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Author: Dave Riggert

MWSU women sit ninth after day one of Central Region Preview

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OLATHE, Kan. – After round one of the team’s first tournament of the season, the Missouri Western women’s golf team sits in ninth place out of the 17 teams competing in Olathe. Missouri Western finished with an overall team score of 317 and +29.

Leading the Griffons in the first round was Shi Qing Ong. Ong finished the round +4 with a score of 76. Her score places her tied for 13th out of the 90 golfers competing at the event. Ong enters this season looking to build off of her 2017 campaign, in which she won the MIAA Women’s Golf individual title.

The next Griffon on the leaderboards is Chong Yong, who shot a 79 in the round. Anna Bech shot at 80 for the Griffons.

There is a lot of room for movement along the team leaderboards. Missouri Western sits just two strokes out of seventh place, and only four strokes away from cracking into the top six.

The Griffons will begin the second round of the Central Region Preview at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Chiefs sign lineman Cam Erving to 2-year extension

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have signed offensive lineman Cam Erving to a two-year contract extension, one year after acquiring the former first-round draft pick in a trade with Cleveland.

The financial terms of the deal Tuesday were not disclosed. The Chiefs had declined the fifth-year option on Erving’s rookie contract earlier this year.

Erving was the 19th overall pick of the Browns out of Florida State in 2015, but he struggled to solidify a starting spot on the offensive line. He bounced around to multiple positions, starting 17 of the 30 games he appeared in, before getting dealt to Kansas City for a fifth-round draft pick.

He wound up starting four games and appearing in 13 for the Chiefs last season.

— Associated Press —

Royals defeat Indians for sixth consecutive win

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Francisco Lindor believes the Cleveland Indians need a spark.

Lindor homered in the ninth inning of Cleveland’s 5-1 loss Monday to the Kansas City Royals, who extended their winning streak to a season-high six games.

The Indians have lost three straight but still lead the American League Central by 14 games. Their magic number to clinch the division was trimmed to 12 after Minnesota’s loss to Houston.

“Our energy is down,” Lindor said. “I don’t [know] why. Personally, my energy is down. We’re at that point in the season where guys are dragging their feet a little. We have to go back to playing the Tribe Way and not taking any pitch for granted. We’ll be fine.”

EDITOR’S PICKS

Indians’ Donaldson back on DL with calf injury
Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam in Triple-A on Monday, soon after the Cleveland Indians put the new arrival on the disabled list to give him more time to rehab a calf injury in the minor leagues.

Jakob Junis allowed two hits in seven shutout innings and Ryan O’Hearn homered twice for Kansas City, which also has won eight of nine.

“It’s no fluke,” O’Hearn said. “Guys are going out, trying to win every day. Everyone is playing really well.”

Junis (8-12) gave up a two-out single to Lindor in the third and a leadoff single to Yonder Alonso in the fifth. The right-hander hit a batter, walked none, struck out six and retired his last nine hitters.

Junis was 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in his first two starts against the Indians this season.

“Being in the division, these teams see my slider a lot,” he said. “Using my heater more was definitely the difference.”

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Brian Flynn pitched a scoreless eighth and Wily Peralta began the ninth with a 5-0 lead. Lindor homered with one out, Michael Brantley singled, and Peralta walked Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion on eight pitches.

Left-hander Tim Hill relieved, and pinch hitter Yandy Diaz hit a hard grounder that second baseman Whit Merrifield turned into a game-ending double play. Hill recorded his second save.

“That was a great play by Whit, a great play,” manager Ned Yost said. “That’s why you bring Timmy in, to get a ground ball.”

Lindor has 30 homers this season. He joins Ramirez, who has 37 home runs, as the first pair of switch-hitting teammates in major league history to each have 30 or more homers in a season.

O’Hearn had the first multihomer game of his career. He led off the fourth with a home run and hit a two-run drive in the sixth. Jorge Bonifacio and Hunter Dozier hit solo homers.

Adam Plutko (4-5) gave up three homers and allowed four runs in six innings. The right-hander had a career-high eight strikeouts.

Kansas City took two of three from Cleveland at Kaufmann Stadium last month, and Junis made certain that trend continued. He retired the first eight batters before hitting Greg Allen with a pitch in the third. Lindor sent Allen to third with a single, but the inning ended with an out on the bases.

