Blocked punt kickstarts second-half comeback as Hawks rally for GLVC victory over Miners

ROLLA, Mo. — Jason Killday isn’t sure how accurate the stat actually is, but during his time as the offensive coordinator at Truman State University, he heard former Bulldogs coach Gregg Nesbitt say teams that block a punt win 90 percent of the time.

Since taking over as the Quincy University football coach, Killday has preached the importance of making special teams plays.

“I’ve been brainwashing them for six months,” he said.

So on the opening possession of the second half Saturday night, the Hawks forced Missouri S&T to go three-and-out, and QU’s Derrick Miller blocked Logan Jacobson’s punt. It gave the Hawks possession at their own 47-yard line.

“As soon as we blocked it, the guys were like, ‘90 percent chance now,’” Killday said. “I don’t even know if it’s a real stat, but if they believe it, it works.”

The Hawks’ belief turned into reality. Quincy scored on the ensuing possession, changing the tide of its first Great Lakes Valley Conference road game as it erased a 14-point halftime deficit and left Allgood-Bailey Stadium with a 21-14 victory.

It is only the second victory over the Miners in the last nine meetings and the first time the Hawks have won in Rolla since 1998. Missouri S&T had been 7-1 at home against Quincy all-time prior to Saturday.

“They believe in each other,” Killday said. “We have great leadership from our guys. They are veteran guys that believe in one another to just keep playing. They’re preaching it and they’re doing it.”

This time, they had to make adjustments down 14-0 at halftime because of self-inflicted wounds caused by penalties and a couple of miscues defensively.

“I told them at halftime we’re going to find out what we’ve got,” Killday said. “I told them if we stick to the plan and not make any mistakes, we can walk out of here with a victory.”

First, the Hawks (2-0, 2-0 GLVC) had to score. Seven plays after the blocked punt, Teon Dollard scored on a 1-yard run. Second, they had to tie the game. Facing fourth and 3 on the first play of the fourth quarter, QU quarterback Drake Davis hit Kamrin Cox on a 20-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 14.

“I thought the staff did a great job of not panicking, trusting each other and trusting the kids,” Killday said. “The kids trusted the coaches. There were some big-time calls down the stretch that were impressive. It was a heck of a job by the staff and a heck of a job by the kids going out and executing.”

The Hawks forced the Miners (1-3, 0-1 GLVC) to punt on the next possession, taking over at their own 35-yard line with 13:44 to play. Five minutes and nine plays into the drive, Quincy faced fourth and 5 from the S&T 33-yard line when Davis hit Anthony Gilpin Jr. wide open in the right flat for an 8-yard gain and the first down.

“Big one,” Killday said. “We work those scenarios, and the kids know what’s coming in terms of the play call. They just have to go execute it, and they did. They did it at a high level.”

Three plays later, on third and 9, Davis and Gilpin connected again, this time on a 24-yard route to the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:15 remaining.

“It was a big time call by (offensive coordinator Jack) Nelson,” Killday said. “We practiced it on Wednesday. Same play, third and 9 and there it is.”

The defense finished it off, forcing the Miners to punt with 5 minutes to play and then making them turn the ball over on downs with 1:43 to go.

Dollard rushed for 114 yards as the Hawks churned out 197 yards on the ground overall and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. Davis completed 17 of 24 passes for 124 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Gilpin caught six passes for 68 yards.

Defensively, linebackers Brock Inman and Brock Wiley piled up seven tackles apiece, while safety Joseph Webb intercepted a pass to go with four tackles.

The Hawks return to QU Stadium at 1 p.m. next Saturday for a matchup with Upper Iowa.