We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Author: Dave Riggert

Mizzou rallies past Texas A&M to win in overtime

Posted on

Missouri quarterback James Franklin had the worst game of his short career last week, with four turnovers in the second half a loss to No. 3 Oklahoma State.

He made up for it on Saturday, throwing two touchdown passes, including the game-winner in overtime, and running for two more scores to lead the Tigers to a 38-31 win over No. 16 Texas A&M.

The winning score came on an 11-yard throw to Marcus Lucas.

Franklin didn’t feel like had a great day passing, but he made a perfect throw when it counted most.

“We definitely wanted to run the ball, (but) once we had to get some yardage we went to the pass,” Franklin said of the winning score. “We were getting the one-on-one coverage and it worked out.”

Texas A&M got the ball after the score, but Ryan Tannehill’s pass on fourth down was deflected.

“There was nothing easy about it,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said of the win. “These kind of games you just have to fight and fight. A lot of players did a lot of good things in critical situations and I’m very proud of them.”

The Tigers had a chance to win it in regulation, but a 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired.

Missouri (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) got the ball when Jacquies Smith caused a fumble by Tannehill, which was recovered by Dominique Hamilton.

The Aggies led by 11 at halftime, but Missouri took a 31-28 lead on an 11-yard run by Henry Josey with about eight minutes left. Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2) tied it on a 35-yard field goal about four minutes later.

Franklin threw for 198 yards ran for 97 yards. Josey, the Big 12’s leading rusher, had 20 carries for 162 yards.

It was the fifth 100-yard game for Josey and his second in a row.

Missouri has won three straight over the Aggies and unlike the rest of the Big 12 schools, the Tigers could face them again next year. Missouri is expected to soon join Texas A&M in a move to the Southeastern Conference.

Missouri took its first lead of the second half on the 11-yard touchdown run by Josey. To get that drive going, Josey bounced to the outside and dashed down the sideline for 43 yards before being dragged down from behind.

The Tigers went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Texas A&M 43 early in the fourth quarter and Franklin’s run was short. Missouri made up for it when Tannehill was hit as he threw a pass which was intercepted by Randy Ponder.

Ponder returned it 45 yards and Franklin cut A&M’s lead to 28-24 when he scored on an 8-yard run three plays later.

Pinkel was proud of his team’s defensive improvement in the second half.

“We got out of drives. I think we were a little bit more aggressive in the secondary,” he said. “We got a lot of balls batted down, we got some turnovers and we forced fourth down punts.”

Tannehill threw for three touchdowns in the first half, but the Aggies managed only a field goal after that to lose their third game this season after leading by double digits at halftime.

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman doesn’t have an easy answer for why his team has struggled after halftime in its three losses.

“I just think that we didn’t make the plays we needed to make when we needed to make them,” Sherman said. “It’s definitely something we’ve got to talk about and get fixed.”

Both teams lost fumbles in the third quarter. Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope fumbled after a catch, but Missouri gave it back three plays later when Josey coughed it up. The Aggies didn’t capitalize on that error and neither team scored in the quarter.

Tannehill hit Cyrus Gray on a short pass and he ran into the corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14 early in the second quarter. Missouri’s offense stalled on the next drive and they had to punt. The punt was shanked and it went just 22 yards, giving A&M the ball at the Missouri 41.

The Aggies took advantage of the short field when Tannehill found Swope for a 6-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-14 lead in the second quarter.

Texas A&M pushed its advantage to 28-14 when Tannehill scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with about three minutes left in the second quarter.

The Tigers had a first down from the Texas A&M 11 late in the second quarter, but the offense stalled and they settled for a 26-yard field goal to make it 28-17 at halftime.

Franklin broke four tackles on a nifty 20-yard run on third-and-1 to give Missouri a 7-0 lead on the team’s second drive of the game.

Tannehill’s first touchdown pass was a 2-yard strike to Michael Lamothe that tied it at 7-all later in the first quarter.