Lindor broke for second and was caught in a rundown when catcher Cam Gallagher threw to shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. The rundown continued until Allen finally broke for home, and Merrifield threw to Gallagher, who applied the tag.

NICE DEBUT

Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam in Triple-A on Monday after the Indians placed him on the disabled list to give him more time to rehab a calf injury in the minor leagues. Donaldson, playing for Columbus, also walked and lined out against Toledo. Donaldson, acquired from Toronto on Friday, will work out with the Indians on Tuesday and continue his rehab assignment for Double-A Akron in the Eastern League playoffs this week.

“That was good,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “It sounded like everything else went well, too, and he made all the plays.”

HEAR THE BUZZ

The Cleveland National Air Show, held at a nearby airport, ended Monday. Players and fans turned their attention to jets that flew around the ballpark in the early innings.

FEEL THE HEAT

Temperatures for the three-game series will be near 90 degrees each day, a stark contrast from the first time the Royals were in town. The game-time temperature of 32 degrees on April 8 set a Progressive Field record.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (sprained left thumb) sat out his fifth straight game, but Yost said he is improving and remains day-to-day. The six-time All-Star last played on Aug. 28 against Detroit.

UP NEXT

Royals LHP Danny Duffy (8-11, 4.72 ERA) takes on Indians RHP Mike Clevinger (10-7, 3.17 ERA) in the second game of the series. Clevinger has made three starts against Kansas City this season, going 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals blow 9th inning lead, lose to Nationals in 10

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WASHINGTON (AP) — After Bryce Harper swung into action, the St. Louis Cardinals were the ones who didn’t feel so good.

Ill for the past week, Harper hit a tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning, then delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th that sent the Washington Nationals over the Cardinals 4-3 Monday.

“I felt pretty good at the plate,” Harper said. “Body doesn’t feel very good. Just trying to grind every single day and not try and worry about it. But coughing, hacking, all that good stuff.”

Washington got back to .500 and pulled within 7 1/2 games of NL East-leading Atlanta and 3 1/2 games of Philadelphia after both lost.

The playoff-contending Cardinals have dropped three in a row for the first time since July 11-14.

The Cardinals led 3-1 with one out in the ninth when Harper hit his 31st home run, sending a 96 mph fastball from closer Bud Norris over the center field fence.

Mark Reynolds led off the Washington 10th against Chasen Shreve (1-1) with a double that went in and out of right fielder Tyler O’Neill’s glove. Pinch-runner Michael Taylor moved to third on Adam Eaton’s bunt single and an out later, Harper flied to deep left. Taylor slid in safely, well ahead of Marcell Ozuna’s throw.

“Just trying to get it in,” Harper said. “I know nobody wants to play extra innings in here. Real hot out there today, so just trying to get the run in any way possible.”

It was the second rough outing in a row for Norris, who gave up three runs and two homers in the 10th inning of Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Cincinnati.

“I pound the strike zone, and I’ve walked the both leadoff guys in situations right there and that’s not helping me,” Norris said. “It’s hard this late in the year, but I have to be better. I have to make better pitches. He hit it, so I have to give him credit for that, but I have to make better pitches and get ahead of hitters.”

St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Norris, who has converted 28 of 33 save opportunities, is unlikely to be available Tuesday after pitching on consecutive days.

“He’s done a nice job for us all year, and you have to ride though some stuff with guys occasionally,” Shildt said. “Clearly, we’ll evaluate as we go. But it just wasn’t his day the last couple of days, and I know he feels as bad as anybody in the clubhouse.”

Greg Holland (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory against the Cardinals, who designated him for assignment July 27. It was his longest outing since a two-inning appearance for Kansas City on May 12, 2015.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty went five innings, giving up a solo homer to Trea Turner in the first. He loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but coaxed Ryan Zimmerman to fly out. Flaherty struck out five and walked five.

Washington’s Max Scherzer settled in after needing 33 pitches to get through a two-run first. He eventually retired 12 in a row, a stretch halted when Yairo Munoz led off the sixth with his seventh home run.

