Hawks dodge couple of late-game bullets, open GLVC play with victory

QUINCY — Gary Bass had tears in his eyes when he spoke to his Quincy University football team after Saturday’s 31-28 victory over Missouri S&T at QU Stadium.

He cried because he was happy. 

He cried because he was sorry.

Bass had just watched Miners placekicker Zach Glaess miss a game-tying 40-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left in the game. Glaess was in a position to tie the score, however, because of late-game decisions that Bass second-guessed afterward.

“Thank god it’s (a game) we’re coming off a win, and we’re not sitting here kicking myself at the end of the game going, ‘Well, it’s my fault,’” Bass said. “This shouldn’t have happened. That’s (why I was) crying (in the postgame talk with his players) after the game. I’m sitting there going, ‘Thank you for not letting me hose you.’”

Bragg interception return for touchdown winning score

Missouri S&T finished with 40 more plays than QU. It had possession of the ball for 39 minutes and 24 seconds of the 60-minute contest. However, the Hawks took a 31-28 lead with 9:43 remaining in the game when defensive back Kenshawn Bragg intercepted a pass by Brennan Simms and raced 50 yards to score.

“All week, coaches have been telling us to do our job. That’s all I’ve been focused on, doing my job,” Bragg said. I knew I had the No. 1 receiver (Breon Michel) coming in this week. I was watching film heavily. He broke on the out, I played my man and I took it to the house.”

The Miners didn’t gain a first down on their next possession, giving QU a chance to put the game away. Facing a fourth-and-2 from the Missouri S&T 22, Bass opted against a field goal attempt by Michael Klotz, who is perfect in 22 point-after conversion kicks and 4-for-4 in field goals this season.

Instead, the call was a running play for Taylor Temple, who was stuffed for a 2-yard loss.

“I’m sitting here going, alright, well, there’s so many things that can go wrong when you when you attempt a field goal — bad snap, blocked kick, return the other way,” Bass said. “I think it’s easy to sit back and look yourself, but I’m mad at myself for that one.”

Bass: ‘We should have lined up and ran the football’

The Miners nearly took the lead on the ensuing possession, driving from their own 24 to the QU 8. On second down, Simms ran to his left. He was near the end zone when he was hit by the Hawks’ Trevon Rhodes and fumbled. Will Henegar recovered the ball at the 1-yard line for QU with 4:09 remaining.

QU moved out from under the shadow of its own goalpost when Tremayne Lee raced 27 yards on first down. The next play was a pass by quarterback Tionne Harris to Paul Sullivan for five yards. The game clock dipped under three minutes. 

Two incompletions by Harris, however, barely moved the clock. After a punt, Missouri S&T took over possession on its own 32 with 2:42 to play.

“We should have lined up and ran the football there,” Bass said. “That’s one of those things when you are what you do, what we do on offense, there’s that, OK, do you try to get outside your motor? You just do what you do.”

Hawks end five-game losing streak to Miners

The Miners moved to the Hawks’ 23 after a third-and-11 pass from Simms to Tate Nickleberry gained nine yards. The visitors chose to take a timeout. Rather than go for it on fourth-and-two, Glaess was called on for the game-tying kick.

“Thank God our defense came out and dealt me out on some questionable decisions on my end,” Bass said. 

The Hawks (3-2) were outgained 573 to 282. Simms completed 33 of 45 passes for 379 yards. Harris completed 14 of 28 passes for 141 yards. Two of his throws were touchdown strikes to Eugene Witherspoon, who has 10 TDs in five games.

QU ended a five-game losing streak to Missouri S&T. It’s the best start to a season since 2017 when the Hawks won three of their first five games, then lost six straight to finish 3-8. It’s the first time QU has kicked off Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a victory since defeating Lincoln 7-6 in 2017.

The Hawks were picked by coaches during the preseason to finish last in the GLVC.

“They doubted us in the conference,” Bragg said. “We were ranked eighth in the conference, and we have to show the world and the conference that we’re not eighth.”