Dave Riggert – Page 117 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Mahomes throws 3 TD passes as Chiefs beat 49ers 38-27

Posted on September 23, 2018September 24, 2018

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes was flushed from the pocket and scrambled all the way to his left, only to realize that just about everybody wearing a Chiefs helmet was on the opposite side of the field.

It was a rookie mistake by the second-year pro, one he turned into more early season magic.

Mahomes quickly reversed field against the pursuing San Francisco defense, ran all the way to the other side and threw a dart to Chris Conley in the back of the end zone. It was one of three TD passes he threw in a 38-27 victory over the 49ers on Sunday — and easily the most impressive .

“That,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid acknowledged with a smile, “was a good one.”

Mahomes finished with 314 yards passing in his first regular-season start at Arrowhead Stadium, and his touchdown throws to Conley, Demetrius Harris and Sammy Watkins gave him 13 this season without an interception. That total broke the NFL record of 12 for the first three weeks of a season, set by Peyton Manning during the 2013 campaign.

More importantly, all those touchdown tosses have the Chiefs 3-0. They are the third team to score at least 38 points in each of the first three games, joining 2007 New England and the 1967 Baltimore Colts.

“We’ve got a bunch of weapons,” said Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, who added his first two touchdown runs this season, “and Pat is just a competitor. I knew that from the day we met, when we got drafted together. We said one day we were going to take over the Chiefs Kingdom.”

The Chiefs have clearly found their long-term answer at quarterback.

The 49ers? They have a whole lot of questions now.

Jimmy Garoppolo left late in the fourth quarter after his left knee buckled during a scramble to the sideline. He was crushed on his throwing shoulder by the Chiefs’ Steven Nelson, but the damage was already done, and the 49ers’ franchise quarterback was carted off to the locker room.

“We fear an ACL,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We’ll find out for sure tomorrow.”

The 49ers (1-2) trailed 35-7 late in the first half before rallying behind Garoppolo, who threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Breida added 90 yards rushing and Alfred Morris scored on the ground as San Francisco clawed to within 35-24 late in the third quarter.

It was still 38-24 when the 49ers produced a grinding, 17-play drive that wiped out more than half the fourth quarter. But it ended in a strange sequence that began with Garoppolo taking the shot from Nelson along the sideline, rather than stepping out of bounds and avoiding the hit.

“I think that was his fault,” said Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston, who was trailing the play. “I pray he’s not hurt, it’s nothing serious, but as a quarterback you should step out of bounds. It’s only an inch. An inch wouldn’t have made a difference. You got the yardage. You need to be smart.”

C.J. Beathard came in on third-and-goal and threw what appeared to be a touchdown pass to George Kittle, but it was wiped out by offensive pass interference with 5:17 left in the game.

Rather than go for it on fourth down at the Kansas City 25, Shanahan elected to kick a field goal — keeping it a two-possession game. Then the 49ers kicked it deep rather than try an onside kick, and the Chiefs picked up a first down by penalty before Hunt churned for two more and put the game away.

“That’s our time in the game,” Reid said. “You take a lot of pride in it. They’re going backward and we’re going forward and it’s all good.”

Missouri Western soccer gets blanked by Lindenwood in MIAA opener

Posted on September 23, 2018September 24, 2018

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western soccer team (5-3) was shut out 1-0 in its Sunday afternoon match against Lindenwood (4-3-1). Tough defense by both teams led to limited scoring opportunities throughout the game as the Griffons suffered a letdown after upsetting No. 1 Central Missouri on Friday.

NOTABLES

The game remained scoreless throughout most of the game and looked to be heading for overtime. The game’s lone goal was scored in the 78^th minute off of a Lindenwood corner kick.
Missouri Western is now 0-1 in MIAA league play since Sunday’s game was the first game that counts towards conference records.
Lindenwood won the rematch between the teams. The Griffons defeated the Lions 3-1 on September 14.
Coach Chad Edwards used several different lineups and played 22 student-athletes throughout the game.

STATS AND LEADERS

The Griffons managed only 8 shots, which is their lowest total of the season.
Cassidy Menke and Taylor Schwartzkopf led Missouri Western with each having two shots on goal.
Lindenwood had seven corner kicks, including the kick that led to the game’s only goal.
The offensive struggle led to a physical game Sunday afternoon, as the Lions committed 12 fouls.