Eric Waters caught a pass from Franklin and two Texas A&M defenders missed tackles as he dashed 42 yards for a touchdown to put Missouri back on top 14-7 with two seconds left in the first quarter.

Texas A&M’s Christine Michael had 21 carries for 104 yards and Gray added 58 yards rushing.

— Associated Press —

MWSU volleyball falls in straight sets to No. 5 Washburn

Posted on

The Missouri Western volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-12, 29-27, 25-20) against the 5th ranked Washburn Lady Blues in MIAA action on Saturday afternoon in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Stephanie Hattey led Western with 31 set assists and 13 digs. The Griffons fall to 12-13 overall and 5-7 in MIAA play.

Western came out of the gates sluggish hitting just .081 with eight kills and five errors on 37 attacks in set one. The Griffons fell in the first set 25-12 against the high powered Lady Blues. Washburn hit .472 with 20 kills in 36 attacks. They had just three errors in the set.

Set two started like the first as the Griffons got down 12-7 after a Jessica Fey kill for Washburn. The Griffons responded nicely going on a 9-4 run tying the score at 16 after a Hannah Zimmerrman kill from Hattey. Both teams went on mini 3-0 runs playing to a tie at 19. The two teams played close the rest of the way and the Griffons took their first lead of the game at 27-26 lead after an Amanda Boender kill but three straight points by Washburn gave them the 29-27 victory and the 2-0 lead in the set.

Western hit .074 in the second set with 14 kills and 28 digs. They also had four blocks in the set. The Lady Blues it .121 with 16 kills and 27 digs in the set.

The Griffons played the Lady Blues close through the first 24 points as the score was tied at 12 early on in set three. From there the Lady Blues used a 5-0 run gaining a 17-12 lead. The two teams played even the rest of the way but Western would fall 25-20. Zimmerman and Shelby Corkill both had eight kills while Sarah Faubel and Tahler Johnston finished with 13 and 10 digs respectively.

Washburn improves to 25-1 overall and 12-0 in MIAA play. Washburn had 49 kills with Breanna Lewis getting 11 and Jessica Kopp and Jessica Fey both recording 10. Abby Wittman had 24 set assists while Kelsey Lewis had 12 digs.

Western will hit the road on Tuesday, November 1when they travel to Maryville, Mo. to take on the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in Bearcat Arena. Match time is set for 7:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

K-State gets blown out by Oklahoma

Posted on

Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles put Oklahoma’s season back on track.

Now, Kansas State will see if it can bounce back from its own loss.

Jones threw for a school-record 505 yards and five touchdowns Saturday, his All-American wide receiver caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a score, and the Sooners (No. 9 BCS, No. 11 AP) took out some pent up frustration with a 58-17 thumping of the Wildcats (No. 8 BCS, No. 10 AP).

Their national championship hopes dashed by Texas Tech last week — along with their 39-game home winning streak — the Sooners (7-1, 4-1) spoiled the same hopes harbored by Kansas State.

Jones shattered the previous school record for yards passing of 468, which he had shared with Sam Bradford, and moved into first place on the Oklahoma career list with 90 touchdown passes.

“We just came out with a focus,” he said with a shrug. “Kept playing ball.”

Just about the only downer on an otherwise splendid Saturday afternoon was a season-ending injury to leading rusher Dominique Whaley, who fractured his left ankle on the first play of the game.

Whaley will have surgery Sunday to have a pin inserted.

“Really sad for Dom,” coach Bob Stoops said. “What a great young man. We’ll miss him.”

Perhaps so, but the offense looked just fine without him.

Broyles moved into first place on the Big 12’s career list with 4,499 yards receiving, Kenny Stills added four catches for 101 yards, and Roy Finch finished with 73 yards rushing and another 69 through the air for the Sooners’ potent, fast-paced attack.

They wound up with a season-high 690 yards of offense against the Big 12’s top defense.

“Oklahoma’s a lot better than some people would want to think, probably, and I did a really miserable job of getting our football team ready to play,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said.

