Box Score
Box score

COLUMBUS, Ohio-  The UIndy football team (7-4, 6-4 GLIAC) committed a season-high three turnovers in a 38-26 loss at Ohio Dominican Saturday afternoon.   Two interceptions and a fumble led to 21 points for the home team, as the loss put a serious damper on the Greyhounds' playoff chances.

UIndy took a 6-3 lead after the opening quarter, but the Panthers (7-4, 6-4) hung 21 unanswered points on the board in a productive second stanza.  The last of which came when sophomore DB Justin Bell stripped the ball from redshirt-freshman Matt Ripp and took to 55 yards the other way to make it 24-6 ODU.

UIndy closed the gap just before half, as quarterback Chris Mills found receiver Joe Leach for a five-yard TD pass with 39 ticks left on the clock.

Leach wasn't done, as the senior took the second half's opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to pull the Hounds within four.  It marked the longest UIndy kickoff return since 1982 and the first in four years.

The count would remain 24-20 until the fourth quarter, when the Panthers again benefitted from a UIndy turnover.

Early in the final period, the Greyhound offense appeared to be clicking.  Mills connected with junior Mar'Quone Edmonds on passes of 18, 37 and 10 yards, helping setup 1st & 10 at the ODU 11-yard line.  Three plays later, however, Bell came up big again by picking off a Mills pass and ending the Greyhound threat.

The Ohio Dominican offense responded by capping a 15-play, 79-yard drive with a second rushing touchdown from ODU quarterback Jeremy Fudge.

The Panthers intercepted Mills on the very next drive, then tacked on another TD to build a three-score advantage with 1:22 to go.

The Hounds found the end zone a mere 44 seconds later when Leach notched his third score of the day on a 12-yard reception, but a failed two-point conversion ensured that UIndy would need two TDs in the remaining 34 seconds.

The Greyhounds managed to recover the onside kick, but the team completed just one pass from that point.

Saturday's turnovers put an ironic twist on the season, as the Greyhounds had been the best team in the nation all year at taking care of the ball.  In fact, the Hounds set a new NCAA Division II mark for fewest turnovers in a season (6) despite the multiple giveaways at ODU.

Mills finished 19 of 39 passing for 255 yards and two TDs, with Edmonds racking up 154 yards receiving on nine catches.

Freshman place kicker Scott Miller connected on both his field goal attempts – one from 21 yards and one form 40.

Defensively, middle linebacker Max Davis set a season high with 16 total tackles to lead all players.  Defensive lineman Justin Robinson's 11 tackles also set a new season best, as two of his stops went for a loss.  Fellow d-lineman Jovone Jordan added the team's only sack, as well as a pass break-up.

As the ninth-ranked team in the region heading into the weekend, UIndy's fourth loss of the year does not seem conducive to a postseason berth.  Six teams from the nation's four “super regions” will advance to the Division II playoffs.  The 24-team field will be announced on the D-II football selection show, airing on NCAA.com Sunday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.