ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western football team nearly pulled off a comeback for the ages, but ultimately fell 55-47 to Pittsburg State on Saturday.
The Griffons trailed 55-26 with 13:24 left in the game before rattling off 21 unanswered points, including a 54-yard touchdown pass from Skyler Windmiller to Patrick Bolton with 55 seconds remaining. Pittsburg State recovered an onside kick attempt by Missouri Western and kneeled twice to end the game.
The two teams combined for 1,301 yards of total offense. Pittsburg State’s 659 yards of offense are the most ever allowed by a Griffon Football team, surpassing Minnesota Duluth’s 603 accumulated in a 57-55 three-overtime win for the Griffons in the opening round of the 2012 playoffs. Missouri Western’s 642 total yards of offense were the second most in program history. It was the most points the Griffons had allowed since that 2012 playoff game and the third most all-time.
Missouri Western and Pittsburg State traded blows in the first quarter with the Gorillas outscoring the Griffons 14-12 in the quarter on a missed PAT attempt and a failed two-point conversion by the Griffons. Pittsburg State owned the second quarter, taking a 34-19 lead to halftime then added two more TDs in the third quarter and one early in the fourth to gain the 55-26 lead.
Windmiller rushed it in himself from five yards out with 10:42 to go then Josh Caldwell added his second long touchdown run of the day (52 yards) with 6:38 to go. Then Windmiller dropped a bomb to Bolton who leaped over a Pittsburg State defender in the corner of the end zone to pull the Griffons within eight with just under a minute to go. Sean Galey’s onside kick attempt went right to a Pittsburg State player, effectively ending the game as Missouri Western had used all three of its timeouts.
Caldwell surpassed a career-high rushing total for the second straight week, picking up 188 yards rushing on 23 carries and three touchdowns, which included a 75-yard score and the 52 yarder. The career day put Caldwell at 1,041 yards for the season. Windmiller had a career day as well, throwing for 392 yards and three touchdown passes. He was 17-25 without an interception. Dijuan Ussery finished the game with four catches for 158 yards and a 69-yard touchdown, the longest of his career. Bolton had his best game as a Griffon, hauling in four passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Donte Watkins had a career-high 15 tackles for the Griffons, including 12 solo stops. James Huskey added 11 tackles and Tyrell Robision had 10, indluding 1.5 for loss.
The loss dropped Missouri Western to 4-3 on the season. The Griffons travel to Fort Hays State (5-2) who will be coming off a loss to Washburn Saturday.
— MWSU Athletics —