Relying on a smoke-and-mirrors offense that had been consistently out-gained all season, Kansas State (7-1, 4-1) still managed to piece together its best start since 1999.

It all came undone against Oklahoma.

Collin Klein was sacked seven times, the Wildcats were penalized an uncharacteristic five times, normally reliable kicker Anthony Cantele missed a chip-shot field goal and a defense that had been assignment sound all year crumbled against the Sooners’ relentless onslaught.

“It’s really painful,” cornerback David Garrett said, “but they’re a good team, a lot of great athletes. We’ve just got to come together Monday and bounce back.”

Kansas State actually led 17-14 midway through the second quarter, but the Sooners scored late in the half, and John Hubert’s fumble with 19 seconds left allowed Michael Hunnicutt to kick a career-long 53-yard field goal on the final play for a 23-17 halftime advantage.

It was the start of 44 straight points scored by the Sooners.

Broyles hauled in a 29-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter, tightrope walking down the sideline the final 10 yards. Moments later, Jones hit Jaz Reynolds for the second of his two touchdown catches to give Oklahoma a 37-17 lead.

Finch added a 31-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter and the rout was on.

“It was a fun night,” Jones said. “The offense was executing and we were doing our job.”

By the time Trey Millard slipped through the porous Kansas State defensive front and outran the secondary to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes left, a crowd of 51,004 that had been in such a festive mood early in the afternoon was heading for the doors.

Klein finished with 92 yards and two TDs rushing for Kansas State, but he was just 8 of 16 for 58 yards through the air. Hubert added 71 yards rushing, while Nigel Malone had two interceptions.

That was about it for the positives.

Oklahoma scored on six straight possessions at one point, and the 58 points allowed by Kansas State’s defense were the most by a Snyder-coached team at home since Nov. 18, 1989, when Colorado piled up 59. The Wildcats’ offense couldn’t keep up, managing only 32 yards after halftime.

“We knew what kind of team they were coming in,” Klein said. “It wasn’t a surprise, but it was frustrating, not being able to execute like we were. We were struggling.”

The Sooners have won five straight in the series, their last loss coming in the 2003 conference championship game. They haven’t lost in Manhattan since 1996.

More importantly, they’re still alive in the Big 12 race.

The Sooners and Wildcats are both chasing undefeated Oklahoma State, with Kansas State getting the first shot against the nation’s third-ranked team next weekend. Oklahoma gets its chance against its in-state rival in the annual Bedlam game on Dec. 3.

“We bounced back the way we should,” Reynolds said with a sly smile. “There were some plays that we left out there, but we were pretty good.”

— Associated Press —

Northwest volleyball loses in four sets to Emporia State

Posted on

The Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats were defeated by the Emporia State University Hornets (17-8, 9-3 MIAA) 3-1 Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest (10-15, 4-8 MIAA) would take the first set but the Hornets would prove to be too much and would win in straight sets 23-25, 25-16, 25-23, and 25-22 for the 3-1 win.

With the first set tied at 12-12, the Bearcats would capitalize on a Hornet attacking error and take the set 23-25.

The Hornets came back and cruised through the second set 25-16 but the Bearcats would bounce back and battle through the third and fourth sets before falling 25-23 and 25-22.

Amy Majors led the attack for Northwest recording a team high 11 kills in the match along with one solo block and six block assists.  Alex Hanna and Brooke Bartosh chipped in ten kills each respectively.

Laira Akin recorded her 42 assists in the match while adding seven digs as well.

Tori Beckman led the defense recording 25 digs in the loss, while Abby Graves added 12 digs.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Jayhawks get outgained 590-46 in loss at Texas

Posted on

For the first time in a long time, Texas players gathered in the end zone of Royal-Memorial Stadium and sang “The Eyes of Texas” with smiles on their faces after beating a Big 12 team at home.

The losing streak is finally over.

Freshmen tailbacks Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron racked up 255 yards rushing and four touchdowns as Texas ended a five-game home losing streak in the Big 12 with a 43-0 romp over Kansas on Saturday night.