Scherzer pitched seven innings, allowing four hits while striking out 11. It was his 15th outing with at least 10 strikeouts this season. He has a major league-leading 260 strikeouts for the year, his fifth consecutive season with at least 250.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (elbow inflammation) will come off the disabled list and start Sept. 10 against Pittsburgh, Shildt said. Wainwright (1-3, 4.00 ERA) has not started since May 13 and has made only one major league appearance since April 17. … St. Louis recalled RHP John Brebbia from Triple-A Memphis. Brebbia struck out the side while working a scoreless sixth.

Nationals: Matt Wieters (groin) struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth before remaining in the game to catch. He has not started since leaving Friday’s game and did not play Sunday.

GREAT ESCAPE

Washington reliever Justin Miller entered with the bases loaded and none out in the eighth, but induced a double play grounder on his first pitch before striking out Ozuna to end the threat.

“Normally I get myself in that situation,” Miller said of wiggling out of the jam.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (13-4, 2.96 ERA), who gave up four runs in seven innings to Washington on Aug. 13, gets the start as the three-game series continues.

Nationals: RHP Erick Fedde (1-3, 5.79), who has not pitched since leaving his July 4 start against Boston with shoulder inflammation, will come off the disabled list to face St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western soccer downs Harding for first win of season

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SEARCY, Ark. – The Missouri Western soccer team (1-1) bounced back Sunday with a 2-1 win at Harding (0-2) to split its two games at the GAC-MIAA Challenge.

Tempo had swung Harding’s way late in the first half until Ashley Mathis gave the Griffons their first goal of the season in the 42nd minute on an assist from Sara Collins. After Collins stole the ball from a defender at the goal line, she got it to Mathis for the 1-0 lead just minutes after both Griffons had entered the game. The momentum swing in Missouri Western’s favor played through halftime.

Just 2:39 in to the second half, Cassidy Menke padded her Missouri Western career goals lead with an unassisted goal through the middle of the Harding defense in the 48th minute. Menke’s 25th career goal turned into the game winner after Harding scored on a penalty kick in the 67th minute.

After being out-shot 14-5 in the first half, the Griffons took nine shots in the second, four on goal and held Harding to nine. Menke had three of the team’s shots, just the one on goal. Kelsey Roe took a pair and looked to have scored MWSU’s third goal of the game off a Mackenzie O’Neill corner kick in the 86th minute. Roe got a shot past the Harding goal keeper that was blocked right at the line by a Lady Bisons defender.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western goes north next weekend for a pair of games in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Griffons play at Augustana (0-1-1) on Friday, Sept. 7 and at Sioux Falls (0-1) on Sunday, Sept. 9.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals complete sweep of Orioles with 9-1 win Sunday

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Meibrys Viloria trotted into the dugout after the sixth inning Sunday, and Royals manager Ned Yost told his recently recalled rookie catcher to help get pitcher Jorge Lopez through one more inning.

So when Viloria headed to the bench after the seventh, that task successfully complete, he plopped down and began to relax. Puzzled, Yost looked at him and asked, “What are you doing?”

“You said,” Viloria replied, “get him through one more inning.”

Yost didn’t mean Viloria’s day was done, though. And when he went to bat in the eighth, Viloria came through with his first big league hit, a two-run double that put a nice cap on a game Lopez and the Royals dominated. The 9-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles wrapped up a three-game sweep of the only team in the majors with a worse record than Kansas City’s own.

“It feels great,” said Lopez, who allowed Jonathan Villar’s home run in the first inning but little else while striking out a career-high eight. “The defense was good and the offense has been hot.”

As for Viloria, the kid behind the plate who had just arrived from Class-A Wilmington?

“That kid’s something special,” Lopez said. “Communication, the game plan, we were right on it.”

It was the first win for Lopez, who was part of the late-July deal with Milwaukee for third baseman Mike Moustakas, since Sept. 29, 2015, when he was still with the Brewers.

“That’s why he was so well-thought-of and sought-after in trade,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “The things David (Hess) has done when he’s successful, that young man did today.”

Alcides Escobar also had three hits and an RBI as Kansas City piled up 14 hits, its sixth straight game with at least 10 and the longest such streak since June 24-29, 2016.

