The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis football team lost to No. 24 Wayne State University (8-2. 7-2 GLIAC)  28-19 on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Greyhound loss was the first home loss of the season.

Earlier last week, the Greyhounds dropped from the seventh spot to the eighth in the NCAA Division II Super Region No. 3 rankings.

The Warriors and Greyhounds battled back and forth in the first half. Both teams scored touchdowns in the first quarter but remained scoreless in the second. The teams took to the locker room at the half with a tied score of 7-7.

“Wayne is probably the most complete team we’ve played in a while,” said Head Coach Bob Bartolomeo. “I think all three phases of their football program are very, very good.”

In the second half, the Warriors scored touchdowns on each of its first two possessions creating a gap between them and the Greyhounds of 21-7.

UIndy missed an opportunity to score between the Warrior touchdowns.  Sophomore quarterback Chris Mills mishandled the snap on a fourth, a play that would not allow the Greyhounds to advance into a first down.

Wayne State held onto the ball for most of the second half. The team controlled the tempo of the game for more than 22 of the possible 30 minutes of playing time.

“They’ve got some skilled kids on offense and defense that present some problems in terms of both defending them and blocking them,” Bartolomeo said. “They’ve done a good job.”

However, UIndy managed to cut the lead to eight early in the fourth quarter. The Greyhounds moved the ball 80 yards in less than two minutes.

Senior wide receiver Ryan Forney caught a 32-yard pass in the end zone for the touchdown but a blocked good extra point kick kept the score at 21-13.

After the Warriors scored again on a 15-play, 70-yard drive, Mills found Forney for the last Greyhound touchdown of the game.

During the game, Forney racked up 130 receiving yards and 83 returns. Mills threw 269 yards with three scores. He also added 30 rushing yards.

On Oct. 29, the Greyhounds traveled to Big Rapids, Mich., and defeated Ferris State University (5-4, 4-4 GLIAC) 24-17 in their second road win of the season. The team’s win earned them the first five-game winning streak in 13 years.

“We’re playing well enough to win some games,” Bartolomeo said.  “When we started the month of October, we talked about finishing [strong in] October, and that was huge for us.”

In October, the team played three games at home and two on the road.

According to Bartolomeo, defending the Greyhounds’ home turf has been extremely important for the success of the season.

The Greyhounds started the game struggling offensively. The team remained scoreless for the first 26 minutes of play.

“We definitely didn’t play to our potential,” Forney said.  “Offense had a couple drives where we just got down, and we just couldn’t finish.”

However, relief came late in the first half when the Greyhounds scored touchdowns on both of their final two possessions.

Junior wide receiver Mar’Quone Edmonds scored the first touchdown, and Forney scored the second with 16 seconds left on the clock.  The team had a 14-10 lead at halftime.

At the start of the second half, the Greyhound defense stopped the Bulldog offense in its first two possessions.

Mills found senior wide receiver Joe Leach in the end zone after the second defensive stop on the Bulldogs. This put UIndy up 21-10.

FSU cut the lead to four after a 31-yard pass resulted in a touchdown and a good extra point, making the score 21-17.

UIndy took the field and stretched a 12-play, six-minute drive over the remainder of the third quarter and well into the fourth. A 30-yard field goal by freshman kicker Scott Miller pushed the Greyhound lead to seven.

“We played better on special teams,” Bartolomeo said. “I think we got some field position through our kick off coverage team, through our punt return team, and through our kick off return team.”

The Bulldogs did not score the rest of the game, and the Greyhounds returned to Indianapolis with the win.

The Greyhounds’ fourth consecutive win came Oct. 22 at home when they defeated Northern Michigan University, 38-31.

Forney exceeded 2,000 receiving yards and amassed nine catches and two touchdowns.

Forney said that, as a senior, he has taken this year to be a mentor to the underclassmen on the team.

“I hope I can be a leader, if not amongst the team, then amongst the receivers,” he said. “Hopefully the younger guys have learned from me.”

Edmonds racked up 128 yards and eight catches during the game.

After the first quarter against NMU, the Greyhounds trailed by 13 points.

However, the offense turned the game around in the second quarter with two touchdowns, which gave UIndy a one-point lead.

Before going into the half, the Greyhounds covered 80 yards in three plays and built a 21-13 lead.

Coming out of the break, NMU tied the game twice. But with a pair of touchdowns by the UIndy offense, the Greyhounds were able to pull away and secure the win.

Mills finished the game with 415 yards and two touchdowns after completing 23 of 36 passes.

“Football’s a game full of roller coasters. You just have to stay focused and believe in your teammates,” Forney said.

Senior and freshman defensive backs Collin Coffer and Koby Orris each had interceptions and touchdown returns which helped UIndy secure a win on Oct. 15 over Saginaw Valley State University with a final score of 29-20.

UIndy has not beaten Saginaw Valley at home since 1988.

Miller put the Greyhounds on the board with field goals in each of the team’s first three possessions of the game. Coffer scored the first Greyhound touchdown of the night after intercepting the ball from Saginaw’s offense.

The Cardinals scored 17 unanswered points shortly after the half, giving them a 20-16 lead that would hold until UIndy scored early in the fourth quarter.

Junior wide receiver Brenden Williams secured the game with an eight-yard touchdown.

“A win is a win,” Forney said. “We’ll take it and move on and look forward to the next week.”

In the last regular season game on Nov. 12, the Greyhounds will head to Columbus, Ohio, where they will face the Ohio Dominican  University Panthers (5-4, 4-4 GLIAC) with a kick-off time set for noon.