“We got back on track … It’s been a while since we were singing in the locker room,” Texas senior safety Blake Gideon said. “That was huge. There’s a certain amount of pride in that, in protecting your home stadium.”

Texas rushed for 441 yards as a team against the worst defense in the country. Brown reached the 100-yard mark by halftime and his 635 yards this season already are the most by a Texas player since 2007.

Freshman quarterback David Ash got his second consecutive start for Texas (5-2, 2-2 Big 12), which ended a two-game losing skid and got its first home Big 12 win since beating Kansas on Nov. 21, 2009.

“It’s probably as physical as we’ve been around here in a long time,” Texas coach Mack Brown said.

Kansas (2-6, 0-5) has lost six in a row, putting more pressure on second-year coach Turner Gill, who is 5-15 with the Jayhawks, who had just three first downs and 46 total yards.

Kansas quarterback Jordan Webb was 7 of 16 passing for 48 yards and one interception.

“Tough ball game all the way around,” Gill said. “Tough on our offense. I wasn’t expecting us to be totally shut down as far as moving the ball.”

The Texas defense turned in one of its most dominant performances in years, getting its first shutout since 2005 and holding Kansas to minus-2 yards rushing. Kansas averaged just 1.3 yards per play.

Brown and Bergeron ran wild over the beleagued Kansas defense that came in giving up an average of 50 points per game. It was the first time in Texas history two freshman have rushed for 100 yards in a game.

“Our plan was to wear them down,” said senior tailback Fozzy Whittaker, who added 68 yards. “As you saw at the end, the holes were just getting bigger and bigger.”

Ash was an efficient 14 of 18 for 145 yards with one interception. He clearly has ended the pretense that Texas is open to reverting back to the rotation of Ash and Case McCoy that the Longhorns used earlier this season.

McCoy was 2-1 as a starter but Ash started and played the entire game in a loss to No. 3 Oklahoma State. After that game, Texas coach Mack Brown said last week the position was still up for grabs and suggested the rotation could return.

However, Ash took every snap while leading Texas to a 33-0 lead before McCoy took over late in the third quarter.

The Longhorns desperately needed the home win. Texas was just 2-5 in Royal-Memorial Stadium in last season’s 5-7 finish as the Longhorns were routinely punched around their own field.

Texas’ last home Big 12 win had come in former quarterback Colt McCoy’s final game in a season the Longhorns played for the national championship. Few things had gone right for Texas at home since.

Behind Malcom Brown, Texas had little trouble pushing around the woeful Kansas defense.

The Longhorns marched 65 yards to their first touchdown, a 6-yard run by Brown where he lost a shoe breaking a tackle at the 1. They went 90 yards for the second score when Ash capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run off a scramble.

Ash and Brown had Texas cruising to another score before Kansas stuffed a quarterback sneak on fourth down at the goal line. Kansas could not capitalize and was penalized for a personal foul in the end zone on the next play, costing the Jayhawks two points on a safety.

Ash finally made a mistake on Texas’ next drive, throwing into triple coverage for an easy interception in the end zone. Ash has six turnovers in Texas’ last three games.

Brown’s second touchdown, a 1-yard run, made it 23-0 before Texas’ Justin Tucker ended the half with a career-long 52-yard field goal. Kansas ran only 13 offensive plays in the half to 58 for Texas.

“We were worried about substituting some of our guys at halftime because they were so tired,” Mack Brown said.

Conditions did not improve for Kansas. On the first play of the third quarter, quarterback Jordan Webb was sacked for an eight-yard loss, nearly wiping out the Jayhawks’ entire offensive production to that point.

“We played complete defense tonight,” Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson said. “We were just physical and aggressive and that’s how you win games.”

— Associated Press —

Western soccer loses season finale to Emporia

Posted on

The Missouri Western soccer team fell in their final game of the season by a score of 2-0 on Senior Day in Spratt Stadium. Western honored four seniors before the game who played their last game in Spratt Stadium. They were Molly Slattery, Brooke English, Audrey Henderson and Jeanna Ross. Western ends its season 4-10 overall and 1-7 in MIAA play.

