Sept. 26, 2011

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Paul McConnell fired one-under par through the first two rounds Monday at Warren Golf Course to claim a one-stroke lead heading into the final round at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic.

McConnell's huge day led UT Arlington to a 21-over par 581, which is good for third place with one round remaining.

The Mavericks enter the final round six strokes back of front-running Houston. They are currently nine strokes ahead of No. 49 Missouri and 10 strokes ahead of No. 48 Notre Dame.

UT Arlington bounced back from a first-round 295 to shoot a second-round 286 - six-over par.

McConnell, a junior, shot a one-over par 71 in the first round on Monday before firing a two-under, 68 in the second round. His spectacular second round included five birdies, including one on the par-4 third hole - his final hole of the day.

Teammate Pierre Carlsson enters the final round tied for 16th at five-over after finishing the day with a one-over par 71 on Monday.

Hunter Brown started the day with a seven-over par 77, but rebounded for a two-over par 72. Enrique Livas, who was eight-over par for the day, rounded out the scoring for the Mavericks.

The first two rounds of the tournament were held Monday with the final round scheduled for Tuesday.