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Category: College

Mizzou’s Johnson named SEC Freshman of the Week

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football redshirt freshman Johnathon Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) has been named SEC Freshman of the Week following an electrifying performance last Saturday in a 61-21 win over Eastern Michigan, the league announced Monday. Johnson finished with 210 all-purpose yards with a pair of touchdowns and became the first Football Bowl Subdivision player with a punt return touchdown, receiving touchdown and 100 receiving yards in an FBS game since 2001, according to data from Sports-Reference.com.

Johnson took a punt to the house for a 54-yard score in the second quarter, marking Mizzou’s first punt return touchdown since Marcus Murphy in 2014 at Florida (Oct. 18). It was Mizzou’s first special teams touchdown since Aarion Penton returned a blocked punt for a score in Mizzou’s season opener against SEMO last season.

While the punt return was an exciting play, it was not the most electric play made by Johnson on the night. In fact, on Mizzou’s seventh drive, Johnson took a screen pass from Lock and blazed 87 yards to a touchdown, the middle of a three-TD flurry for Mizzou that spanned just 1:19 of game time to close a 19-point second quarter. The 87-yard strike was Mizzou’s longest passing play from scrimmage since L’Damian Washington scored a 96-yard TD against South Carolina in 2013.

Johnson’s 210 all-purpose yards last Saturday were just 17 shy of cracking the all-time top-25 at Mizzou.

Mizzou Football returns to The Zou this Saturday (Sept. 17) to face No. 13/16 Georgia at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 1550 AM.

— Mizzou Athletics —

MIAA hands out weekly football honors

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riggertMIAAKansas City, Mo. – Northeastern State’s Dimonic McKinzy has been named the MIAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week with Pittsburg State’s Spencer Brown being named the Defensive Athlete of the Week. Central Missouri kicker Billy Greco has been named the MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

MIAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week
Dimonic McKinzy, QB, Northeastern State

McKinzy became the only quarterback in the MIAA with more than three touchdown passes in a game this season when his five TD throws led NSU to a thrilling 35-31 come-from-behind victory over Lindenwood. The sophomore was 23-for-47 passing for 300 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also led the RiverHawks in rushing with 38 yards on 10 carries. Northeastern State trailed 31-21 with 5:30 left in the game, but McKinzy led the RiverHawks on two late TD drives that amassed 181 yards in just 3:09. The final game-winning drive went 98 yards in just 1:38 and was capped by a 17-yard TD pass to Gary McKnight with just 33 seconds remaining on the clock. The 6-0 sophomore quarterback is a native of Kansas City, Mo. where he competed at Wyandotte High School prior to playing one season at Hutchinson Community College.

MIAA Football Defensive Athlete of the Week
Spencer Brown, LB, Pittsburg State

Brown tipped and intercepted a pass that he returned 25 yards for the game-clinching touchdown with 1:30 to play in the game as Pitt State scored a 45-31 road win over Central Oklahoma Thursday (Sept. 8). The Gorillas led 37-31 when Brown made his clinching play. The Lees Summit, Mo., native made a game-high nine tackles including key stops in the fourth quarter as Pitt State limited UCO to 50 total yards in the final period to allow the Gorillas to finally overtake the Bronchos. Pitt State forced UCO into three turnovers in the contest. The 6-0 senior linebacker is a native of Lee’s Summit, Mo. where he competed at Lee’s Summit West High School.
Missouri Western.

MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Billy Greco, K, Central Missouri

Greco went 4-for-4 in PAT attempts and connected on both of his field goal attempts as the Mules beat Fort Hays State 34-17. The Papillion, Neb. native had field goals of 23 and 26 yards. He now has 19 made field goals in his career, moving him in to a tie for eighth most in a career at UCM. He also moved in to eighth place all-time at UCM in scoring for a kicker with 108 points. The 5-10 sophomore kicker is a native of Papillion, Neb. where he competed at Papillion-La Vista South High School.

— MIAA Press Release —

Nebraska’s Gerry named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week

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riggertNebraskaNebraska senior safety Nathan Gerry was honored for his performance against Wyoming, as he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Monday morning.

Gerry’s return sparked the Blackshirts to six turnovers against the Cowboys in Nebraska’s 52-17 win. The senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., finished with a pair of interceptions, a team-high seven tackles, including a TFL, and a pass breakup. The six turnovers forced by the Blackshirts – all coming in the second half – led directly to 28 Husker points, and marked the most turnovers forced by the Huskers since the 2010 season.