UP NEXT

The Griffons will host two more games next weekend as they welcome Emporia State (5-1-1) and Washburn (4-3) to Spratt Stadium.
Friday, September 28 vs. Emporia State at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 30 vs. Washburn at 12:00 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Keller, Gallagher lead Royals to series split with Tigers

Posted on September 23, 2018September 24, 2018

DETROIT (AP) — When the Kansas City Royals acquired Brad Keller during last winter’s Rule 5 draft, they committed themselves to keep him on the roster all season.

As it turned out, that hasn’t been a problem.

Keller pitched seven strong innings as the Royals held on to beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Sunday.

Keller (9-6) allowed one run on three hits, walking three and striking out two. He improved to 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his last eight starts.

“The first three or four innings, he was dead-on mechanically and just banging in strike after strike,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “After that, he was still fighting it a bit, but he hung in there and gave us seven more strong innings.”

Keller has only allowed more than two earned runs once since August 7.

“I was attacking them with my fastball, mostly,” he said. “They were sitting on my slider a little, so I went after them with the heater.”

The teams split the four-game series that finished Detroit’s home season. The Royals won the season series 11-8.

The Tigers finished 38-43 at home, four games better than 2017, but drew 1.86 million fans — the fewest since they had 1.37 million while losing 119 games in 2003.

“We wanted to win this one for our fans,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We’ve got 90-some losses, but they were still standing and cheering until the last pitch.”

The Royals led 3-1 in the ninth. Niko Goodrum led off the inning with a bunt single off Wily Peralta. Ronny Rodriguez added a one-out base hit, and Grayson Greiner walked to load the bases.

Victor Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to pull the Tigers within 3-2 before Peralta struck out Jim Adduci to earn his 13th save.

“Wily makes it a tightrope walk, but he’s 13-for-13,” Yost said. “They got a perfect bunt and a big walk, but he didn’t panic. He just kept making pitches.”

Daniel Norris needed 98 pitches to complete five innings, allowing one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out three.

“I didn’t have any kind of command, so I was in three-ball counts on almost every hitter,” he said. “The only thing I could count on was my slider, so I just kept trying to spin that in there to get out of trouble.”

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the first on Adalberto Mondesi’s 12th home run and could have added to the margin in the third. Kansas City loaded the bases with one out, but Hunter Dozier grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Kansas City stranded two more batters in the fourth but had pushed Norris’ pitch count to 84.

“That’s the thing with Daniel — he might get into trouble, but he’s always going to give everything he’s got to get out of it,” Greiner said. “We were trying to find pitches that would work.”

Jeimer Candelario led off the fourth with a single — Detroit’s first hit — and Christin Stewart moved him to third with a hit-and-run single before Nicholas Castellanos tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

The Royals regained the lead with two runs in the sixth off Drew VerHagen (3-3). With two out, Alcides Escobar and Rosell Herrera singled before Herrera stole second. Cam Gallagher blooped a ball to shallow left, and Stewart couldn’t make a sliding catch.

“When (Keller) is dominating like that, you just want to get him some runs,” Gallagher said. “I hit that ball pretty weakly, but it got down in front of the outfielders. That’s how this works.”

GET IN THERE

Harold Castro made his major league debut, entering as a pinch-runner for Greiner in the ninth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: CF JaCoby Jones missed the game after aggravating a shoulder injury while attempting a diving catch on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Royals: Start a two-game series in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Eric Skoglund (1-5, 5.60 ERA) starts the opener against Matt Harvey (7-9, 4.92).

Tigers: Begin a three-game series in Minnesota on Tuesday, with Spencer Turnbull (0-1, 10.80) taking the mound.

— Associated Press —

Northwest soccer falls to No. 1 Central Missouri

Posted on September 23, 2018September 24, 2018

No. 1 Central Missouri defeated the Northwest Missouri State soccer team Sunday 4-1 at Bearcat Pitch. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime, then the Jennies turned up the pressure in the second half.

The Jennies got on the board first on a goal by Makayla Toth, which was assisted by Jada Scott in the 32nd minute. The Bearcats tied it up in the 40th minute on a goal by Joanna Shaw assisted by Emily Madden. The Jennies’ Skylar Drum scored the second goal off an assist by Courtney Killian in the 52nd minute. The Jennies’ last two goals were scored by Jada Scott and assisted by Makayla Toth in the 60th and 72nd minute.

The Bearcats play next at Bearcat Pitch Friday Sept. 28 against Washburn.

— Northwest Athletics —

St. Louis completes three-game sweep of Giants

Posted on September 23, 2018September 24, 2018

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Miles Mikolas’ outing against the San Francisco Giants was typical, and typical for him is pretty good.

