ROLLA, Mo. -- The Miners out-gained Quincy 188 yards to 41 in the second quarter, pulling ahead to a 14-0 lead in that quarter. The Hawks dominated the second half though, putting up 21 unanswered points to take the win.
S&T blanked the Hawks in the first half, going into halftime up 14-0. Quincy's defense stepped up in the second half though, holding the Miners to just 125 yards after giving up 259 in the first.
The Hawks started out with the ball after the coin toss, picking up two first downs in three plays before Quarterback Drake Davis attempted a pass deep right and was picked off by
Paulvin Horton (Raleigh, NC/Garner HS).
The Miners took over possession at their own 6, finding more space quickly after
Tyler Gioia (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) found
CJ Wiggins (Yuma, AZ/Gila Ridge) for a 39-yard gain. The Miners proceeded to push into Quincy territory, but the drive would stall on a failed 4th down conversion.
The Miners defense only allowed one first down on the ensuing drive for the Hawks though, getting a tackle for loss and a sack to put the visitors behind the sticks; eventually leading to a punt.
Two drives later, the Hawks would have a 41-yard touchdown negated by penalty, leading to another punt and Miners possession at the S&T28.
An interception by Gioia would lead directly to a three-and-out for Quincy, giving S&T possession at their own 28 again. The Miner proceeded to put together an 8-play, 72-yard drive for a 30-yard touchdown reception by
Gideon Niboh (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell) and a 7-0 lead.
The Hawks would fail to score again on their next drive, giving S&T the ball back with under four minutes left in the half. S&T would score for a second consecutive drive on a leaping 4-yard run by
AJ Harris (Wentzville, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) as S&T took a 14-0 lead that they would hold to halftime.
Quincy came out of the locker room looking like a different team, forcing a quick three-and-out from S&T to start the half before finding their first points of the game on a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
The Miners wouldn't find much offensive success in the third, with their only promising drive of the quarter faltering due to a fumble by Harris at the Quincy 39.
The Hawks would capitalize on the fumble, scoring a touchdown on the ensuing drive to tie the game in the first 6 seconds of the 4th quarter. They would go on to take the lead from the Miners on their next offensive possession, putting together a 12-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 24-yard touchdown reception for Anthony Gilpin Jr.
The Miners would get a couple of opportunities late in the game, possessing the ball twice in the final two minutes, but ultimately failed to draw even, falling 21-14 to Quincy.
Bryson Burns (Clarksville, TN/Rossview) led the team in receiving in his first game back from injury, hauling in 5 catches for 84 yards. Meanwhile, Niboh led the team in all-purpose yards with 96. On the defensive side,
Justin Gniedziejko (Chicago, IL/Taft) led the team in tackles with 13.
What's Next
The Miners will enjoy a bye week on September 28th before hosting the Southwest Baptist Bearcats on October 5th for S&T's Hall of Fame and Black Out night.
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