INDIANAPOLIS – The 14th-ranked UIndy football team added another chapter to its storied GLVC history Saturday, earning a 28-14 comeback win versus 20th-ranked Truman State University in front of the home faithful. The Greyhounds erased a 14-point halftime deficit to capture its league-high eighth GLVC title while all but locking down an NCAA playoff spot.
The Greyhounds later learned their postseason fate, as the complete
NCAA DII Championship bracket was announced Sunday evening. The Greyhounds earned a trip to third-seeded Pittsburg State University on Saturday, Nov. 19.
SENIOR DAY
The significance of the game was further boosted by the team's annual Senior Day festivities. Prior to the game, UIndy honored its 20 seniors for their hard work and dedication to the program, including
Frank Bentley,
JaQuan Buchanan Tyson Burton,
Toriano Clinton,
Christian Conkling,
Michael Dennison,
Kyle Eberly,
Jon Eineman,
Bryce Giebel,
Kiave' Guerrier,
Trevon Hall,
Doug Haugh,
Benjamin Hunnius,
Jacob Jones,
Luke Martindale,
Kevin McNelis,
Brian Mullins,
Chris Payne,
Teangelo Rayner, and
Steven Towns Jr.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
With nearly three inches of snow on the Key Stadium turf, the Hounds endured their first scoreless first half of the season. All that changed shortly after the break, as UIndy generated two quick scoring drives to tie up it.
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The Hounds received the third quarter kickoff and cashed in just 2:16 later, with
JaQuan Buchanan breaking off a 46-yard run one play before
Jeremiah Lee punched it in from a yard out to get UIndy on the board.
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After a Truman three-and-out, the Greyhounds authored a 10-play, 86-yard drive to knot it at 14 apiece. Sophomore wideout
Alonzo Derrick capped the possession with a 29-yard TD catch – the first of two on the day for the Fort Wayne product.
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With the UIndy D continuing to stifle the Bulldog offense, the Hounds delivered another lengthy connection midway through the fourth quarter. Senior QB
Christian Conkling hit Derrick in stride for a 51-yard strike to make it 21-14 and give the Hounds their first lead of the afternoon.
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But the dagger came from the Greyhound defense. With the clock nearing the three-minute mark and the Bulldogs threatening to tie the score, the UIndy pass pressure forced a bad throw and safety
Kivonte Houston took it 75 yards the other way for his fifth interception of the year and first career TD.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Conkling finished 17-for-31 passing for 221 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Derrick was his primary target, earning eight catches for 123 yards and both TDs.
-Truman was held scoreless for the final 34 minutes of play.
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Michael Brown led the team with 14 tackles,
Aaron Barnett had a pair of sacks and
Benjamin Hunnius recorded eight total tackles and 2.5 TFLs.
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