a 33-yard touchdown pass.  The Trojans then looked the knot the score but their extra-point try was blocked by Pioneer defensive lineman Chris Story (Jr., Las Cruces, NM), keeping Malone in front 7-6.

The second quarter was all Pioneers as the hosts scored touchdowns on all three of their possessions in the frame while outgaining Trinity International by a 214 to 20 margin.  McFolling pushed the Malone lead to 14-6 with 10:46 remaining in the half on a one-yard touchdown run.  After forcing a punt on the Trojans’ ensuing drive, the Pioneers then struck quickly as redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI) found freshman wide receiver Derrick McLean (Laurel Hill, NC) on a 94-yard scoring strike.  The lengthy catch and sprint to end zone by McLean pushed Malone’s lead to 20-6 (ensuing extra point was no good) and broke the Pioneer school record for the longest pass from scrimmage (the previous mark was established during Malone’s inaugural season against Geneva College on a 90-yard touchdown pass from Shane Nalepa to Eric Miller).  Brohl then wrapped up the second-quarter scoring with his second TD pass of the evening, a two-yard toss to tight end Brent Altenburger (Black River H.S.) that stretched the Pioneer advantage to 27-6.

Malone’s lead then grew to 41-6 in the third stanza with two more touchdown runs, the first an 11-yard sprint by senior running back Joseph Peters (Oakland, CA) and the second a seven-yard dash by junior running back Courtney Greer (Midland, TX).

Trinity trimmed the deficit 41-12 just over two minutes into the fourth quarter as Beals raced to the end zone on a 90-yard TD run.  The Trojans were unable to get any closer over the remainder of the contest, however, as McFolling capped the scoring two minutes later with his third touchdown run of the game, this time from eight yards out.

Brohl completed 13 of his 19 pass attempts on the evening for 244 yards and two touchdowns.  Junior wide receiver Jeff Perri (Alameda, CA) pulled in four catches for 70 yards, junior wide receiver Mike Medina (San Diego, CA) snagged three catches for 36 yards while McLean caught two passes for 101 yards, including the record-setting TD grab.

Peters, Greer and McFolling all eclipsed 80 rushing yards in the contest as Peters totaled 153 yards on 21 attempts (7.3 average) with one TD, Greer posted 99 yards on 10 carries (9.9 average) with one score, and McFolling registered 81 yards on 14 attempts (5.8 average) with three touchdowns.

Defensive back Jon Latimer (Sr., Dallas, TX) and defensive end Cody Carroll (Jr., Chardon H.S.) each posted a team-high eight tackles with Latimer also tallying one interception and Carroll recording three tackles for loss, including two sacks.  Senior defensive lineman Nick Rousher (Canfield H.S.) and freshman linebacker Antonio Scassa (Massillon Washington H.S.) each followed with five stops apiece.

Punter Mike Skvor averaged over 47 yards on his three punts with a long of 63.  In addition to the lengthy boot, his other two kicks were each downed inside the Trinity eight yard-line.

For the Trojans, Beals completed 10 of his 21 pass attempts for 91 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.  He also notched 114 rushing yards on 18 carries, including the long TD run.  Wide receiver Dave Hardt caught three passes for 26 yard while defensive back Pete Miller recorded a game-high 11 tackles.

This week, Malone (3-5 overall, 1-4 MSFA Mideast) will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana for a 1:00 p.m. matchup with Marian University (5-4 overall, 2-3 MSFA Mideast).  The Pioneers won both of their previous two meetings with the Knights, including a 45-37 victory at Fawcett Stadium last season.

Malone Notes:  The Pioneers’ 580 total yards marked the highest offensive output since the squad piled up 633 yards in a 42-17 win over Taylor (IN) University on October 11th of last season…Saturday marked the second time this season that the Pioneers have eclipsed 300 rushing yards as the squad tallied a school-record 442 yards on the ground in a 65-10 win at Anna Maria (MA) College on September 26th…Malone now holds a 6-1 advantage in the all-time series with Trinity International.

