Payton's Place - Malone RB Tallies Three Scores
Blue Knights fall to 5-3 after 21-7 loss to Pioneers
 URBANA, Ohio (Oct. 20, 2007) – Malone’s Bernard Payton ran for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the No. 12 Pioneers (7-1, 4-0 MSFA) to a 21-7 victory over the Blue Knights (5-3, 2-2) Saturday in a Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division battle at Ellis Field.
Payton scored his first touchdown of the game on a nine-yard pass from Billy Bob Orsagh to the corner of the end zone on the first drive of the game. Orsagh was a perfect 5-of-5 for 62 yards on that drive. The Blue Knight defense stiffened up on the quarterback, however, sacking him six times and only allowing 88 yards passing the rest of the game.
Payton scored his second touchdown, this one on the ground, on a three-yard push up the middle on the Pioneers’ first drive of the second quarter, putting Malone up 14-0 with 8:24 remaining in the first half.
The Blue Knights countered with a 14-play drive that stalled at the Malone 28-yard line allowing the Pioneers to take over on downs with 2:14 to play. Redshirt freshman Travis Brisco (pictured left - #13) had one of his four sacks on the day, plus Justin Stechenfinger, Brian Wetzler and Shawn Lewis each tacked on tackles for losses forcing the Pioneers to punt.
While Malone slowly chipped away at the clock, scoring on drives of 3:10 and 4:59, sophomore Rodney Holmes put Urbana’s only points of the game up in a hurry. After a Matt Branch 58-yard punt pinned Malone on their 18-yard line, the Blue Knight defense did its part and held the Pioneers on a drive that included a sack by Lewis, and a TFL by Eriq McCorkle.
Holmes went to work, scoring on Urbana’s first play of the second drive in the third quarter. Holmes caught a slant pass from senior Ryan Gehlert and sprinted 64 yards up the middle for the score. Jacob Harfman’s kick was true, cutting the lead to 14-7 with 10:21 remaining in the third quarter.
The Blue Knights had their chances in the fourth quarter. On Malone’s first possession of the stanza, senior Rasul Basit intercepted an Orsagh pass and ran it back 26 yards to the Pioneer 41-yard line. A roughing the passer call on Malone moved Urbana up to the 26 yard line of the Pioneers. After a three-yard rush, a fumble costing seven yards and an 11-yard sack, the Blue Knights were pushed back to the Malone 41 and forced to punt on fourth-and-25 with 10:54 left to play.
The Pioneers answered on the ensuing drive with a Payton 20-yard rushing TD to go up 21-7. Malone chomped 7:46 of time off the clock, driving 85 yards on 15 plays.
The Blue Knights were held to five yards net rushing on the day, to Malone’s 115 net yards. Orsagh threw for 150 yards, while Gehlert completed 11-of-25 passes for 143 yards. Seniors Larry McCartney (46 yards) and Barry Quinn (17 yards) each hauled in four passes, while senior Luther Henderson caught two receptions for 16 yards.
Brisco led the defense with nine tackles, four sacks (minus 24 yards), a TFL (minus 2 yards), a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries. Jerrod Slater and McCorkle also each added nine tackles
Urbana plays at St. Francis, Ind. (6-1, 3-1 MSFA) on October 27 at Cougar Stadium and kickoff is slated for noon.
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