QUINCY, Ill.- The Quincy University football team gave the fans a thrill in their final home game of the season, holding on for a 30-29 win. Quincy place kicker accounted for half the Hawks points with a school record five field goals in the game.QUINCY, Ill.- The Quincy University football team gave the fans a thrill in their final home game of the season, holding on for a 30-29 win. Quincy place kicker accounted for half the Hawks points with a school record five field goals in the game.

The first half of the game was a battle between the two teams' kickers with Quincy taking a 9-6 lead into halftime and all points coming on field goals. Quincy started the scoring with a 40-yard field goal by Alex Beard in the first quarter. Two minutes later St. Francis tied the game up on a field goal of their own. Quincy took the ensuing possession into St. Francis territory when Dustin Jacoby hooked up with Mark Harris for a 28-yard pass completion. That set up a 44-yard field goal by Beard giving Quincy a 6-3 lead. Quincy forced a Saints punt two drives later and went downfield where Beard connected on a 35-yard field goal that gave Quincy a 9-3 lead with 4:41 left in the half. St. Francis was able to put together a late drive and hit a 41-yard field goal as time expired to cut the score to 9-6 going into the break.

The second half started out much the same as the first when Alex Beard capped the Hawks first drive of the half with a career long 46-yard field goal that put Quincy up 12-6 early in the third quarter. The field goal was also Beard's fourth of the game, breaking the school record for most field goals in a game which he had set at three on two previous occasions this season. A long kick return by the Saints gave them a short field and they needed just six plays to find the end zone for the first time in the game on a 33-yard pass from John Goolsby to Ponce Palmer, giving the Saints a 13-12 lead with 8:34 left in the third.

Quincy responded on their next drive with their first trip to the end zone in the game when Dustin Jacoby floated a pass down the left sideline for a 36-yard touchdown pass to Chris Jenkins. The Hawks went for two points after the score and were successful to take a 20-13 lead. The scoring kept coming when the Saints put together an eight play 73-yard touchdown drive that ended on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Goolsby to Andrew Zurales that tied the game.

The Saints took their second lead of the game at the 8:59 mark of the fourth quarter when Patrick Wright connected on a 21-yard field goal to make the score 23-20. However Quincy did not wait long to grab the lead back, needing just two plays to go 44-yards as Jacoby once again found Jenkins for a touchdown reception; this time a 39-yard strike.

Quincy held the Saints offense in check on their next two drives, forcing a punt and forcing a turnover on downs. Quincy took the ball over at the Saints 17-yard line and after three runs kicked a 35-yard field goal, Beard's fifth of the game. The Saints returned the kickoff to midfield and set up for their final drive down 30-23 with 32-seconds left in the game. The Saints quickly worked their way up field using out patterns and benefited from pass interference and holding calls on the Hawks that kept the drive moving.

The Saints set up for the final play of the game at the Hawks 15-yard line with five seconds left. Quarterback John Goolsby rolled out to his right and threw across his body, dropping the ball over the heads of two Hawk defenders, and finding Ponce Palmer in the end zone for a touchdown that brought the score to 30-29 as time expired. The game appeared to be headed to overtime but Saint kicker Wright pushed the extra point wide right, ending the game in a victory for Quincy.

Quincy quarterback Dustin Jacoby finished the game 11-of-20 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns while adding 46 yards rushing. Corey Williams was the team's leading rusher with 53 yards while Chris Jenkins finished with three receptions for 92 yards and two scores, moving into second place on the school's career receiving yard list. Quincy picks up their first home win of the season and improves to 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League. Quincy concludes their 2009 season on the road next Saturday as they face Waldorf College.