Complex sentence: By the middle of the third quarter, the Chippewas had fallen behind the Hilltoppers by a score of 49--14, but they scored four unanswered touchdowns and so near the end of the fourth quarter were down by only seven points.
Split into simpler sentences: By the middle of the third quarter, the Chippewas had fallen behind the Hilltoppers by a score of 49--14. They then scored four unanswered touchdowns, and so near the end of the fourth quarter were down by only seven points.