Most of the damage came against Hess (3-9), who allowed five runs on nine hits and a trio of errors — all of which came after the Baltimore pitcher’s own mistakes during a dreadful third inning.

The first error came with nobody out, when Hess threw the ball away trying to pick Merrifield off first base. Then, with two down, Hess tried to chase Jorge Bonifacio back to second and the ball squirreled away again. Bonifacio headed for third and second baseman Breyvic Valera tried to throw him out there, but the ball bounced away for yet another error that allowed Bonifacio to score.

“The toughest thing is giving them extra bases and extra outs to work with,” Hess said. “That’s something that I’ve prided myself on throughout the minor leagues and up here as well. I’ve been able to field my position well and do what we need to do to keep guys honest out there.

“I mean, they beat me at that today,” he said. “It’s something that we’re going to learn from.”

STATS AND STREAKS

The Royals have won five straight, all in come-from-behind fashion, their best stretch since July 19-28, 2017. … Merrifield reached base for a career-best 22nd straight game. He also stole his 30th base, matching Seattle’s Dee Gordon for the AL lead. … The Orioles were swept for the third time in four series. … Baltimore has lost seven straight road games.

FIRST PITCH

Royals vice president Mike Swanson threw out the ceremonial first pitch to honor his 40 years in baseball. Swanson’s mother, Betty, spent nearly four decades working for the Royals and Chiefs, while her son has worked for the Rockies, Padres and Diamondbacks along with his time in Kansas City.

CLOSER CONCERNS

Showalter said he will try several options in the closer role after Mychael Givens blew another save Saturday night. “You’ve got to get people out, and pitch when you’re asked and take advantage of the opportunity,” Showalter said, “including Mike and some other guys.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Pedro Araujo (right elbow strain) will not pitch again this season. He’s been on the DL since June 11. “He’s going to be fine, I think, for next year,” Showalter said, “but I don’t think he’ll pitch in September. I don’t see any of the feedback that fits that scenario.”

Royals: OF Jorge Soler (fractured left toe) experienced a setback in his rehab and will likely shut down for the remainder of the season, Yost said. Soler went on the DL on June 16, when he was hitting .265 with nine homers and 28 RBI.

UP NEXT

The Orioles head to Seattle for three games beginning Monday night, when LHP Josh Rogers (1-0, 5.40 ERA) is on the mound. The Royals begin a trip to Cleveland and Minnesota with RHP Jakob Junis (7-12, 4.53) taking the hill against the Indians on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis drops series finale to Reds in 10 innings

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Eugenio Suarez reached the 100-RBI milestone for the first time in style.

Suarez’s two-run homer off of Bud Norris in the 10th inning lifted the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The blast gave Suarez RBI 99 and 100 this season. His previous RBI high was 82 in 2017.

“For me to hit that homer and my 100th RBI, that’s special,” Suarez said. “That’s what I always dreamed of and today I can tell my dreams come true.”

Suarez got locked in after spinning away from a Norris fastball two pitches earlier.

“He threw that 95 mile per hour fastball right at my face and then I said, `Now where you want to throw it to me,” Suarez said. “I just wanted to be ready that at-bat. I know how they try to get me out. I put my bat barrel on it and hit it well and the ball went out.”

After Suarez’s career-high 31st of the season, Brandon Dixon hit a solo homer four pitches later as the Reds hit back-to-back homers for the fifth time this season, the sixth and seventh home runs given up by Norris (3-4).

They came right after Michael Lorenzen (2-1) pitched out a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the ninth without giving up a run to send the game to extra innings. Raisel Iglesias earned his 25th save in 29 chances despite allowing a run for the fourth time in his last five outings.

“Your nervous system hits a different gear,” Lorenzen said. “It was definitely a different gear and it feels good to come out on top and with Suarez hitting that home run. It just felt like we’re leaving feeling really good about ourselves right now so it’s a positive.”

Lorenzen’s escape act was even more impressive considering it came against the Cardinals three, four and five hitters.

“Give credit to them and they got out of it and we weren’t able to execute,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Our situational hitting wasn’t where we want it tonight, but it has been a strength of our club and we expect it to continue to be a strength of our club. You can’t overreact to one, two, three at bats.”

