Football wins close one
The University of Indianapolis football team battled its way to its sixth-straight victory on Saturday, Nov. 2, defeating the Saint Joseph’s College Pumas 27-24. It was the Greyhounds’ closest finish to a game since back in September, when they defeated the Hillsdale College Chargers 17-14.
The win for the Greyhounds proved to be crucial for standings in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, as the Pumas only trailed one game behind the Greyhounds heading into the afternoon game. The victory for UIndy, however, gave the team a cushion to separate themselves from the Pumas.
In what seemed to be a battle of the quarters, the Greyhounds were able to hold on in the end for the slim victory. The Greyhounds opened up the first quarter with a 10-0 lead, but in the second quarter surrendered a 10-0 run by the Pumas. At halftime, both teams were tied at 10 apiece.
In the third quarter, the Hounds responded at the 10:54 mark with a 19-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Connor Barthel to redshirt junior wide receiver Logan Young, which put the Hounds back on top 17-10.
In the fourth quarter, the Pumas responded with a touchdown of their own at the 12:32 mark, which tied the game up once again at 17. The Greyhounds answered quickly, with 9:18 remaining, on a touchdown pass from Barthel to freshman wide receiver Kevin Teglia, giving the Hounds the lead once again. Following an interception by junior defensive back Koby Orris at the 8:42 mark, the Greyhounds added to their lead with a 42-yard field goal by junior kicker Scott Miller, extending their lead 27-17.
The Pumas did not go away quietly, however, scoring once again with another touchdown, making the score 27-24 with 6:04 remaining in the game. The Pumas never got the ball back following that drive, however, as the Greyhounds ran out the rest of the clock on a single drive, claiming the victory.
The Greyhounds hosted the Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers the week prior, claiming the team’s fifth straight victory, 52-0.
Heading into the matchup, the Greyhounds appeared to be the superior team on paper and were projected to win in a lopsided victory. The Greyhounds lived up to that projection, finding the end zone seven times.
Following the victory, senior running back Klay Fiechter said that overall he thought it was a good team win on both sides of the ball.
“The game plan all week was to come in, start fast and stay on them. And that’s what we did.” Fiechter said.
The victory was a historic one for Fiechter, who claimed the school record for all-time purpose yards with 5,359, passing UIndy Hall of Famer Dick Nalley (1973-76) who previously held the record with 5,198 yards.
Fiechter said that adding another record to his resume was an honor and that he was happy to be mentioned alongside people such as Nalley. Fiechter added that he has appreciated his teammates over the past four years and could not have done it without them.
After claiming the 10th-straight victory at Key Stadium, Head Football Coach Bob Bartolomeo said he was pleased with how the team performed.
“[I’m] real happy with the way we did. We took care of business the way we should have,” he said. “We came out and talked about finishing, and we finished a lot of things tonight.”
Bartolomeo said that the team was able to stay focused heading into the game because “they see the big picture.” He added that the game was the start of what they called “a four-game playoff,” and each game throughout the remainder of the regular season would be the next round.
The Greyhounds will return home for the remainder of their regular season schedule, starting this Saturday, when they will host the visiting Quincy University Hawks. The Greyhounds defeated the Hawks on the road last season 35-7. Kickoff at Key Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
