Graceland Falls in Final Seconds at St. Ambrose, 43–36

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Graceland University's football team was seconds away from earning its third win of the season Saturday afternoon, but a fourth-quarter rally from host St. Ambrose sent the Yellowjackets to a 43–36 loss at Bush Stadium.

Graceland led 36–31 with under two minutes remaining before a 12-play, 65-yard drive by the Fighting Bees culminated in a game-winning touchdown pass with 0:05 left on the clock. On 4th-and-6 from the Graceland 9-yard line, St. Ambrose quarterback Alec Ponder found running back Tre Jenkins on a swing pass to the right. Jenkins broke the plane at the pylon to give the Bees a 37–36 lead.

Graceland's final offensive snap resulted in a fumble that was returned for a touchdown as time expired, finalizing the score at 43–36.

The turning point came one minute earlier, when the Yellowjackets defense appeared to have stopped Jenkins short on 4th-and-1 at the SAU 44-yard line with just over a minute left. After an official measurement, the ball was ruled a first down by an inch, keeping the drive alive and setting up the final sequence.

Graceland drops to 2-4 overall, while St. Ambrose improves to 2-5.

Yellowjackets Offensive Leaders

Quarterback TJ Shanks posted a career-best performance, completing 30-of-48 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns. Shanks spread the ball to eight different receivers and added 13 rushing yards.

Aaron Bullock I led all receivers with six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Javon Minor was a workhorse offensively, finishing with 103 yards rushing on 24 carries, adding 75 receiving yards and two total touchdowns.

Graceland compiled 566 yards of total offense, averaging 6.8 yards per play and converting 9-of-15 third downs. The Yellowjackets had 28 first downs and held the ball for 28:20.

Game Summary

St. Ambrose opened the game with a 53-yard touchdown strike from Ponder to Joseph Spauldin. Graceland answered in the second quarter with back-to-back touchdown drives — a 40-yard touchdown pass from Shanks to Minor, and an 18-yard scoring strike to Bullock. A successful two-point conversion gave Graceland a brief 15–7 lead.

The Bees closed the second quarter with 17 unanswered points to take a 24–15 lead into halftime.

Graceland opened the second half with an onside kick recovery and capitalized quickly. Shanks connected with Jason Wagoner on a 22-yard touchdown to pull the Yellowjackets within two, 24–22. After another St. Ambrose touchdown extended the lead to 31–22, Shanks led two fourth-quarter scoring drives: a 19-yard touchdown pass to Bullock and a five-play, 79-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Minor with 1:51 to play.

St. Ambrose regained possession on its own 35-yard line. The Yellowjackets defense forced a 4th-and-1 with 1:09 remaining, but Jenkins was awarded the first down by inches following a measurement. The Bees marched downfield and converted a 4th-and-6 for the go-ahead score with five seconds left.

Graceland's final play resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown.

Coach Staback Postgame

"I thought we played really well at times on both sides of the ball," said Graceland head coach Phil Staback. "We started faster in the first half but very slow in the second. We need to learn how to stay composed. Three back-to-back-to-back close games are tough."

"Guys played hard. In close games like that, you can look at one play here or one play there and it's a different outcome. We just have to not beat ourselves, and I feel like we did today."

"The fight is there, we just need to make the play, tackle, or pick when the opportunity is there. I'm proud of the guys. The schedule is about to get tougher, and we have no choice but to get these things fixed and get back to work."

Team Stats

• Total Offense: Graceland 566, St. Ambrose 394

• First Downs: Graceland 28, St. Ambrose 21

• Passing Yards: Graceland 463, St. Ambrose 309

• Rushing Yards: Graceland 103, St. Ambrose 85

• Turnovers: Graceland 4, St. Ambrose 0

• Third Down Efficiency: Graceland 9-of-15 (60%), St. Ambrose 3-of-16 (19%)

• Time of Possession: Graceland 28:20, St. Ambrose 31:40

Up Next

Graceland enters a bye week before returning to action on the road:

Saturday, Oct. 25
1:00 PM CDT
at Peru State
Oak Bowl Stadium | Peru, Neb.

For more information on Graceland football and all Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com