Greg Zuerlein made his mark on the Western record books and the Griffons found success on the ground spoiling Missouri Southern’s homecoming with a 35-23 win at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. The win moved Western’s overall record to 3-2, 2-2 in the MIAA and avenged two consecutive losses to the Lions.
Zuerlein broke a Brad Beckwith record with a 57-yard field goal and tied another Beckwith record with five field goals in the game. The Griffons had their highest rushing total of the season with 263-yards against a Lions’ rush-defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the MIAA and 5th in the nation.
Michael Hill finished the game with 21 rushes for 125-yards and Travis Partridge had 17 carries for 96-yards and two touchdowns. The Lions struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Stephen Sumpter. The Griffons answered with a drive to the Southern 10-yard line but couldn’t punch it in. Zuerlein’s 27-yard field goal brought the score to 7-3, then Western scored 17 unanswered points to take a 16-7 lead.
Eric Murdock kicked a 48-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the half and Western took a 16-10 lead into halftime. On Western’s first drive of the second half, Partridge took a fourth and one keeper 46-yards for a touchdown that put the Griffons up 22-10 after the two-point try failed.
Zuerlein pitched in two more field goals and Partridge sealed Western’s first win over Southern since 2008 with a 6-yard touchdown run.
Western finished with 383-yards of offense, with Partridge adding 120 through the air. Partridge was 15-30 with one touchdown and one interception. Adam Clausen led the Griffons with six receptions for 71-yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Western was paced by Jeremy Weston’s seven solo tackles. Weston and David Bass each had 10 total stops. Bass added two tackles for loss and one sack and Weston had one of Western’s two interceptions. Shane Simpson added another pick to stop a Southern scoring threat late in the game.
Southern fell to 1-3 overall and in conference play. The Griffons will return home Oct. 8 to take on Lincoln in the annual Hall of Fame game. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
— MWSU Sports Information —