The Malone University football team dropped its fourth straight Mid-States Football Association Mideast League game on Saturday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium as local rival Walsh University recorded a 31-14 victory after erasing a 14-7 halftime deficit with 24 unanswered third-quarter points.  The loss snapped a three-game Pioneer winning streak in the annual battle for the Dick Gallagher Memorial trophy while dropping Malone’s record to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the MSFA Mideast.  The Cavaliers, who were ranked 20th in the most recent NAIA National Poll, improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in league play with the win.

After a closely contested first half, Walsh dominated the final two quarters, limiting the Pioneers to one first down and 107 yards of total offense.  The Cavaliers held a an over 15-minute advantage in time of possession on the afternoon, forced three Malone fumbles, and allowed the hosts to convert on only three of their 11 third-down attempts.  Walsh totaled 316 offensive yards with 257 of those coming on the ground and just 59 coming through the air.  Malone countered with 117 passing yards and 159 rushing yards for a total offensive output of 276 yards.

The Cavaliers pulled ahead 7-0 at the 3:45 mark of the first quarter as quarterback Jim Shiplett capped a 12-play, 99-yard scoring drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joe Morgan.  Pioneer wide receiver Derrick McLean (Fr., Laurel Hill, NC) returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Walsh 28 yard-line and five plays later, junior running back Markus McFolling (Seaside, CA) dashed into the end zone from a yard out to even the score at  7-7.  The Pioneers then grabbed a 14-7 advantage with exactly four minutes remaining in the first half when McFolling powered his way across the goal line on another one-yard TD run.

The Cavaliers came out of the locker room and quickly seized momentum at the start of the third quarter as defensive back Brian Williams set the Walsh offense up with a first and goal on the Malone five yard-line after returning to second-half kickoff 87 yards.  Cavalier running back Clint Blossomgame then evened the score at 14-14 on the very next play with a five-yard rushing TD.

A fumbled kickoff return and a three-and-out limited the Pioneer offense’s time on the field over the next few minutes and Walsh capitalized at the 5:27 mark of the third stanza, pulling ahead for good on a 42-yard field goal by kicker Eric Buchanan.

Walsh concluded its 24-point, third-quarter scoring outburst with two more trips to the end zone, putting the game out of reach with an eight-yard TD run and a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

McFolling ended the day with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries (8.8 average) while fellow running back Joe Peters (Sr., Oakland, CA) picked up 69 rushing yards on 16 attempts to go with four pass receptions for 25 yards.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI) completed 12 of 28 pass attempts for 117 yards.  Wide receiver Jeff Perri (Jr., Alameda, CA) notched three pass receptions for 34 yards while senior wide out Jason Malone (Warrensville Heights H.S.) caught two passes for 14 yards.

Senior defensive back Jon Latimer (Dallas, TX) notched a game-high 15 total tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss.  Linebacker Wesley Kauffman (Jr., Anchorage, AK) followed closely with 14 total stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss while defensive back Patrick O’Malley (Jr., Padua Franciscan H.S.) totaled nine tackles with one pass break-up.  Punter Mike Skvor (Sr., Long Beach, CA) averaged 41.8 yards on five punts and twice pinned Walsh inside its own eight yard-line.

For the Cavaliers, Blossomgame registered 103 rushing yards on 35 carries with one TD.  Shiplett completed six of 16 passes for 59 yards and one score while wide receiver Robert Wigfall caught two passes for 38 yards.  Linebacker Mike Welce paced the defense with seven solo tackles, including three tackles for loss and one sack.

This week, Malone (2-5 overall, 0-4 MSFA Mideast) will host Trinity International (IL) University (0-9 overall, 0-5 MSFA Mideast) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in its final home game of the season.  The Pioneers hold a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Trojans and have won each of the last two meetings between the teams, including a 32-27 victory in the most recent matchup that occurred on September 1st, 2007.

Malone Notes:  Walsh now holds a 9-6 lead in the all-time series between the local rivals…The Pioneers have gained 150 or more rushing yards in five of their seven contests this season…2009 marked the second year in a row that Malone has held Walsh under 60 passing yards as the Cavaliers gained just 34 yards through the air in the Pioneers’ 24-21 victory last season.

