INDIANAPOLIS – The 15th-ranked UIndy football team endured a Homecoming loss to Saginaw Valley Saturday night, 28-24. The Greyhounds out-gained the in-region Cardinals, 368-295, but two fourth-quarter turnovers by the home team helped lift Saginaw to victory.
 
INS & OUTS
The Cardinals earned a 7-3 lead early in the opening quarter but UIndy held them scoreless the rest of the half. The Hounds tallied a pair of touchdowns, including a nifty pylon dive by sophomore wideout Anthony Crowell.
 
UIndy forced three turnovers in the first half—two fumbles and an interception—and took a 17-7 lead into the locker room.
 

Hounds regain the lead on this diving TD by Anthony Crowell!!#UIndyHomecoming | #TogetherWeWin pic.twitter.com/oDJKyw8CfK

— UIndy Football (@UIndyFB) September 28, 2024

 
Saginaw Valley started the third quarter with a lengthy touchdown drive and later regained the lead with a 70-yard pick-six early in the fourth to move ahead, 21-17.
 
The Greyhounds fired right back with a nine-play, 75-yard drive to regain the lead. The series featured an impressive sideline sprint by Jon Lewis, who made two men miss and nearly hurdled a third, for a 36-yard gain. Lewis later punctuated the drive with a five-yard rushing TD—his second of the night—to make it 24-21 Hounds with 6:30 to go.
 
The elation was short-lived, however, as Saginaw Valley QB Mason McKenzie found Terrance Brown for a 56-yard score just 60 seconds later, see-sawing the advantage once more.

UIndy had two possessions in the final 5:24 but would not score again.
 
INSIDE THE BOX
-The rainy night saw the teams combine for six turnovers—four by Saginaw and two by UIndy.
-Senior nickelback San Flowers racked up a game-high 10 tackles and had two forced fumbles, both recovered by the Hounds.
-QB Gavin Sukup finished 17-for-40 for 250 yards and a touchdown. His 40 attempts were the most by a Greyhound since October 30, 2021.
-Crowell finished with 132 all-purpose yards—98 receiving and 34 punt return yards.
-His younger brother Key Crowell earned an interception late in the first half, good for the second of the freshman's young career.
-Lewis notched another 100-yard rushing performance, totaling 101 yards on the ground and two TDs.
-Senior linebacker Kole Viel had three tackles for a loss while redshirt-junior Amoree Stephens was credited with a sack-fumble.
 
UP NEXT
A second straight Cardinal opponent is on deck for the Hounds as UIndy hits the road next weekend for Liberty, Mo., to take on William Jewell. The trip represents the team's longest of the regular season.