The Reds won for just the third time in their last 11 games, including the last two against the Cardinals, snapping their series winning streak at 10. St. Louis (76-61) fell a half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers into the second wild card spot in the National League.

Billy Hamilton sparked a two-run first inning with a leadoff double. Scooter Gennett’s single scored Hamilton and Joey Votto took home on a Luke Weaver wild pitch.

Weaver, making his first start since Aug. 16, needed 40 pitches to get through the first. He also pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the second before settling in and being lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fourth.

“I think early it was just trying to find that rhythm, trying to sync everything up, just a little hot out there, just trying to gather myself,” Weaver said. “I threw some pitches they were close, I just kept hitting in the wrong spots that he wasn’t calling. It was just trying to make those adjustments.”

Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani ran into trouble in the fourth, giving up an RBI double to Harrison Bader and an RBI bunt single to Greg Garcia to tie it at 2-2. His 3 2/3 inning performance was his shortest outing since July 15, when he last just 3 1/3 innings in a 6-4 loss to the Cardinals also at Busch Stadium.

Hamilton used his speed to stretch a leadoff single to right into a double in the seventh. He moved to third on a Jose Peraza sacrifice and trotted home to break a 2-2 tie on a Votto fly to center.

Bader used his legs to tie it for the Cardinals in the eighth, beating out a slow grounder to short for a bases loaded infield single to tie it 3-3.

“They get bases loaded nobody out, they got to figure `Hey we’ve got to win this game right here,’ and you know we’ve been on the other end of that a few times and today that’s one where they legitimately go home and say we’ve got to win that game,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said.

TRAINING ROOM

Reds: OF Preston Tucker was traded to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen on Sunday and is expected to go out on a rehab assignment this week.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Matt Harvey (6-7, 4.97 ERA) gets the start in the first game of three-game series Monday afternoon at Pittsburgh and RHP Trevor Williams (11-9, 3.30 ERA). Harvey is 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA against the Pirates this season.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (8-6, 2.87 ERA) kicks off a three-game series at Washington and St. Louisan RHP Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.22 ERA) on Monday afternoon. Flaherty has won four straight decisions and will make his first career start against the Nationals.

— Associated Press —

No. 21 Griffons fall to No. 8 SW Minnesota State & No. 14 Central Missouri

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DENVER, Colo. – The 21st ranked Missouri Western volleyball team (5-3) looked to be headed for a 3rd place finish in the Gold Bracket at the Colorado Premier Challenge, but No. 14 Central Missouri (6-2) spoiled the party.

After being swept in the Gold semifinals by No. 8 Southwest Minnesota (5-2), Missouri Western jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Central Missouri before surrendering three straight sets to its MIAA rivals. On the day, Missouri Western hit .149 with its opponents hitting .294. Ali Tauchen and Stephanie Doak each had 27 kills to pace the team. Tauchen added three total blocks to score 28.5 points for MWSU. Doak scored 28. Rachel Losch had a team-high six total blocks. Lauren Murphy had 80 assists and Audrey Keim had 43 digs.

GOLD BRACKET SEMIFINALS
#8 Southwest Minnesota 3, #21 Missouri Western 0 (17-25, 9-25, 22-25)
The Griffons fell victim to maybe the hottest team in the Colorado Premier Challenge field in their first match of the day. Southwest Minnesota held Missouri Western to a .071 hitting percentage in the match and hit .317 itself. Missouri Western looked like it would push the match to a fourth set after taking a 19-15 lead in the third, but the Mustangs answered with a 6-0 run to jump on top 21-19. Missouri Western tied it at 21, but managed just one more point as Southwest Minnesota clinched the sweep with a 25-22 set win.