The Malone University football team endured a 66-31 Mid-States Football Association Mideast League loss on the road Saturday afternoon to Saint Xavier (IL) University.  The Cougars, who were ranked eighth in the most recent NAIA National Poll, quickly pulled away in the contest as the hosts entered the second quarter with a 42-0 lead.  Saint Xavier scored on each of its first five offensive possessions and then tacked on a blocked punt for a TD in the final seconds of the opening stanza.  Although Malone was able to get its offense on track later in the game, the Pioneers were unable to overcome Saint Xavier’s first-quarter scoring barrage as the Cougars went on to record the 66-31 victory.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the MSFA Mideast while SXU kept its unblemished record intact, improving to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in league play.

An interception return for a touchdown and 31-yard field goal increased the Saint Xavier lead to 52-0 midway through the second frame.  The Pioneers refused to give up, though, as the visitors managed to pull within 52-14 at halftime after a one-yard touchdown plunge by junior running back Markus McFolling (Seaside H.S.) and a 16-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI) to junior wide receiver Jeff Perri (Alameda, CA).

The Cougars answered back quickly, however, pushing their advantage to 66-14 with a pair of touchdown passes in the first five minutes of the second half.  Despite the large deficit, Malone continued to chip away over the remainder of regulation, adding 17 more points on a 44-yard field by sophomore kicker Jake Hardy (Ortonville, MI), a fumble recovery in the end zone by defensive back Jon Latimer (Sr., Dallas, TX), and a 10-yard TD pass from Brohl to Perri.

Malone ended the day with 356 total offensive yards with 195 of those coming on the ground and 161 coming through the air.  Saint Xavier, meanwhile, registered 112 rushing yards and 422 passing yards for a total of 534 offensive yards.  The Pioneers held a nearly six-minute advantage in time of possession but also committed four turnovers (one fumble, three interceptions) and converted on just three of 18 third downs.

Brohl completed 15 of 33 pass attempts on the afternoon for 137 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.  Perri hauled in a total of eight catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns while fellow wideout Mike Medina (Jr., San Diego, CA) snagged four receptions for 47 yards.

Senior running back Joe Peters (Oakland, CA) gained 99 rushing yards on just 14 carries (7.1 average) while also returning three kickoffs for a total of 72 yards.   McFolling posted 55 yards and one TD on 13 rushing attempts.

Junior defenisve lineman Cody Caroll (Chardon H.S.) led the way for the Pioneer defense with 10 total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss.  Junior linebacker K.P. Fonseca (Aiea, HI) followed with nine total tackles and one tackle for loss while junior defensive back Eric Hart (Labrae Local H.S.) posted seven solo tackles with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

On special teams, senior punter Mike Skvor (Long Beach, CA) averaged 42.2 yards on six punts with two of those kicks downed inside the 20 yard-line.

For SXU, quarterback Anthony Kropp connected on 20 of 27 pass attempts for 424 yards and five touchdowns.  Wide Receiver Mike Maher caught eight passes for 172 yards and two scores.  Running back KJ Franklin rushed five times for 34 yards and a touchdown while linebacker Ryan Fejedelem   paced the defense with five solo tackles.

This week, Malone (2-4 overall, 0-3 MSFA Mideast) will take on NAIA #21 Walsh University (5-2 overall, 2-1 MSFA Mideast) in a 1:00 p.m. home contest at Fawcett Stadium.  The winner of the annual rivalry contest receives the rotating Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy, named in honor of the late former Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  The Cavaliers lead the all-time series between the two schools 8-6 although the Pioneers have won each of the last three meetings, including a 24-21 victory last season.

Malone Notes:  SXU’s 66 points marked the most ever allowed by the Pioneers…Prior to Saturday, the most points ever scored against Malone was 58 in a 58-17 home loss to the University of Saint Francis (IN) on October 27, 2001… Malone has gained 195 or more rushing yards in four of six games so far this season.