With his two interceptions – the first multi-interception game of his career – he moved into the top-five of NU’s career interceptions list, while he also became the fifth defensive back in program history to record 200 career tackles.

Monday marked the first time that Gerry, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, has won the conference’s weekly honor.

The Huskers return to action on Saturday, as they host No. 22 Oregon in the 350th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the ABC nationally televised broadcast is set for 2:30 p.m. (central).

— NU Athletics —

MWSU soccer earns 1-0 OT win over Minnesota-Crookston

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riggertMissouriWesternST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western soccer team had chance after chance after chance. It just took the team 96 minutes to take advantage of one of them.

Cassidy Menke’s goal off a rebound in the sixth minute of overtime was Missouri Western’s only goal, and the only one her team needed in a 1-0 overtime win over Minnesota Crookston on Sunday afternoon. Missouri Western, again, dominated the action. The Griffons ended the contest with a 24-3 shot advantage, 11-2 for shots on frame. Missouri Western just couldn’t find the back of the net until Ashlyn Powers took a shot from the right wing that deflected off Minnesota Crookston goalkeeper Olivia Puttin’s diving hand, right to Menke, who hesitated then rolled one in from inside the box for the win.

Lexie Martin earned her second career victory in goal for the Griffons, moving to 2-0 on the season with her first career shutout. Martin’s back line stepped up and limited Minnesota Crookston to just two shots on goal and Martin did her part by saving both. Menke led the Griffons in shots with six, three coming on goal. Maddy Cowell took five shots with one on goal. Powers had four shots with three on goal.

The Griffons improved to 3-1 in the season and will move later this week into conference opponents, though the games will not count toward the MIAA standings. Missouri Western travels to Northwest Missouri Stat, Friday for a non-conference tilt, then it’s across Missouri for the Griffons to Lindenwood on Sunday.

— MWSU Athletics —

Griffons move to 2-0 with dominate win at Missouri Southern

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MWSUJOPLIN, Mo. – The opponent and location were different, but the script was much the same as week one as the Missouri Western football team defeated Missouri Southern 51-14 on Saturday night. It was the Griffons’ fourth-straight win in Joplin and the largest margin of victory in Joplin for the Griffons in the 47-year history of the rivalry.

For the second straight game, Missouri Western dominated the ground game, out rushing Missouri Southern 262 yards to 30. The Griffon offense totaled 525 yards and limited Missouri Southern to 284. The 51 points in Joplin combined with the 44 scored last week are the most points for a Griffon Football team through the first two weeks since scoring 117 combined against Mesa State and Lincoln in 2010.

Skyler Windmiller had one of his best games in a Griffon uniform, completing 83-percent of his passes (15-18) for 229 yards and two touchdowns. The junior signal caller also rushed 10 times for 47 yards and two touchdowns. Much like last week, Windmiller spread the football around, completing passes to eight different Griffons, nine total caught passes on the night. Brock Broughton and Terry Jackson Jr. caught the touchdown passes. Broughton led the Griffons in receiving yards with 83. Patrick Bolton led the team with four receptions for 46 yards.

On the ground, Josh Caldwell led the way again, rushing 12 times for 92 yards and a touchdown. Kendall Short carried it 16 times for 77 yards and Derek Gray added his second career touchdown on six carries for 24 yards.

Missouri Western overcame three first half turnovers to take a 28-6 lead to halftime. The Griffons also once again won despite some special teams hiccups. Missouri Southern blocked a Griffon punt for a safety. Dijuan Ussery also fumbled on a kick return and the Griffons missed their third field goal of the season.

The win sets up the game of the week in the MIAA next Saturday as the Griffons host Central Missouri at 6 p.m. in St. Joseph. The Griffons and Mules are both 2-0 with Central Missouri ranked No. 16 in last week’s AFCA poll and No. 8 in the D2Football.com poll. It’s Family Weekend and Military Appreciation night at Spratt Memorial Stadium.

— MWSU Athletics —

Lock leads Missouri past Eastern Michigan 61-21

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riggertMissouriCOLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Saturday morning, Missouri coach Barry Odom woke up to a text message informing him of something he did not know; since 1957, only one Missouri coach-Bob Stull in 1989-won in their home debut.

