Missouri Western wears down QU football team in second half of season finale

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The challenge for the Quincy University football program moving forward will be finding a way to add the finishing touch.

Lacking that Saturday cost the Hawks a shot at making history.

Needing a win at Missouri Western to finish the season with seven victories — Quincy has not won more than six games in a season since 1994 — the Hawks positioned themselves well with a 16-14 halftime lead.

However, the offense bogged down in the second half and the Griffons scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to secure a 31-16 victory at Craig Field. The Hawks end their season with a 6-4 record, having led in the second half of three of the four losses.

“It’s all part of the process,” said QU coach Jason Killday, who is the first Hawks coach to have a winning record in his first season since Ron Taylor in 1993. “You have to find ways to win. To do that, you have put yourself in those situations. If you continue to put yourself in those situations, you start to figure it out. It’s persistence and expecting to win.

“I thought our guys expected to win today. They came out and played with great effort. I’m proud of their effort and proud of their fight. We just came up a little short.”

The Hawks showed some toughness and tenacity in the first half.

Quincy running back Teon Dollard fumbled on the fifth play of the game and Missouri Western’s Kienen Gaskin returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The Hawks scored on two of their next three possessions, getting a 22-yard field goal from Michael Owens and a 4-yard touchdown run from Dollard.

However, the Griffons used a 64-yard pass play with 41 seconds left in the first quarter to take a 14-9 lead.

Again, the Hawks answered. Dollard scored on a 24-yard pass play with 5:29 remaining in the half to take a 16-14 lead. Quincy forced four turnovers in the first half and allowed 215 yards in the first half.

“Our guys made plays and made things happen,” Killday said. “They were engaged.”

The offense couldn’t stay engaged in the second half. Quincy punted on its first four possessions and turned the ball over on downs on its final possession of the game. The Hawks managed just 101 yards on 25 plays in the second half after churning out 248 yards in the first half.

“We struggled to keep drives alive,” Killday said. “We couldn’t find a rhythm. Credit to them. Their front was very good at limiting us.”

Meanwhile, the Griffons had a pair of 12-play scoring drives in the second half and amassed 328 total yards rushing and 504 total yards. The Hawks had 64 yards rushing and 349 total yards.

“Their size and their strength showed in the second half,” Killday said. “They were kind of able to wear us down in the second half.”

Dollard finished with 54 yards rushing, giving him 961 yards and 14 touchdowns for the season. QU senior quarterback Drake Davis completed 20 of 41 passes for 285, giving him 1,693 yards for the season. Senior linebacker Brock Inman had nine tackles as he finished with a team-leading 54 tackles.