Mikolas won his fourth straight start, Matt Carpenter hit his NL-leading 36th homer and the Cardinals beat the Giants 9-2 to complete a three-game sweep and remain on track for the NL’s second wild card.

St. Louis (87-69) has won three straight games and six of seven. The Cardinals remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Colorado (85-70) and two games behind Milwaukee, the wild card leader. St. Louis hosts the Brewers (89-67) in a three-game series starting Monday night.

“We feel pretty good,” Mikolas said. “We feel strong. We feel like we’re a team that’s real dangerous and a team that’s going to come out and give a lot of people trouble.”

Mikolas (17-4) allowed two runs — one earned — and two hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. John Brebbia and Giovanny Gallegos, who made his Cardinals debut, finished a five-hitter.

“I had some good sink of my fastball so I tried to use that a lot,” said Mikolas, tied with Washington’s Max Scherzer and Chicago’s Jon Lester for the NL lead in wins. “Just pound the zone. They took some swings early so I was able to get some quick outs.”

Mikolas has made 11 starts of at least seven innings and the two hits he gave up were a season low.

“He works ahead in the count so that creates doubt,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “He can pretty much throw any pitch he wants at any time in the count. He throws inner half, which sets up the outer half, which disrupts the balance of the hitter and he can change speed which disrupts the timing of the hitter. That combination is what pitching is.”

Andrew Suarez (7-12) gave up two runs and six hits in five innings as San Francisco gave him three runs or less of run support during his time in the game for the 21st time this season. The Giants finished 31-50 on the road for a two-year record of 57-105 away from home.

San Francisco has lost 10 straight road games against NL Central teams since winning at the Chicago Cubs on May 27.

“It’s a tough lineup,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of the Cardinals. “They’ve got power, speed, good athletes.”

The bottom two in the Cardinals batting order built a 2-0 lead with two-out singles, by Yairo Munoz in the second and Mikolas in the fourth.

Harrison Bader bunted in a run to spark a five-run sixth that includes RBI singles by Munoz and Paul DeJong around Jose Martinez’s two-run double. Carpenter hit a two-run homer off Casey Kelly in the eighth.

“Everybody contributed,” Carpenter said. “Guys finding a way to score even when we’ve got some guys that aren’t getting it done. It’s the making of a good team.”

Brandon Crawford’s two-run homer in the seventh stopped an 0-for-9 skid.

“I’ve faced him a few times back in 2012 but other than that I haven’t seen him for years,” Crawford said of Mikolas. “I was just looking for something up that I can put in play and try and just get the bat on and fortunately saw the curve ball enough to put the barrel on it.”

TRAINING ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong missed his second consecutive start after leaving Friday’s game in the seventh inning with cramps in both hamstrings.

DEBUT

INF Edmundo Sosa was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Sosa made his debut when he walked as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, and he scored on Carpenter’s home run.

UP NEXT

Giants: LHP Derek Holland (7-8, 3.57 ERA) starts the first of a three-game series at home against San Diego and RHP Bryan Mitchell (1-4, 6.16 ERA) on Monday night. Holland will make his first start since July 18, which was also against the Padres, where he allowed four runs in five innings.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (8-8, 3.08 ERA) kicks off a three-game home series Monday night against Milwaukee and RHP Chase Anderson (9-8, 3.93 ERA). Flaherty is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers.

— Associated Press —

Griffons roll past Northeastern State 66-16

Posted on September 23, 2018

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western football team (2-2) made sure fans didn’t have to wait until after the game to see fireworks, Saturday night, racking up a season-high 612 yards of total offense in a 66-16 rout of Northeastern State (0-4).

NOTABLES

Missouri Western rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns while holding Northeastern State to 54 rushing yards on 40 carries
It was the first 300-yard rushing game for the team since week 10 of the 2017 season (Emporia State)
The 612 yards of offense were the most by the team since putting up 612 against Central Oklahoma in week four of the 2017 season
Missouri Western’s 66 points were 23 more than the Griffons had scored through their first three games, total
After scoring just one first quarter touchdown through their first three games, MWSU exploded for three first quarter scores, leading 21-0 after the first
Dom Marino’s 6-yard touchdown strike to Luke Vang with 6:34 left in the first quarter was the Griffons’ first touchdown pass to a player that wasn’t a running back this season. Marino added another to Keylan Mack in the first quarter and Steigerwald had three in the second half.
James Bailey Jr. became the first Griffon rusher to eclipse 100 yards (151) since Shamar Griffith against Emporia State last year
Northeastern State became the first team to intercept the Griffons this season, picking off a Marino pass in the second quarter
Missouri Western sacked Northeastern State quarterbacks six times and limited the RiverHawks to just 156 total yards
Brandin Dandridge’s second quarter interception was the third of his career against Northeastern State, one in each of the last three seasons
Six Griffons either scored or threw the first touchdown of their Griffon career
Tyler Basch was 2-for-2 on field goals with a long of 44, but was 6-of-9 on point after attempts with two of them blocked