Make that two.

Drew Lock tied a school-record with five touchdown passes as Missouri ran away with its home opener, defeating Eastern Michigan 61-21 Saturday.

Odom, who was a linebacker for Missouri from 1996-99, discussed the surreal nature of earning his first home win as coach of his alma mater.

“It got to me a little bit tonight. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t…I feel the responsibility to do it right, because there are so many people that have worked so hard to put this program where it is.”

Lock completed 24 of 37 pass attempts for 450 yards, only 30 yards shy of the school record.

“He did some really good things tonight,” Odom said of Lock. “He is doing a great job of running our offense, and things are slowing down tremendously for him. I think he will continue to grow by learning from his mistakes, while learning from the good things he does as well.”

The Tigers (1-1) amassed 647 yards of total offense, the most since Sept. 17, 2011. Running backs Demarea Crockett and Ish Witter combined for 25 rushes, 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Ray Wingo led Missouri in receiving yards with 125 on just three catches, one of which was a 52-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. Johnathon Johnson caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Emmanuel Hall had three catches for 90 yards.

“Their passing attack proved to be too strong,” said Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton, who is now 4-22 in three seasons with the school. “The long balls, and even just the quick game, would eat up yards. They did a really good job of that.

“We just got run by on some of those long balls, and some well-placed balls, and some speed and size at receiver that we just weren’t able to combat.”

On the final play of the first quarter, Johnson bobbled a high-arcing punt near midfield, but recovered and took it 54 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 210 all-purpose yards.

“It was scramble mode,” Johnson said of the circus play. “I had to pick it back up. I knew I had muffed it, so I was just trying to get it back up, and I just cut it across the field.”

Odom said he’s seen this type of playmaking ability from Johnson before.

“The things he did on the field tonight, he does in practice on Tuesday’s and Wednesdays. It’s important to him that he is a total package player, having the ability to not only play out wide, but to return punts and block. He is only going to get better.”

Eastern Michigan quarterback Todd Porter was 23 of 45 for 287 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed 13 times for 46 yards and one touchdown.

The Eagles (1-1) struggled offensively, especially in the first half. Their first seven drives consisted of five punts, an interception and a 1-yard touchdown run. They converted 11 of 21 third down attempts and were 0 for 1 on fourth down.

Missouri cornerback Aarion Penton broke up three passes, made two tackles and had an interception, but left the game with a sprained shoulder and did not return.

Eastern Michigan cornerback Juan Giraldo was ejected early in the fourth quarter for a targeting hit on Missouri receiver Keyon Dilosa.

TAKEAWAYS

Missouri: In a 26-11 loss at West Virginia last week, Missouri’s offense ran 100 plays, more than any team in the nation. That tempo slowed somewhat Saturday, as the Tigers ran 78 plays. However, they nearly doubled their average yards per play, from 4.6 against West Virginia to 8.3 against the Eagles, and scored the most points since a 62-10 win against Southeast Louisiana Sept. 1, 2012.

Eastern Michigan: Starting running back Shaq Vann was limited to just one carry for 10 yards. Vann injured his shoulder early in the first quarter and did not return. Ian Eriksen became the Eagles’ primary ball carrier with Vann on the sidelines, rushing 23 times for 90 yards and a touchdown.

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers host Georgia (2-0) next Saturday night. The Bulldogs defeated Missouri 10-9 last season in Athens.

Eastern Michigan: The Eagles travel to UNC Charlotte (1-1) next Saturday in the first meeting between the schools. The 49ers football program began in 2013.

— Associated Press —

Kansas gets beat at home by Ohio 37-21

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riggertKULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ohio’s Greg Windham played like a fifth-year senior rather than a quarterback making just his second career start, though Kansas certainly did everything it could to help him out.

Two fumbled punt returns. Inopportune penalties. An interception. A safety.

The result was a 37-21 victory for the Bobcats on Saturday that went a long way toward erasing the memory of a triple-overtime defeat to Texas State in their season opener.

“I’m proud of our guys the way they came back,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said. “I thought it showed our resolve. They practiced well this past week. I think the signs were there that they were going to have an opportunity to play well, and to play to our potential hopefully.”

