The Truman State football team lost its final away game of the season against the Quincy University Hawks 23-19. Rolling into the fourth quarter with a 19-6 Truman lead, the Hawks rallied to score 17 unanswered points to defeat the Bulldogs and leave them with a 4-5 record on the season. The matchup was nationally broadcast on the American Sports Network as part of its NCAA Div. II Showcase series.
On the defensive side of the ball, the ‘Dogs gave up only 6 points to the Hawks during the first three quarters of the game. Senior defensive lineman Dominic Greenlee says this initial success was because of great physicality from the big men up front. He says the defensive line did a great job putting pressure on Quincy, the linebackers played with their eyes up all game and the defensive backs played with great effort.
During the fourth quarter, however, it was a very different looking game. The Bulldog defense allowed 17 points during the final quarter — one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown and a field goal.
Similar to junior wide receiver Derek Hammann on the offensive side, Greenlee says the defense lacked execution when the team needed it most. Greenlee says the Truman defenders have not lost their drive to succeed, though the Bulldogs faced their fifth loss of the season on Saturday.
“The defense learned that no matter what it looks like, no matter the score, no matter the opponent and no matter what Truman’s record is, we’re still going to play our game,” Greenlee says.
Greenlee says the team plans to work on performing to its full potential during the entirety of each game. He says the defense has been giving effort through every play, but can improve on finishing each play.
Offensively, the Quincy defense held the Bulldogs to only 39 yards on the ground and 145 yards in the air. Hammann says the Bulldogs’ lack of execution on offense led to their struggles on the ground. He says as players, it’s critical they focus on what is under their own control and perform plays to the best of their abilities. He says the offense did not do this during every play on Saturday.
For a full recap of the game, check out the Index on Issuu.