WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Missouri Western football team dropped to 1-2 on the season after a crazy 66-44 loss at Central Missouri Saturday.

The two teams combined for more than 1,040 yards of offense in a back-and-forth contest. It was the most points a Missouri Western football team allowed since the first game in Griffon football history (72) at Morningside in 1970.

BACK AND FORTH
The game featured five lead changes and one tie. Central Missouri jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Missouri Western scored 10-straight to take a 10-6 lead. The Griffons scored 10 unanswered to end the first half and go to the locker room tied 20-20. MWSU took a 23-20 lead on a Tyler Basch 46-yard field goal on Missouri Western’s first drive of the second half. UCM regained the lead again answering with an eight-play, 88-yard drive to take a 27-23 lead in the third quarter. Then the Griffons answered to take a 30-27 lead off a nine-yard Joshua Caldwell TD run with 5:44 left in the third quarter. Central Missouri led 45-30 when Dom Marino scrambled 67 yards for a touchdown to make it a one point game with 11:47 left in the game. Keylan Mack gave the Griffons their last home with 4:30 left on a four-yard touchdown run that made it 52-44, but UCM scored two more touchdowns to close it out.

GROUND GAME WORKING
Missouri Western rushed for 284 yards in the game. Caldwell gained 130 net rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Marino’s 67-yard scamper helped him to an 81-yard total for the game. Derek Gray Jr. rushed nine times for 54 yards and a score.

PENALTIES, SPECIAL TEAMS HURT CHANCES
The Griffons were tagged for 12 penalties for 89 total yards. UCM was also flagged 12 times for 108 yards. Missouri Western’s penalties came at crucial times and hurt the teams’ chances. Several of the flags against the Griffons came on special teams plays. Central Missouri grabbed nearly all the momentum late in the third quarter on a special teams play. Shamar Griffith received a UCM kickoff in the end zone, brought the ball out of the end zone then went back in and was tackled for a safety that gave UCM a 42-30 lead with 13 seconds left in the third quarter. It also gave UCM the ball which the Mules turned into three points to extend the lead to 45-30 early in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts Central Oklahoma, Saturday, Sept. 23 for a 6 p.m. kickoff. It will be Family Day/United Way Day at Missouri Western. Central Oklahoma (1-1) was at Fort Hays State Saturday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

— MWSU Athletics —