Windham threw for 167 yards and a touchdown while running for 146 and another score. Dorian Brown added 122 yards rushing, Louie Zervos was 5-for-5 on field goals, and Papi White and Mason Morgan scored against a Kansas team coming off its first win in more than a year.

LaQuvionte Gonzalez had a 99-yard kickoff return for the Jayhawks (1-1), but he also muffed those two punt returns. Montell Cozart threw for 198 yards and hit Steven Sims Jr. for a pair of TDs, but the dual-threat quarterback also struggled to deal with constant pressure.

“Offensively we have to do a better job early in the game to help our defense out,” Kansas coach David Beaty said. “The defense, every time I looked up, they were out there.”

The Bobcats blitzed to a 25-0 lead and led 28-7 after a first half as lopsided as they come: They had a 359-21 edge in offense, 18 first downs to one, and controlled the ball for 22 minutes, 56 seconds.

“We just couldn’t get off the field,” Jayhawks safety Fish Smithson said. “It doesn’t matter how long we were out there, we still have to get stops.”

The Jayhawks still managed to make it interesting.

Cozart connected with Sims on a 74-yard touchdown pass on the second play out of the locker room, and then hit Sims from 22 yards out a few minutes later to trim a 28-7 halftime lead to 31-21.

But an Ohio defense that allowed 630 yards to Texas State held the Jayhawks to three straight punts, deflating a crowd that began to dwindle. And Windham showed the poise of a fifth-year senior rather than a quarterback making his second career start, scrambling for a crucial first down midway through the fourth quarter that kept the clock moving and the Kansas offense on the sideline.

“I feel like we have a run game,” Solich said, “and if you have a run game you have a chance.”

The outcome at Memorial Stadium was nothing new for Solich, who went 6-0 against the Jayhawks when he was with former Big 12 rival Nebraska. But it was all-too-familiar for Beaty, who hoped to build on a win over Rhode Island last week that ended the Jayhawks’ 15-game losing streak.

“We are still in that process of building this program,” he said. “We’ve talked to them until we’re blue in the face, one win doesn’t make you special. You have to go back to what got you there.”

STAT DISPARITY

Ohio had the ball for 43:38 while Kansas had it for 13:56, a massive disparity in time of possession. The Bobcats also went 6 for 7 in the red zone while the Jayhawks failed to drive inside the 20.

JAYHAWKS’ HURT WING

Cozart took a shot along the sideline late in the game, hurting his shoulder. Cozart said he could have returned to the game while Beaty said he was being cautious by turning to Ryan Willis. “I didn’t want to take a chance on it,” Beaty said, “because I saw the way he fell.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Ohio: The Bobcats ran for 329 yards without top running back A.J. Ouellette, who hurt his foot the previous week. He was on crutches when the captains went on the field for the coin toss.

Kansas: The Jayhawks were 0 for 8 on third down, failed to pick up both fourth downs, which in turn kept their defense on the field far too long. They were ultimately gassed by the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Ohio: Tries to beat another power-five opponent when it visits Tennessee on Saturday.

Kansas: Heads to Memphis on Saturday to face a team that beat the Jayhawks 55-23 a year ago.

— Associated Press —

Huskers capitalize on 6 Wyoming turnovers in a 52-17 rout

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riggertNebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bring on Oregon.

Nebraska tuned up for the No. 24 Ducks with a 52-17 victory over Wyoming, which trailed by seven points late in the third quarter but saw the game get out of control because of Josh Allen’s six turnovers, all in the second half Saturday.

Now a Nebraska program trying to regain national relevance can turn its full attention to one of the most anticipated games in Lincoln in years.

“Oregon, they’re no joke,” said Jordan Westerkamp, who caught two of Tommy Armstrong Jr.’s three touchdown passes and had 105 yards on four receptions. “They’re a top program in the entire nation. This will be our first big test. We have to take them extremely serious and have a great week of practice because they’re going to come ready to play.

“If we can get a win against Oregon, that’ll be huge for our program. On a national level, just beating a team like that should propel us forward in a lot of people’s minds.”

Nebraska (2-0), which ran on 51 of 64 plays in last week’s 43-10 win over Fresno State, relied on the pass against Wyoming (1-1). Armstrong was 20 of 34 for 377 yards, and the Huskers finished with 412 yards through the air after backup Ryker Fyfe played the last two series.