GOLD BRACKET 3RD PLACE MATCH
#14 Central Missouri 3, #21 Missouri Western 0 (25-21, 26-24, 17-25, 25-27, 6-15)
Missouri Western used some runs to come from behind and claim each of the first two sets. Down 14-8 in the first, MWSU went on a tear to take a 19-17 lead it never surrendered. Tied at 21, Missouri Western scored the final four points to take the set. Missouri Western fell behind again in the second set, 5-0 from the get-go, but slowly chipped away to eventually pull close. A 5-0 spurt late put the Griffons up 22-19, before having to hang on for a 26-24 win. The Griffons hit. 255 in the first and .265 in the second, but dropped to .028 in the third and hit .000 in the fifth. Three Griffons hit double-digit kills in the match. Doak led the team with 19. Tauchen had 18 and Shellby Taylor added 10. Audrey Keim had a career-high 34 digs in the match.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western stays on the road next weekend with a trip to the 2018 Jet Classic hosted by Newman University. The Griffons will play Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday, Sept. 7 and Newman and St. Edward’s on Saturday, Sept. 8.

— MWSU Athletics —

Lock leads Missouri to rout of UT Martin

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — When Drew Lock found out in December that Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel was leaving to become the head coach at Central Florida, Lock considered following him out the door and declaring for the NFL draft. The quarterback ultimately decided to return for his senior season.

Judging by the smile Lock wore after Missouri’s 51-14 season-opening victory over Tennessee-Martin, he is happy with his decision. Lock completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns in his first game under new offensive coordinator Derek Dooley.

“For him being a first-time play caller, he did great,” Lock said of Dooley. “He knew when to press the tempo. He knew when to slow it down.”

Last year, Missouri ranked eighth nationally in total offense and Lock threw 44 touchdown passes — a Southeastern Conference record. Heupel’s offense used a frantic pace to limit opponents’ ability to adjust or substitute, but it also limited Missouri’s ability to use different formations and personnel.

Dooley has slowed the pace a bit. Against UT Martin, Missouri frequently used a double-tight end formation that allowed Albert Okwuegbunam and Kendall Blanton to play together. At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Okwuegbunam sometimes split out wide.

“People are going to have to prep for a lot of different formations against us,” Lock said. “It’s going to be different. We’re not just playing fast with similar formations where people can time up our stuff.”

One thing that hasn’t changed for Missouri is wide receiver Emanuel Hall’s ability to get behind defensive backs. He caught four passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

A bright spot for the Skyhawks, an FCS program, was the play of their run defense. They held Missouri to 3.7 yards per carry. Linebacker James Gilleylen had three tackles for loss. But that commitment to stopping the run came at a price.

“We’re not a man coverage team, but you saw us have to play it to get enough in the box in order to stop the run, and then the ball’s 60 yards down the field and they run past us,” UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said. “We’re not the only ones they do that to. They’ve done it for the last couple of years.”

The Skyhawks managed 277 total yards. Jamiee Bowe scored on a 1-yard run with 9:34 left in the second quarter. In the third quarter, LaDarius Galloway slipped out the backfield unnoticed and caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Dresser Winn. Winn completed 15 of 24 passes for 168 yards.

Missouri led 38-7 at halftime. Lock exited the game after the first series of the third quarter but not before he passed Brad Smith into second place on Missouri’s career passing list. With 8,984 yards, Lock now trails only Chase Daniel, who had 12,515 yards from 2005-08.

THE TAKEAWAY

Missouri: Two true freshman wide receivers made big plays that suggested they might be significant contributors this season. On Lock’s final pass, Kam Scott made a leaping catch and stepped out of a tackle on his way to a 70-yard touchdown.

“He did a fantastic job adjusting to the ball, went up and high-pointed it,” Lock said. “He looked like a creature out there.”

Jalen Knox outjumped a defender and hauled in a 38-yard pass from backup QB Taylor Powell in the third quarter.

UT Martin: The Skyhawks dropped to 1-25 all-time against FBS opponents, but their coach said the players remain eager to play against the best competition.

“Every one of them would still line up and do it again,” Simpson said. “That’s the largest group, biggest crowd they’re going to play against this year.”

A TREE GROWS

Last year, Hall caught 33 passes for 817 yards — an average of 24.8 per reception. In the preseason, he spoke of becoming a more complete player who is a threat running every branch of a wide receiver’s route tree.

“If he can walk away from a game with four catches for 171 yards, I’ll take that route tree every time,” Missouri coach Barry Odom said. “I don’t think anyone in our program has taken more positive steps as a total player. I don’t think anyone’s done as good a job as Emanuel Hall has. He’s become more of a complete receiver.”