OTHER STATS AND LEADERS

James Bailey Jr. rushed 16 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.4 yards per carry
Shamar Griffith also had a pair of rushing touchdowns, the first of his career coming just two minutes into the game. Griffith rushed for 68 yards, averaging 9.7 per rush
Marino averaged 13.2 yards per carry on five rushes
Marino finished 13-of-20 for 158 yards, two touchdowns and an interception
Wyatt Steigerwald was an efficient 4-for-6 for 128 yards and three touchdowns in relief of Marino late in the game
Keylan Mack led the Griffons with four catches for 67 yards and a score
Carlos Thompson had his first touchdown as a Griffon, a 74-yard catch and run from Steigerwald in the fourth quarter
Gannon Cornley also caught his first career TD in the fourth quarter from Steigerwald
Thompson led the Griffons with 205 all-purpose yards, combining 91 yards receiving with 114 return yards
Tyler Baska had two of the team’s six sacks
Devan Burrell led the defense with eight total tackles, six of them solo
Missouri Western was flagged 15 times for 180 yards. Northeastern State was penalized 11 times for 115 yards

UP NEXT

The Griffons stay home for a meeting with Washburn (2-2) on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.
Washburn defeated No. 16 Central Missouri, 28-21, Saturday afternoon
— MWSU Athletics —

No. 4 Bearcats get upset at Central Oklahoma

Posted on September 23, 2018September 23, 2018

EDMOND, Oklahoma – Quarterback Chandler Garrett passed for four touchdowns and Central Oklahoma scored its first win over Northwest Missouri State since 1992 in a 31-21 contest on Saturday at Wantland Stadium.

Garrett passed for 274 yards on 17-of-33 passing. UCO had a pair of receivers surpass the 100-yard mark as Dustin Basks (105) and L’liott Curry (103) each went over the century mark.

Wright was 25-of-52 passing for 241 yards and a touchdown. Wright also rushed for a team-best 43 yards and a score. Cody Massey caught five passes for 64 yards. Austen Eskew notched two quarterback sacks and Jack Richards secured a team-best 10 tackles.

Northwest scored 18 fourth-quarter points but could not overcome a 28-3 deficit through three quarters.

Parker Sampson knocked in a pair of field goals to go along with a touchdown pass and run from quarterback Braden Wright to account for all the Bearcat scoring in the game.

Northwest will return home to play at Bearcat Stadium next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against the Emporia State Hornets.

NOTES: Northwest is 0-3 when trailing at the half under head coach Rich Wright … Northwest holds an 8-3 lead in the all-time series … Bane caught his 27thcareer touchdown pass to move past Steve Hansley, who posted 26 touchdown receptions from 1983-1985.

— Northwest Athletics —

Lock struggles as Mizzou falls at home to No. 2 Georgia 43-29

Posted on September 23, 2018

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart learned plenty in his days as an assistant under Alabama’s Nick Saban.

Among those lessons was a tendency to nitpick victories. After the second-ranked Bulldogs beat Missouri 43-29, Smart bemoaned his defense’s inability to stop the run and some costly mistakes that turned a potential blowout into the closest game of the season.

He was finally asked if it said something about Georgia that the team could play a little sloppy and still win by two touchdowns.

“It says that we can handle some adversity on the road, and that when we’re challenged, we responded well,” Smart said. “But I’m not pleased with the discipline and composure we played with.”

Missouri (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) entered the game ranked seventh nationally in total offense and Drew Lock had 11 touchdown passes. Georgia (4-0, 2-0 SEC) held Lock without a touchdown pass, but yielded 172 yards rushing and four TDs on the ground.

“I would have thought they would struggle to run the ball,” Smart said. “We pride ourselves on not allowing people to run the ball, and if you asked me, `What’s the one most disappointing thing?’, it’s that they were able to run the ball.”

