CHICAGO – Graduate student wide receiver Julian Smith (Glenwood, Ill./Jackson State/Calumet New Tech) caught a pair of touchdown passes and senior running back Jessi Plunkett (Evergreen Park, Ill./College of DuPage/Brother Rice) scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season, however the Saint Xavier University football team (4-5, 0-3 MSFA Midwest) lost to Marian University (Ind.) in a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League contest Saturday afternoon at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field in Chicago, Ill. Junior linebacker Terry Elias Jr. (Monee, Ill./Crete-Monee) came away with a team-high 12 tackles (six solos), his second straight week with 10 or more tackles and third time this season, with 0.5 sacks for two yards and a pair of quarterback hurries. Both defenses held their opponent under 300 yards of total offense as the Cougars had 284 yards and the Knights generated 288 yards.

• Smith finished the afternoon with six receptions for 51 yards and 15 punt return yards on two attempts. Plunkett ran for 67 yards on 17 carries with a long of 19 yards.
• Fifth-year senior quarterback Stuart Ross (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) completed 27 of his 38 pass attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns, however he was sacked eight times.
• Fifth-year senior wide receiver Kyle Quinn (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) recorded six catches for 63 yards.
• Junior wide receiver Ronnie Foster (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Heights) tallied five receptions for 58 yards and he came away with his first collegiate interception on a 'Hail-Mary' play that ended the first half.
• Fifth-year senior wide receiver/punter Joe Polselli (Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Rita) punted three times for 154 yards with an average of 51.3 yards per punt, two going over 50 yards, two landing inside the 20-yard line and booting a long of 58 yards. He also caught a pass for nine yards.
• Junior linebacker Chris Swayne (LaSalle, Ill./LaSalle-Peru Township) posted his fifth double-digit game of the year, collecting 10 (seven solos), along with a tackle for loss for a yard and a pass breakup.
• Graduate student linebacker Ryan Fitzgerald (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) recorded eight stops (five solos).
• Graduate student defensive lineman Dalen Brown (Richton Park, Ill./Indianapolis/Crete-Monee) collected five tackles (one solo) with 2.0 tackles for loss for seven yards and 1.5 sacks for six yards.
• MU scored on its first possession after a seven-play, 75-yard drive was ended on a one-yard touchdown off a quarterback keeper at the 10:02 mark of the opening period.
• Marian made it 14-0 just before the end of the first quarter when they scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown with 32 seconds left.
• Smith snared a high pass over the middle for a 14-yard score to cut the deficit in half, 14-7, with 4:25 remaining in the half.
• The Knights pushed their lead to 21-7 on the next drive, after going 61 yards on eight plays, with 1:38 to go.
• A 25-yard touchdown pass at the 9:53 mark of the third period gave MU a 28-7 advantage.
• After a failed try on fourth down by Marian deep in their own zone, SXU set up at the 13-yard line and Plunkett rumbled in to make it a 28-13 contest. The extra-point attempt was blocked.
• Midway through the fourth quarter, Ross found Smith in the endzone from five yards out that capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive as Saint Xavier made it a one-score game, 28-20.
• The Knights pulled away as the kicked a 34-yard field goal on the ensuing possession with 4:55 left in regulation.

Saint Xavier (4-5, 0-3 MSFA Midwest) travel to Fort Wayne, Ind. to face University of Saint Francis (Ind.) in an MSFA Midwest League contest on Saturday, November 9. The game is scheduled for a 12:00 pm central time kickoff.