The Malone University football team fell 23-17 to Taylor (IN) University on Saturday afternoon in a closely-contested Mid-States Football Association Mideast League game at Fawcett Stadium.  After entering the fourth-quarter trailing by a 17-14 deficit, the Pioneers knotted the contest at 17-17 when sophomore kicker Jake Hardy (Ortonville, MI) capped a 15-play, 80-yard Malone drive with a 22-yard field goal.  Taylor regained the lead for good just 60 seconds later, however, as 6’6” tight end Travis Tomaszewski leaped high in the air to snag a 20-yard pass in the endzone from Trojan quarterback Shaun Addison.  Although the visitors missed their ensuing extra point, Taylor forced a punt on the Pioneers’ next possession and then converted on three straight third downs to run the final six minutes off the clock and preserve the six-point triumph.  With the hard-fought defeat, Malone’s record fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the MSFA Mideast while Taylor improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after taking the opening kickoff and putting together an impressive nine-play, 72-yard scoring drive that ended with a one-yard plunge across the goal line by redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI).  The score then remained unchanged until the 9:21 mark of the second stanza when the Trojans got on the scoreboard with a 23-yard field goal by kicker Cameron Parker. 

After thwarting a fake punt attempt on Malone’s next possession, Taylor pulled ahead 9-7 on a nine-yard touchdown run by running back Cory Anderson.  Pioneer junior defensive lineman Chris Story (Las Cruces, NM) was able to block the visitors’ extra-point try, though, leaving the Trojan lead at just two points.

Malone went three-and-out on its ensuing drive but quickly got the ball back as an interception and a 19-yard return by senior defensive back Jon Latimer (Dallas, TX) set the Pioneer offense up with a first-and-10 on the Taylor 19 yard-line.  Two plays later, Malone senior running back Joseph Peters (Oakland, CA) sprinted to the end zone, putting his squad back in front 14-9 with three and a half minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Trojans managed to pull ahead once again, though, as Addison connected with wide receiver Ryan Magnuson on a 28-yard TD pass with less than a minute to play in the half.  Taylor then converted on a successful two-point conversion pass from Addison to tight end Matt Orvis, giving the Trojans a 17-14 lead at intermission.

Malone threatened to regain the advantage midway through the third quarter as a 41-yard run by Peters moved the ball inside the Taylor 20 yard-line. However, the drive short-circuited with a lost fumble and the Pioneers were able to manufacture just three points over the remainder of the game.

The two squads ended the day with almost identical yardage totals as Taylor accumulated 347 offensive yards while Malone countered with 346.  The Trojans did most of their damage through the air (268 passing, 79 rushing) while the Pioneers gained most of their yards on the ground (209 rushing, 137 passing).  Taylor held an over eight-minute advantage in time of possession after allowing Malone to convert on only four of its 14 third downs.

On the afternoon, Brohl completed 11 of 26 pass attempts for 137 yards.  Peters gained 160 rushing yards on 21 attempts (7.6 average) with one touchdown.  He was also Malone’s leading receiver with five catches for 61 yards.  Freshman wide receiver Derrick McLean (Laurel Hill, NC) caught two passes for 19 yards, gained 14 rushing yards on two attempts, returned one punt for 19 yards and posted 37 yards on two kickoff returns.

Defensively, junior linebacker K.P. Fonseca (Aiea, HI) led the way with a game-high 12 tackles.  Latimer followed with 11 total stops, one pass break-up and the interception.  Senior defensive lineman Nick Rousher (Canfield H.S.) added nine total tackles with one tackle for loss while fellow defensive linemen Cody Carroll (Jr., Chardon H.S.) and Frank McCormick (Fr., Medina H.S.) each notched one sack apiece.

On special teams, senior punter Mike Skvor (Long Beach, CA) tallied 298 yards on seven punts (42.6 average) and had three kicks downed inside the Taylor 10 yard-line.

For the Trojans, Addison completed 23 of 41 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.  Anderson gained 52 rushing yards on 19 attempts with one TD.  Magnuson hauled in 10 receptions for 159 yards and one score while linebacker Reed Smith posted a team-high eight tackles.

This week, Malone (2-3 overall, 0-2 MSFA Mideast) will travel to Chicago, Illinois for a 2:00 p.m. EST (1:00 p.m. CST) contest against Saint Xavier University (7-0 overall, 4-0 MSFA Mideast).  The Cougars, who were ranked ninth in last week’s NAIA National Poll, hold a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams.  The squads have split the last four match-ups as Malone won the most recent meeting 27-23 at Fawcett Stadium on November 1st of last season.