INJURY REPORT

Missouri escaped the season opener mostly unscathed. Kevin Pendleton, the regular starter at left guard, suffered a sprained knee in practice last week and didn’t suit up. Odom said he should return to practice this week. Starting safety Khalil Oliver left the game with a sprained ankle, but Odom said he might have been able to return if the score was closer.

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers will play host to Wyoming.

UT Martin: The Skyhawks will visit Middle Tennessee State.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State scores two late TDs, edges South Dakota 27-24

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Saturday night’s game was not going the way most Kansas State fans, players and coaches had anticipated. Fans were booing the offense and making a quick exit, not just in fear of seeing a season-opening upset, but mostly in sheer disgust at the way things were going.

Then Isiah Zuber’s late punt return changed everything, sparking a two-touchdown fourth quarter and a 27-24 Kansas State victory over South Dakota.

After struggling to gain any footing for a majority of the game, the Kansas State offense seemed to have hit rock bottom as South Dakota punted the ball away early in the fourth quarter to Zuber, who returned it 85 yards for a touchdown to pull the Wildcats to 24-19. The score woke up a sleepy and agitated Bill Snyder Family Stadium, which saw fans head toward the exits just minutes before Zuber’s punt return.

However, Zuber was not done making plays.

After Kansas State forced the Coyotes to another punt, Skylar Thompson connected with Zuber for a 10-yard touchdown pass and the game-winning score with 7:21 remaining.

Zuber led the Wildcats in receiving with five catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.

Although the Wildcats picked up their first victory of the season, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder was not happy afterward describing his emotions.

“Well I am, you know all of them,” Snyder said. Angered, disappointed, etc. But it goes back again, well, we can say all we want about anything but I just don’t have them prepared to play. If they were ready to play the way we wanted them to, which is my responsibility, we would have probably fared a little bit better than what we did.”

South Dakota, which had led for a majority of the game, was given new life with just 50 seconds left after forcing an Alex Barnes’ fumble deep in Coyote territory.

The Coyotes drove down the field and set up for what would have been a game-tying field goal, but Mason Lorber missed a 51-yard attempt as time expired.

“Unfortunately, we had the ball and with a little bit of a breeze we wanted to get it down around the 25-yard line and try to get a field goal attempts in the low forties,” Coyotes coach Bob Nielson said.

“We had a play call to run one of those hitch routes and take a timeout. Then we had the false start penalty and we were really on the far outside of the goal. He (Mason) has made them in practice, he obviously did not hit that one very good.”

South Dakota’s Austin Simmons was 24-of-56 passing for 257 yards and a touchdown.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: With new coordinators on both sides of the ball, it would be expected the Wildcats would have some struggles, but the only positives on the night were out of kicker Blake Lynch and Zuber. Both Thompson and Alex Delton had ample opportunities to make their claim for the starting quarterback job, but neither could gain any ground by the end of the game.

South Dakota: The Coyotes were not able to come up with a win over an FBS opponent for the second straight season, but one solid takeaway is how well the Coyotes were in control for much of the game. They did a great job limiting the Kansas State offense for three quarters and had many Kansas State fans, players and coaches frustrated throughout the night.

TURNOVER WOES

One of the more surprising events of the evening was Kansas State running back Alex Barnes struggling to hold on to the football. He coughed it up three times, the last time while the Wildcats were attempting to ice the ballgame. Snyder said he had never seen Barnes fumble this many times.

BAD CATS

For the first time since 2016 against Florida Atlantic, the Wildcats went over 100 yards in penalties. Whether they be of the drive-killing variety on offense or saving a South Dakota drive, Kansas State was not their usually disciplined selves and that could loom troublesome with No. 18 Mississippi State coming into town next week.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kansas State’s calling card for years has been in the special teams and tonight was no exception. Four made field goals by Blake Lynch and a punt return for a touchdown by Isaiah Zuber were the difference against South Dakota.

Meanwhile, South Dakota missed two field goals, including the game winner, and also gave up a punt return for a touchdown.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

In his first career start, Kansas State kicker Blake Lynch netted four field goals from 22, 24, 38 and 44 yards as well as an extra point.

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts Mississippi State on Saturday.

South Dakota hosts Northern Colorado on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

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