Georgia committed seven penalties for 66 yards — not an egregious total — but Smart was upset at the nature of the penalties. He dropped face-first to the turf in the third quarter when a roughing-the-passer penalty erased a third-down stop.

The Bulldogs opened a 20-7 halftime lead without an offensive touchdown. In the first quarter, Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell stripped Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, scooped up the ball and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown — along the way, he picked up an accidental downfield block from an official against Lock. In the second quarter, Eric Stokes burst off the left side of the Georgia line, blocked a punt and returned it 8 yards for another TD.

“They were bailing us out in the first half,” Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm said of the defense. “Even with the offensive struggles, it was awesome to look up and see 20 points up on the board.”

Georgia couldn’t quite shake Missouri in the second half, as the offenses matched each other score for score.

Fromm threw touchdown passes of 33 yards to Riley Ridley, 61 yards to Jeremiah Holloman and 54 yards to Mecole Hardman. Fromm completed 13 of 23 passes for 260 yards. Elijah Holyfield rushed 14 times for 90 yards, and D’Andre Swift added 16 carries for 71 yards.

Missouri’s Larry Rountree III, Damarea Crockett, Tyler Badie and Lock all scoring rushing touchdowns. Lock completed 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards, and Okwuegbunam had nine catches for 81 yards.

“We spotted them 14 points,” Missouri coach Barry Odom said. “Defensively, we did some good things. Was it good enough? No, because we didn’t win the game.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Georgia: The Bulldogs have now cleared two divisional road hurdles on their way to the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Georgia won at South Carolina in week two.

Missouri: The Tigers had won nine straight regular-season games before falling to Georgia. The task now is avoiding a losing streak as Missouri continues the season’s toughest stretch with games at South Carolina and No. 1 Alabama.

HOLDING HALL

Last year, Missouri wide receiver Emanuel Hall burned Georgia’s secondary for two 63-yard touchdown catches. Smart said star cornerback Deandre Baker made it clear all week he wanted to cover Hall, who entered the game with 430 receiving yards on the season. Baker dominated the matchup Saturday, holding Hall without a catch.

“I give thanks to my D-line, guys like D’Andre Walker, Tyler Clark and Brenton Cox coming off the edge giving the quarterback pressure and batting balls, sacks, strip-fumbles, things like that,” Baker said. “It’s another day at the office for me. I don’t give myself too many pats on the back.”

QUESTIONABLE CALLS

Odom said he questioned an official about whether Okwuegbunam’s forward progress was stopped before Campbell stripped the ball from him.

“They called it like they saw it,” Odom said. “I’ve got great trust in Southeastern Conference on the officials that we have and making the right call.”

On Missouri’s second drive, Tucker McCann’s 41-yard field goal attempt was ruled wide right. The Tigers thought it was good.

“I don’t know,” Odom said. “I mean, everybody thought it was good. The officials said it wasn’t. Must not have been.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

There isn’t much room for upward mobility for the second-ranked Bulldogs. The question is whether voters will penalize them for not dominating Missouri.

UP NEXT

Georgia: The Bulldogs return home to play Tennessee.

Missouri: The Tigers have an off week before traveling to South Carolina.

— Associated Press —

K-State gets beat 35-7 at No. 12 West Virginia

Posted on September 23, 2018

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen isn’t worried about quarterback Will Grier being overwhelmed by the attention and pressure that comes with being a Heisman Trophy candidate. Grier has thrown far too many passes. Played in far too many games. Diagnosed far too many defenses to let the hype train get in his head.

“I’m not worried about overloading him,” Holgorsen said. “He’s mature. He’s grounded. He’s comfortable on where he’s at. He knows how to handle this. He’s a professional that’s in college.”

Looks like it.

Grier and the 12th-ranked Mountaineers overcame a sluggish start to drill Kansas State 35-6 in the Big 12 opener for both teams on Saturday. The senior completed 25 of 35 passes for 356 yards with five touchdowns, three of them to David Sills, and two interceptions as West Virginia (3-0) enjoyed a rare breather against the Wildcats.

The previous four meetings between the two schools had been decided by a total of 13 points. Not this time. Once Grier and the Mountaineers got rolling late in the first half, it was over.

