QUINCY, Ill. --- From elation to deflation in mere seconds.  University of St. Francis has experienced that mood swing far too often during the 2009 campaign and had its balloon popped yet again on Saturday when the Saints failed to convert on a point-after touchdown (PAT) to force overtime for the second time in just over a month.

Quincy University was the benefactor this time when Patrick Wright's PAT kick sailed wide right with no time left on the clock giving the Hawks a gut-wrenching 30-29 Mid-States Football Association - Midwest League victory.

Back on October 3, the Saints faced a similar fate when they drove 55 yards in ten plays for a touchdown as time expired only to have the PAT kick go awry that afternoon in a 31-30 defeat to St. Ambrose University (IA).

Quincy (3-7, 2-6) actually thought it had the game wrapped up after the Saints turned the ball over on downs at their own 18-yard line with just 1:45 remaining and the Hawks clinging to a 27-23 advantage. But Quincy could not get the one first down it needed to retain possession the rest of the way and had to settle for Alex Beard's fifth field goal of the game (35 yards) with just 39 seconds to play to extend the difference to seven points.

Quincy then left the door open for the Saints (3-7, 2-6) when Ponce Palmer (Decatur MacArthur H.S./Findlay, IL) returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to the Quincy 49-yard line. Palmer (6 catches, 110 yards) was there six plays later, as well, hauling in a 15-yard touchdown pass with three defenders on him in the deepest part of the end zone as time expired.

Words to describe the setback were hard to come by for fifth-year head coach Mike Uremovich, whose team has dropped four games by a combined nine points this season.

"We just weren't in sync today," said Uremovich, who watched Quincy march into St. Francis territory on 10 of its 14 possessions Saturday. "We didn't play a good first half offensively, but held them to nine points defensively in the first 30 minutes. Then, our offense picked things up in the second half and our defense only forced two 3-and-outs.

"We just didn't play a complete game."

The first 34 minutes turned into a kicking contest with Beard nailing 4-of-5 field goals - hitting from 40, 44, 35 and 46 yards out after missing from 48 yards on his first attempt - and Wright (Providence Catholic H.S./Lemont, IL) converting on his two chances (22 and 41 yards).

Palmer and USF QB John Goolsby (Morris H.S./Morris, IL) (23-of-46, 291 yards, 3 TDs) finally broke that string of three-point scoring plays when the two connected from 33 yards out on a fourth-down play to give the Saints their first lead of the afternoon, 13-12, with 8:34 to play in the third quarter. The two teams matched touchdowns after that on the next two possessions with St. Francis senior tight end Andy Zurales (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./New Lenox, IL) forcing the game's second tie, 20-20, with 2:29 remaining in the quarter on a short five-yard pass from Goolsby.

USF then took a 23-20 lead on Wright's third field goal of the game with 8:59 left in the see-saw affair.

But, like it had done three times previously on the day, Quincy answered USF's score just two plays later with Chris Jenkins' second touchdown reception of the game (39 yards) to give the Hawks their 27-23 lead with 8:12 to play.

The Saints had the chance to respond getting as close as the Quincy 28-yard line with just over seven minutes remaining only to be pushed back by a sack on a second-and-one play followed by a 15-yard illegal touch penalty to take the Saints out of field goal range.

"I am certainly not happy with the won-loss record and that is something that we all have to work on, but you can't fault the kids' effort," said Uremovich. "I have been proud of the effort all season long.

"Our kids are not quitters and that showed at the end of the game today."

NOTES: Goolsby re-established three new single-season passing records on Saturday with his 23 completions in 46 attempts and 291 yards. His 191 completions, 350 attempts and 2,333 yards passing are all new single-season highs eclipsing the marks that he set one year ago. He also added to his single-season touchdown passing mark with three more strikes on Saturday giving him 23 for the year … Palmer, who came into the season tied for the most career touchdown receptions with nine, is obliterating that mark this year. His two touchdowns on Saturday give him eight for the season, or one less than he had entering the campaign … Senior wide receiver Jason Fiske (Belvidere H.S./Loves Park, IL) added to his record-setting career numbers on Saturday with nine more catches for 114 yards. He now has 179 career grabs for 1,911 yards, both of which are the school's top marks.