The Griffons struggled in the opening frame giving up two goals to the Hornets in the first 24 minutes. The Hornets scored the first goal in the 19th minutes when Mallory Walden scored her third goal of the season off a Kelly Bacon assist. Walden scored her second goal in the 24th minute off a free kick from 30 yards out which beat Kelly Voigts in the bottom right had corner.

The Hornets had 12 shots with 8 on goal while the Griffons had six with three. Audrey Henderson had two shots with one on goal while the Hornets were led by Mandi Lozenski with five shots and two on goal.

In the second half the two teams play even soccer as both teams recorded three shots apiece with Voigts recoding one save for Western in the frame.

The Grffons had nine shots in the game with five on goal. Henderson, K.C. Ramsell and Ashley Juravich all had two shots in the contest. Voigts recorded seven saves in goal.

The Hornets improve to 3-9-5 overall and 2-5-1 in MIAA play. They had 15 shots with nine on goal. Lozenski finished with five shots while Nikki Schmitz recorded five saves.

— MWSU Sports Information —

NWMSU soccer gets blank at Baptist

Posted on

The Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats (9-6-2, 5-3 MIAA) lost to the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (4-11-2, 2-5-1 MIAA) 1-0 Saturday afternoon in a game that does not affect Northwest’s MIAA record.

The first half was a defensive battle between both teams.  Southwest Baptist would strike in the 34th minute when Kelly Isaac hammered the ball past Northwest goalkeeper Kelsey Adams on a free kick.  That would be the only goal of the first half as the Southwest Baptist Bearcats went into halftime up 1-0.

Northwest goalkeeper Kelsey Adams recorded two saves in the half.

The second half started out very similar to the first, a defensive battle; however, neither team was able to find the back of the net in the second half.

For the match, the Northwest outshot Southwest Baptist 21-11.  Northwest held a 4-1 corner kick advantage for the game and a combined 23 fouls were called.

Bearcats’ goal Kelsey Adams collected five saves in the loss upping her season total to 107.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Nebraska shuts down Michigan State

Posted on

Rex Burkhead was flat on his back, writhing in pain and holding his left leg after the 31st of his 35 runs against Michigan State. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini rushed across the field to check on his star running back.

“I saw he was cramping up,” Pelini said, “and I was pretty relieved.”

After going to the sideline for one play, Burkhead was back on the field running a wheel route and catching the 27-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Martinez that sealed Nebraska’s 24-3 victory over the Spartans (No. 11 BCS, No. 9 AP) on Saturday.

“Unless he’s on crutches, he’s going to be out there,” Pelini said. “The guy is a warrior. You can’t ask for more than he gives this football team.”

What Burkhead gave Nebraska (No. 14 BCS, No. 13 AP) was 130 hard-earned yards rushing and three touchdowns in only Nebraska’s second win in 17 games against a top-10 opponent.

More important, the Huskers (7-1, 3-1) moved into a tie with Michigan State (6-2, 3-1) and Michigan for the Big Ten Legends Division lead. Iowa also would have a share of the lead with a win over Minnesota. The Huskers own the tiebreaker with Michigan State and are yet to play Michigan and Iowa.

Burkhead went over 100 yards for the fifth time in six games. The junior scored at the end of 80- and 89-yard drives in the third quarter that broke the spirit of an MSU team that was coming off the high of last week’s incredible finish to its win over Wisconsin.

“What a difference a week makes,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said.

Michigan State could have essentially locked up the division with a victory against its third straight ranked opponent. But quarterback Kirk Cousins, as he has throughout his career, struggled on the road.

After throwing for 290 yards and three TDs at home against Wisconsin, Cousins missed on 12 of his first 16 passes and finished 11 of 27 for 86 yards. He was intercepted on the Spartans’ first possession, was nearly picked off three other times and often threw into double coverage.