Grier, as he’s done since taking over the starting job at the beginning of last season, led the way. Having one of the best red zone targets in the country helps — all three of Sills’ touchdowns came on 1-yard passes — but Grier loves to go deep too. He found Marcus Simms for an 82-yard catch-and-run to open the scoring and later lofted a perfect rainbow to Tevin Bush that Bush turned into a 62-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

“Everybody looks at passing stats, but I love the way he manages a game,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said of Grier. “They allow him to call the offense so to speak and he does a marvelous job of that.”

Skylar Thompson completed 11 of 17 passes for 145 yards for Kansas State (2-2) and Alex Delton came on late with the game out of hand and finished 7 of12 for 82 yards. Delton also added 28 yards rushing but by then it was far too late for the Wildcats.

“We were just a bad offense, period,” Snyder said. “Like sandlot football for a while.”

TURNING POINT

Trailing just 7-0 midway through the second quarter and facing fourth-and-inches at the Kansas State 43, the Wildcats opted to go for it. Quarterback Skylar Thompson ran a quick option and pitched the ball to running back Alex Barnes, who was hit for a 4-yard loss .

Seven plays later, Grier found Sills for a 1-yard score to put the Mountaineers up 14-0. After forcing Kansas State to a three-and-out, West Virginia needed just 55 seconds to go 73 yards, the last one coming on a pretty grab in the back of the end zone by Sills, to make it 21-0 at the break.

When asked if he would run the same play again on fourth day again, Snyder responded simply “yes, yes, yes” before adding a not-so subtle dig at his team.

“I went in the locker room and I accepted the responsibility of being behind in the ball game at halftime with our players because there were two touchdowns following that,” Snyder said. “But I can’t coach a team that can’t get six inches on a play.”

NO COASTING

The Mountaineers kept pointing to last season’s 28-23 escape on the road against the Wildcats — when West Virginia was shut out in the second half and needed to hold on late — as proof they couldn’t afford to let up. They didn’t. Call it a byproduct of spending last weekend watching instead of playing while Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the Carolinas.

After a Kansas State field goal made it 21-3, Grier found a streaking Bush to push West Virginia’s lead to 25. The Mountaineers then converted a Kansas State fumble into another 1-yard touchdown to Sills and the blowout was on.

“I think having that week off really humbled us a little bit,” Sills said. “We were watching football last Saturday, just wishing we were out there. So, we came out for this game hungry. I think when you play good on all three sides of the ball, then that’s what the outcome looks like.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: The Wildcats have some serious issues on offense. They managed just 77 yards in the first half and didn’t cross midfield until their first possession of the third quarter. Snyder declined to name a starting quarterback for next week’s game against Texas, joking there’s a chance he might get the nod.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers seem to be more comfortable going fast than slow. Four of their five touchdown drives took less than 2 minutes.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Hosts the Longhorns next Saturday. The Wildcats have won the last five meetings with Texas at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

West Virginia: Travels to Texas Tech next Saturday. The Mountaineers have won four straight over the Red Raiders.

— Associated Press —

Western volleyball blows 2-0 lead, falls at Missouri Southern

Posted on September 23, 2018

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Western volleyball team (9-7, 2-3) ended its week on the road with a five-set loss at Missouri Southern (2-12, 2-3), Saturday afternoon. After jumping out to a comfortable 2-0 lead on the Lions, the Griffons saw leads evaporate in each of the next three sets.

NOTABLES

Missouri Western led 22-16, 23-19 and 24-23 in the third before losing the set 27-25
Southern closed the fourth on a 7-3 run to win the set 25-23 and force the fifth
After falling behind 5-2 in the fifth, the Griffons rallied to take a 10-8 lead, but three-straight MWSU attack errors tied the set. The Griffons last lead in the fifth was at 12-11. Southern led the rest of the way
It was the first loss for the Griffons in the series since 2010, snapping a streak of 15-straight wins over Missouri Southern
The Griffons are now 0-4 in five-set matches this season after going 4-0 in five last season

STATS AND LEADERS

After hitting .556 as a team in the first and .300 in the second, the Griffons hit .106, .021 and .000, respectively in the next three
Liv Winker posted her first career double-double, with a career-high 46 assists and 13 digs. She added four kills, three aces and a block
Rachel Losch matched season highs for kills (10) and blocks (6) while hitting .409
Stephanie Doak led MWSU with 19 kills
Audrey Keim led the Griffons with 15 digs

UP NEXT

A non-conference match to end a four-game road trip at Truman State (10-3), Tuesday, Sept. 25
The Griffons return home next weekend to face No. 6 Nebraska Kearney on Sept. 28 and Fort Hays State on Sept. 29
— MWSU Athletics —