QUINCY, Ill. — Brenden Reid may have led the Bellarmine University sprint football team in rushing, but his biggest play of Saturday's contest at Quincy came on the other side of the ball.

Reid's pick-six deep in the fourth quarter sealed Bellarmine's 3-0 start to the season, as the Knights recorded their first-ever shutout with a 12-0 victory over the Hawks in MSFL action at QU Stadium.

The contest between Bellarmine (3-0) and Quincy (1-2) marked a new rivalry in a new sport between old GLVC counterparts. Due to struggles in the red zone, the Knights were clinging to a 6-0 lead late in the final quarter, but Reid returned an interception 43 yards with 55 seconds left to sew up Bellarmine's second road win in as many tries.

The fact that the defense delivered the game-clinching play was fitting. Bellarmine's "D" limited Quincy to 229 total yards and made the Hawks one-dimensional. They passed for 203 yards but rushed for a mere 26 on 26 carries.

Quincy's most dangerous threat to score came in the fourth quarter. Down 6-0, the Hawks moved the ball to the Bellarmine 19 behind a 28-yard pass from Nick Manzo to Ethan Hentges. However, the Knights' defense stiffened once again, as Royce Hall sacked Manzo on third-and-12 for a 9-yard loss, and BU forced an incomplete pass on the following play.

Bellarmine chewed up over four minutes off the clock on the ensuing drive, helped greatly by a running into the kicker penalty on a punt that resulted in a first down. The Hawks got the ball back but didn't have much time to work with, and the Knights squashed all their hopes for a game-tying touchdown drive on Reid's pick-six with less than a minute remaining.

Bellarmine's only touchdown on offense came in the second quarter on a 16-yard strike from Dylan Gough to Jerry McGee. A 20-yard run by Reid and a 10-yard catch by Devan Hendricks on a third-and-5 were critical in setting up the touchdown.

Bellarmine definitely had chances to add to its lead. In the third quarter, the Knights couldn't punch it into the end zone inside the 5 and were unsuccessful on a fake field goal. Later, Hall blocked a punt that set up Bellarmine at the Quincy 20, but the Knights couldn't connect on fourth-and-4 on a nicely designed play where the wide receiver was open near the pylon.

In Bellarmine's historical shutout, Reid and Caleb Murray amassed 12 tackles apiece while Hendricks registered nine. Reid's interception was his second on the season. The Knights have scored on a pick-six in two straight games.

Reid also led the rushing attack on offense, churning out 76 yards on 16 carries. Gough's 140 yards passing came on eight completions, with Reid and Hendricks making two catches apiece.

Bellarmine will next host Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday, Oct. 15 at St. Xavier High School.

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