Malone came into the game with nothing to lose. The Pioneers were all but knocked out of the NAIA playoff race last week with a loss to St. Francis (IN), so their slim chances to make the postseason desperately depended on an upset of the Panthers. On the other hand, Ohio Dominican had clinched a playoff berth the week before with a win at Urbana, but on senior day in front of their home crowd, the Panthers were determined to complete the gauntlet, that was the regular season unscathed.

The Panthers got on the board first on their first possession of the game. The ODU defense forced a fumble by the Pioneer quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh at the ODU 26-yard line. Panther quarterback Cris Reisert (Cincinnati, OH) led a nine play, 74-yard drive that was culminated by a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior Justin Sayre (Newark, OH).

Malone fought right back on their next possession. The Pioneers marched 82 yards in just eight plays before running back Bernard Payton broke through the Panther defense for a 23-yard scamper to even the score at seven. ODU answered right back when Reisert scrambled into the end zone from eight yards out to give his team a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Pioneers did not waste any time squaring up the score. Beginning from their own 29-yard line, Orsagh orchestrated a six play, 71-yard drive, capped off when he found Josh Settlemire from 27 yards out for the score. But, much like a classic heavyweight bout, the Panthers landed their next punch, beginning with a 43-yard kickoff return from Josh Smart (Englewood, OH) to the Malone 44. Four plays later, junior running back Nathan Clark (Newark, OH) plunged into the end zone from a yard away to put Ohio Dominican back on top, 21-14.

Malone received a near-crushing blow on the ensuing kickoff. The Pioneers’ Tyler Davis received the Panther kick at his own five and ran to the twenty before Panther Joe Slabaugh (Akron, OH) knocked the ball from his grasp. Blaise Holzer (Muncie, IN) recovered for ODU at the Malone 20. Two plays later, Reisert connected with Smart from five yards for pay dirt and the 28-14 advantage.

At that point, Malone could have simply thrown in the towel. Instead, they answered the bell and came out swinging. After the two teams exchanged punts, the Pioneers began a drive from their own 17-yard line. Right off the bat, Orsagh connected with Derek Deardorff for a 44-yard gain to the Panther 39. After two Payton rushes for a total of 14 yards and an ODU personal foul penalty that tacked on another 15, Malone had the ball at the ODU 13-yard line. Three plays later, Orsagh hit Deardorff from ten yards out as Malone climbed back into the game right before the half, 28-21.

Both teams made obvious defensive adjustments at halftime. That or the offenses were woozy after a titanic battle in the first half. Neither defense allowed the opposition to mount much of an offensive threat after halftime. Each quarterback was harassed into quick decisions, forcing incompletions and the occasional turnover.

One of those turnovers helped the Panthers to ice the game. Near the end of the third quarter, Malone began a drive at their own 14-yard line. Paced by Payton out of the backfield, the Pioneers were at midfield when Orsagh forced a pass into coverage where it was picked off by Nana Ansah (Silver Spring, MD) for ODU. From there, Reisert directed a handful of short gains that took the Panthers to the Malone 16. The Pioneer defense held firm, holding their hosts to a field goal attempt. Senior Andy Wernicke (Wheaton, IL) connected on the 33-yard try to push the lead to ten, 31-21.

Once again, however, Malone got back up off the mat to threaten the Panther advantage. On their ensuing drive, Malone pushed deep into Panther territory, setting up a first-and-goal situation from the ODU nine yard line. Following a two yard rush from Payton, Orsagh threw into the middle of the end zone on second down. The throw was right on target to the receiver wearing a black jersey as David Jenkins (Akron, OH) intercepted the pass and ran it back to his own 19 with 8:55 remaining in the game. The knockout blow had been delivered.

The Panther defense continued to put pressure on Orsagh. Although he did find a few holes in the defense, ODU would not allow the Pioneers to threaten again. After allowing a twenty yard gain on fourth and 22 with 1:07 left on the clock, the Dominican celebration began with Panther Head Coach Dale Carlson receiving an ice-water bath.

The Malone offense managed to out-gain the highly-touted ODU offense by a significant margin, 563 yards to 333. Reisert finished the game 25-of-37 for 245 yards and two scores. Reisert also led the team in rushing, carrying the ball eleven times for 35 yards and a score. Smart led the Panther receiving corps with nine receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. For Malone, Orsagh was 28-of-43 for 429 yards and two touchdowns. Payton finished with 31 carries for 152 yards and a score.

Defensively, the Panthers were paced by Bryan Braddy (Columbus, OH) and Michael Wright (Rockville, MD), each of whom collected a total of ten tackles. Overall, the defense collected seven tackles-for-loss, including four sacks. The Panthers also forced three Pioneer fumbles and collected two of those.

“This team showed a lot of character today, especially in the second half,” said Carlson. “Give Malone a lot of credit. They never stopped fighting, continuing to take shots late into the game. But our defense was able to rise to the occasion and preserve a hard-earned victory.”

Ohio Dominican, the first MSFA Mideast League Champions outside of St. Francis in nine seasons, will next make their first-ever playoff appearance. ODU will host their opening round game of the NAIA Championship Series on Saturday, November 17^th. The opponent has yet to be determined, but kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at Panther Field.