Malone Notes: Although Saturday’s loss snapped the Pioneers’ four-game winning streak over the Trojans, Malone still holds a 7-5 advantage in the all-time series with Taylor…Despite its three losses this season, the Pioneers are still averaging 29.0 points and over 400 yards of offense per game, including an average of over 225 yards rushing…Skvor is averaging over 41 yards per punt and 10 of his 27 kicks have been downed inside the opponent’s 20 yard-line this season…The Pioneers have outscored their opponents by a 49-28 margin in the first quarter of their first five games….However, Malone’s opponents have outscored the Pioneers by a 51-27 margin in the fourth quarter so far this season.

The Malone University football team, ranked 23rd in the most recent NAIA National Poll, dropped its Mid-States Football Association Mideast League opener at home on Saturday night to the University of Saint Francis (IN) by a final score of 42-14.  After falling behind 28-0 to the Cougars, who were rated fourth in this week’s NAIA National Poll, the Pioneers fought back into the contest, trimming the Saint Francis lead to 28-14 on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes by redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI).   Malone was unable to get any closer over its next two possessions, though, and Saint Francis then put the game away by tacking on two late touchdown runs in the final minutes.  The hard-fought defeat dropped the Pioneers’ record to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the MSFA Mideast while the Cougars kept their unblemished record intact, improving to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Despite committing a total of four turnovers and being penalized 11 times for 95 yards, the Cougars were able to pile up a total of 556 offensive yards (366 rushing, 190 passing), thanks in large part to three long touchdown runs of 74, 81, and 38 yards.  Although Malone was held to just 61 total yards through the first two quarters, the Pioneers got their offense on track in the second half, ending the night with 281 yards of total offense (135 rushing, 146 passing).  However, Malone struggled somewhat on third down (converted on only six of 17 attempts), threw two interceptions and twice turned the ball over on downs inside the Cougars’ five yard-line. 

Saint Francis set the tone early on in Saturday’s contest by putting together three lengthy touchdown drives on each of its first three possessions.  After keeping Malone off the scoreboard with a goal line stand late in the second quarter, the Cougars then increased their advantage to 28-0 early in the third stanza on a 74-yard sprint to the endzone by running back Daniel Carter.

The Pioneers pulled to within 28-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter as Brohl zipped a six-yard TD pass to senior wide receiver Jason Malone (Warrensville Heights H.S.).  After recovering a fumble deep in Cougar territory, Malone then made it 28-14 with a little over nine minutes to play as freshman wide receiver Derrick McLean (Laurel Hill, NC) wrestled a three-yard Brohl pass away from a defender in the endzone for his second career touchdown catch.  The Pioneers were unable to manufacture anymore points over the remainder of the contest, though, and Saint Francis cemented the win with its two touchdown runs over the final two and a half minutes of play.

Brohl completed 18 of 38 pass attempts on the evening for 146 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.  McLean caught six passes for 48 yards with the one score while also returning five kickoffs for 139 yards.  Junior running back Markus McFolling (Seaside, CA) carried the ball 15 times for 89 yards and senior running back Joseph Peters (Oakland, CA) gained 57 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Defensive back Tim Claiborne (So., Hanover, VA) paced the defense with seven tackles and one interception.  Defensive back Isaiah Wyatt (Fr., East H.S.), and linebackers Matt Vick (So., Perry H.S.) and K.P. Fonseca (Jr., Aiea, HI) each followed with six tackles while defensive back Jon Latimer (Sr., Dallas, TX) contributed five total tackles with one fumble recovery and one interception.

For Saint Francis, Carter gained 173 rushing yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns.  Quarterback Shaine Tierney completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 168 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.  Tierney also gained 40 rushing yards on six carries with one rushing TD.  Wide receiver Jared Clodfelter caught five passes for 73 yards and one touchdown.  Defensive back Troy Hudson paced the Cougar defense with 11 total tackles.

This week, Malone (2-2 overall, 0-1 MSFA Mideast) will look to bounce back as it hosts its Homecoming game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against Taylor (IN) University (2-2 overall, 0-1 MSFA Mideast).  The Pioneers hold a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Trojans and have won each of the last four meetings between the two teams.