October 27, 2007

Malone Commits Five Turnovers, Falls 36-20 At Saint Xavier (IL)

 
The Malone College football team’s six-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday afternoon in Chicago, Illinois as the squad suffered a 36-20 loss to NAIA #6 Saint Xavier University.  The Pioneers, ranked 11th in the latest NAIA National Poll, racked up 514 total yards of offense in the contest (129 rushing, 385 passing), but also surrendered three costly fumbles and two interceptions. Running back Bernard Payton (Sr., Pomona, CA) had put Malone in front 13-10 early in the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown plunge before the Cougars rattled off 23 unanswered points to take a commanding 33-13 lead late in the third quarter.  Saint Xavier posted 164 yards rushing and 358 yards passing in the contest for a total of 522 offensive yards.  With the 16-point victory, the Cougars improved to 8-1(4-1 MSFA Mideast) on the year, while Malone fell to 7-2 (4-1 MSFA Mideast).
 
Quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh (Jr., Eastland, TX) gave Malone a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter after connecting with wide receiver Josh Settlemire (Jr., Howland H.S.) on a 55-yard touchdown pass.  Saint Xavier answered right back minutes later, though, as kicker Shane Longest nailed a 43-yard field goal to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 7-3.  After forcing a quick three-and-out on Malone’s ensuing possession, the Cougars then took the lead with a five-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 57-yard scoring strike from quarterback Billy Yeo to wide receiver Jim Doherty.  Payton put Malone back on top with his rushing TD at the 11:29 mark of the second stanza before Longest capped off each of Saint Xavier’s three second quarter possessions with field goals of 32, 27, and 45 yards, giving his squad a 19-13 halftime advantage. 
 
An Orsagh fumble on the Pioneers’ opening drive of the third quarter then set the Cougars up with a first-and-ten on the Malone 13-yard line.  Saint Xavier quickly took advantage of this opportunity as running back Juaquin Rodriguez scored from two yards out to stretch the Cougars’ lead to 26-13.  The Pioneers had an opportunity to get back into the game later in the third stanza after a muffed Saint Xavier punt return, but the Cougars were able to keep Malone out of the endzone after stopping four straight rushing plays inside the Saint Xavier six yard line.  Then, on the first play from scrimmage following the goal line stand and turnover on downs, Yeo delivered a back-breaking 99-yard touchdown pass to Doherty to give the Cougars a substantial 33-13 advantage.
 
Malone cut into the deficit early in the fourth quarter as Orsagh hit wide out Mike Clapham (Sr., Elyria Catholic H.S.) on a 24-yard touchdown pass, but the Pioneers were unable to close the gap any further as Longest nailed his fifth field goal of the game (32 yards) with 1:47 remaining to seal the 36-20 win.
 
Payton ended the day with 26 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown.  With his second-quarter score, the 6’1” senior running back established a new Malone single-season record with 20 total touchdowns (15 rushing, five receiving), breaking the previous mark of 19 TD’s set by running back Norris Petty during the 1998 season.  Also, with his 101 yards, Payton has now rushed for over 100 yards in five straight games and has gained 100 or more yards in seven of Malone’s nine contests this season.  Both of these accomplishments, the five consecutive 100-yard games and the total of seven 100-yard performances in a single season, tie Pioneer records (Dan DeGeorge posted five straight 100-yard games in 1994 and Joel Peterson gained 100 or more yards on seven different occasions during the 2001 season).
 
Orsagh completed 29 of his 45 pass attempts on the afternoon for 385 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.  Clapham hauled in seven catches for 114 yards and one score.  Tight end LaRoi Johnson (Sr., Pittsburgh, PA) tallied six receptions for 65 yards while Settlemire caught five passes for 118 yards and one touchdown.
 
Linebacker Justin Murphy (Sr., Minerva H.S.) paced the defense with 11 tackles (nine solo).  Defensive back Chris Cruise (Sr., Field H.S.) followed with nine tackles (five solo, 0.5 TFL) and linebacker Jamal Gambrell (Sr., Maple Heights H.S.) recorded eight stops (six solo).
 
On special teams, Tyler Parry (Jr., North Loxahatchee, FL) punted four times for 144 yards (36.0 average) and defensive back James Dowling (Sr., Tuslaw H.S.) recovered the fumbled punt in the third quarter.
 
This week, NAIA #11 Malone (7-2, 4-1 MSFA Mideast) will face another highly-ranked opponent as NAIA #5 University of Saint Francis (IN) (7-1, 4-1 MSFA Mideast) travels to Fawcett Stadium on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. for the Pioneers’ final home game of the regular season.  The Cougars hold an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 34-13 win in Fort Wayne, Indiana last season.  Saint Francis has won the last eight meetings between the schools.
 
Pioneer Notes: Malone broke three team records in Saturday’s contest as the squad established new single-season marks for passing yards (2771), first downs passing (129), and total first downs (235)…Payton eclipsed 1000 yards rushing on Saturday and has now gained 1094 yards on the ground this season…he joins Joel Peterson (1165 in 2001), Eric Smith (1012 in 2004), and Dan DeGeorge (1003 in 1994) as the only Pioneers to pile up 1000 or more rushing yards in a single season…Orsagh needs just 70 passing yards and 95 yards of total offense to establish new Malone single-season records in each of those two categories.
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