“We’re a much better team than we showed today and we still have a lot of things in front of us to accomplish,” Cousins said. “It’s important to push on and understand that so much of what happens to us this season is not what happened to us but how we respond. It’s important that we respond the right way.”

Nebraska’s defense, criticized after it allowed 486 yards in a 48-17 loss at Wisconsin on Oct. 1 and leaky in the first half of a 34-27 win over Ohio State two weeks ago, held the Spartans to 187 yards in its best performance of the year.

“I thought our guys were locked in this week,” Pelini said. “I’m proud of that group. They saw today what we’re capable of doing when they play the right way. That’s a pretty good football team we played out there today.”

The Huskers led 10-3 at half and put away the game with their two time-consuming drives in the third quarter.

Martinez completed only a shovel pass for no yards and was intercepted on a poorly thrown ball in the first half, but offensive coordinator Tim Beck called on him to throw anyway.

He went 4 for 4 on the series and completed third-down passes to Tim Marlowe and Brandon Kinnie before Burkhead scored from a yard out to make it a two-touchdown lead.

Officials initially ruled Burkhead lost a fumble at the goal line, but the video review showed that the ball crossed the goal line.

After another defensive stop by Nebraska, Martinez led the Huskers on a 12-play series that lasted 5:24 and essentially wrapped up the game. Burkhead carried on eight of the first nine plays and then, two plays after limping off the field with that cramp in his left cramp, caught his touchdown pass.

“We were in a rhythm, and I wanted to be out there,” Burkhead said.

Burkhead led a rushing attack that finished with 190 yards against a defense that had been allowing 88.9 a game.

“You could tell they were getting winded,” Burkhead said, “and our guys were getting to them up front. Things were opening up quicker and easier. The no-huddle tempo wore them down a little bit.”

Cousins, who last week became the winningest quarterback in MSU history, struggled from the start and was sacked four times.

“There were plays where there was nothing there, no matter how long the protection lasted,” he said. “There were plays where protection broke down where I had something. There were plays where it was a combination. It was a total mix.”

Lance Thorrell stepped in front of Cousins’ pass for B.J. Cunningham and returned it 26 yards to set up the Huskers at the Spartans’ 25. Burkhead scored from the 1 seven plays later.

Cousins couldn’t get the Spartans into the end zone after Johnny Adams intercepted Martinez and ran it back to the Nebraska 28. A defensive holding call put the ball inside the 10, but Cousins’ end-zone pass to Cunningham was too hot to handle and then Nebraska safety Daimion Stafford dropped a bad throw that could have been run back for a touchdown.

The good news for the Spartans is that their schedule becomes much easier the rest of the way. They play Minnesota at home next, go to Iowa, host Indiana and finish at Northwestern.

Nebraska is starting a rugged stretch of games. After playing Northwestern at home next Saturday, the Huskers have back-to-back road games against Penn State and Michigan, and they finish at home against Iowa.

“We’ve got to win out,” linebacker Will Compton said.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State falls short against South Dakota State

Posted on

Missouri State (1-8, 1-5 MVFC) racked up a season-high 451 yards, but came up just short in a 43-36 double-overtime loss to visiting South Dakota State (3-6, 2-4) here Saturday in Missouri Valley Football Conference action.

The Jackrabbits spoiled the Bears’ homecoming with a two-yard touchdown run by Zach Zenner, who finished with a team-high 77 rushing yards, in the second overtime to secure the come-from-behind win. The Bears could not answer on their second overtime possession and turned the ball over on downs four plays later, three yards shy of the first-down marker at the 15.

The Bears had a chance to go ahead late in regulation as they marched to the SDSU 15 with less than two minutes to play. However, an Austin Witmer 32-yard field goal sailed wide right to end the 10-play scoring threat, and the Jackrabbits ran out the clock to settle for a chance in overtime with the game tied 29-29.

In the extra period, the Bears took command quickly, covering the 25 yards in just four plays to go ahead 36-29 on a one-yard run by Trevor Wooden.  South Dakota State retaliated on the very next play with a 25-yard strike from Austin Sumner to Dale Moss to knot the score at 36.

