BOLIVAR, Mo. – The
12th-ranked UIndy football team sealed a shared of the GLVC title Saturday afternoon, blasting host Southwest Baptist, 66-21. The victory came behind a record-breaking performance by quarterback
Gavin Sukup, who broke both UIndy's single-season and career passing touchdown records.
INS & OUTS
Supplementing what is shaping into one of the greatest individual seasons in Greyhound football history, Sukup crafted another stellar stat line in the blowout win. The veteran signal caller finished a clinical 27-for-31 passing for a career-high 419 yards and six touchdowns, adding a rushing TD for good measure. After completing each of his first 20 passing attempts of the afternoon, Sukup went on to become just the third player in program history to surpass 8,000 career passing yards.
Additionally, Sukup became the first Greyhound to account for seven touchdowns in a single game and also the first Hound with two six passing TD games in a season.
UIndy's ground game was clicking as well. The Hounds compiled 195 rushing yards on the day, led by
Garrett Sherrell's total of 103. All told, the Greyhounds compiled a gaudy 688 total yards, averaging more than 10 yards per play.
Additionally, the offense did not punt the entire afternoon, notching the Hounds' first no-punt game since 2017.
Defensively, linebackers
Jalen Wilson and
Jerrell Franklin Jr. shared the team high with 10 tackles apiece. Franklin mixed in 2.5 tackles for a loss,
Diego Piche added a sack, while
Julian Dandridge and
Wrigley Franklin were both credited with three QB hurries.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Redshirt-sophomore
DeBrince Johnson accounted for the Hounds' only takeaway on the afternoon, as his fourth-quarter INT and subsequent 57-yard return set up the game's final score.
- Kickers
Andrew Herron and
Colin Seymour combined to go 9-for-9 on PATs, as Herron remained perfect on the season.
- UIndy's 688 total yards were good for the highest output by a GLVC team all season as well as the Hounds' highest total since October of 2021 versus McKendree.
- Sukup ended the day with 32 touchdown passes on the season, part of 78 in his Greyhound career. The previous UIndy career record of 72 was set by Chris Mills (2010-13), while the old single-season mark of 29 was shared by Mills (2011) and Jake Purichia (2017).
MORE NOTES
UIndy is 10-1 all-time versus Southwest Baptist, including wins in each of the last eight meetings … The Greyhounds entered the week at No. 3 in the
Super Region 3 rankings … The Hounds have averaged more than 59 points scored per game over the last five contests—most over any five-game span in program history.
UP NEXT
The Greyhounds wrap up the regular season slate next week with Senior Day at Key Stadium. UIndy look will host a talented Upper Iowa squad with an outright GLVC title on the line.