It took Sumner just four plays to put SDSU ahead for good in the second overtime.

Sumner finished 20-for-31 for 377 yards and four touchdowns, including two TD strikes to Moss who had seven catches for 178 yards. Aaron Rollin had a game-high eight receptions for SDSU for 163 yards.
Wooden led MSU’s charge with 338 yards of total offense, including a game-high and career-high 107 rushing yards on 24 carries. He also passes for 231 yards, going 22-for-31 with a career-best four touchdowns. He became the first MSU signal caller to throw for four scores since Cody Kirby on Oct. 6, 2007 against Illinois State.

Jermaine Saffold had seven receptions for 74 yards and became MSU’s career leader in receiving yardage. The senior from Grandview, Mo., now has 2,062 yards on 113 career catches.

Matt Thayer added three catches for 50 yards for MSU with a pair of touchdowns, while Chris Douglas tallied 76 rushing yards on 21 touches.

In regulation, the Bears led 14-9 at the half after Missouri State turned a key second-quarter turnover into seven points.  Trailing 7-3, the Jackrabbits fumbled on their own 29 with 38 seconds left in the opening quarter. On the very next play, Wooden connected with Matt Thayer from 27 yards out for a quick-strike, one-play scoring drive to put MSU up 14-3.

SDSU rallied with 5:23 left in the first half with a 90-yard scoring drive to make it 14-9.  A five-yard TD pass to Rollin from Sumner capped the nine-play drive. The Jackrabbits went for a two-point conversion, which failed on an incomplete pass from Sumner.

There were five touchdowns in the second half, but none more fatal than an 80-yard strike from Sumner to Moss with 6:20 left in the game. The Jackrabbits’ tying score came on the heels of a stellar, 11-play, 86-yard scoring drive the Bears that put them ahead 29-22 with 6:33 remaining. Wooden converted the two-point conversion pass to Cadarrius Dotson to pull the Bears ahead 29-22, and Witmer’s ensuing kick was downed for a touchback.  The next play Sumner found Moss wide open on the far sideline.

From there, the Bears rallied to the SDSU 15 in the final moments before the missed field goal by Witmer extended the game to extra time.

The Bears, who ran 86 plays, the most under Terry Allen, will host Indiana State in two weeks when the Sycamores invade Plaster Field on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

— MSU Sports Information —

Central earns first playoff birth since 1995; Christian wins district title

Posted on

The Central football team won at Park Hill Friday night, 24-6, to earn their first playoff birth since 1995.

The Indians improve to 6-4 and 4-1 in the Suburban League as they now get set for a Class 5 playoff game at Raytown South Wednesday night in the openinng round.

After a scoreless first quarter Friday night, central broke through with a 33-yard field goal from Sal Ingargiola to take a 3-0 lead with 7:48 to play before halftime.

The Indians then got a 28-yard touchdown run from Corey Jackson with 6:08 remaining in the second quarter before Park Hill closed the gap to 10-6 with a 19-yard TD pass from Tyler White to Jordan Wang with 1:12 left in the half.

Central took control of the game in the third quarter as they took the opening kickoff right down the field and QB Jacob Kaiser threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Nick Shores to go ahead 17-6.  Kaiser made his first career start as starting quarterback Darrin Dudley suffered a concussion last week against Staley.

The Indians capped off the scoring with a 70-yard interception return for the touchdown by Dre Irvin with nine seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Central held Park Hill to 37 yards in the second half and forced three turnovers in the game.

The Indians finished with 303 yards of the offense as Jackson ran the football 32 times for 213 yards.  Kaiser finished the game 3-6 for 51 yards and one touchdown.

Central travels to Raytown South Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and you can hear the game on ESPN 1550.

Also Friday night, St. Joseph Christian hammered Southwest Livingston 68-26 to win the District 3 Championship.  The 10-0 Lions will entertain South Holt at Christian Field Friday at 7:00 p.m.  That game will also air on ESPN 1550.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File