Armstrong set the school career record for touchdown passes, with his 57th coming on a 9-yard pass to Westerkamp in the fourth quarter. The fourth-year starting QB was presented the game ball in the locker room for his accomplishment.

“I couldn’t do it without those guys,” Armstrong said. “They did a great job making plays — a bunch of catches and yards after contact. We have a lot of season left, and I’m excited about those guys out wide.”

Six of Wyoming’s last seven second-half possessions ended with turnovers — five interceptions and a bad lateral by Allen that was counted as a fumble — and the Huskers scored 28 points in the fourth quarter.

“There was a tipping point in the game, and sometimes they get away from you. That one did,” Cowboys coach Craig Bohl said. “I don’t know where the exact tipping point was, but it was after one of those interceptions. The score started getting tough.”

Kieron Williams ran back an interception 23 yards for a touchdown, and Nate Gerry picked off two passes.

“I think it’s great to be 2-0 going into this game,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. “The more you win, the more exciting the next game gets. This one, being who they are and what they mean nationally and where we want to go, this is exciting.”

THE TAKEAWAY

WYOMING: The Cowboys hung with the Huskers for three quarters, but there was no way Wyoming was going to survive six turnovers — all in the second half. Allen did show flashes, like when he rolled right and threw a perfect strike on a 35-yard pass to Gentry for touchdown on a fourth-and-12 late in the first half.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers put up some big offensive numbers, but they struggled again with personal fouls and other penalties, which could come back to bite them against better opponents. The defense shut down Wyoming star running back Brian Hill — good preparation for Oregon’s Royce Freeman next week.

KEY NUMBERS

WYOMING: Gentry had seven catches for 124 yards with one touchdown and now has five career 100-yard games, including two straight.

NEBRASKA: Alonzo Moore had three catches for a career-high 109 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown. The Huskers’ five interceptions were the most since they picked off five passes against Idaho in 2010.

UP NEXT

WYOMING: The Cowboys return home to play UC Davis of the FCS Big Sky Conference for the first time. The teams have a one-game contract, with Wyoming paying a $400,000 guarantee.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers’ game against Oregon is especially meaningful to Riley, the former Oregon State coach who was 4-10 against the Ducks with his usually-outmanned Beaver teams (1997-98, 2003-14).

LAST WORD

“We went into the fourth quarter down seven. It was within reach. It just didn’t happen… Everyone’s hurting. I’m hurting. I take this one completely on myself. I didn’t put our team in a position to win,” Allen said.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western volleyball splits two home matches Friday

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riggertMissouriWesternGame One
ST.  JOSEPH – The Missouri Western Volleyball team swept Oklahoma Baptist 3-0 (25-21 25-15 25-12) to open the Gold & Green Challenge at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons fought off 8 straight Bison points in the first set before finishing on a 6-2 run to win the opening set.  Rachel Friedrichs had six of her team high 13 kills in the first set. Missouri Western raced out to an 8-3 second set lead and never looked back from there. The Griffons finished the set with 4 straight points capped by an ace from Tiana Butler.  MWSU never trailed at any point in the third set and a Shellby Taylor kill would start a 9-1 run to close out the match for the Griffons.

Missouri Western finished with 47 kills and six aces as a team.  The Griffons will play their second game of the Gold & Green Challenge at 6 p.m. against Missouri S&T in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Game Two
ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Volleyball lost to Missouri S&T 3-1 (25-20 23-25 21-25 30-32) in the Gold & Green Challenge at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons only allowed the Miners one lead in the first set and that was after the match’s first point.  Missouri Western closed the first set with back to back kills from Rachel Friedrichs and Shellby Taylor.  Second set saw the Griffons break out of the gates earlier with a 7-1 lead.  S&T countered with an 11-1 run of their own to tie the match at 15.  The Miners carried that momentum to win the second and third set.

Early in the fourth set, both teams traded multiple 4-0 runs.  S&T had opportunities to put away the match but the Griffons bought back with kills by Ashley Mainord, Kelsey Olion and Rachel Friedrichs.

Friedrich led MWSU with 18 kills with Blair Russell adding 12.  The Griffons split the day’s matches and will open play tomorrow at 9 a.m. against East Central and finish the day at 6 p.m. against Minnesota State.

— MWSU Athletics —

MWSU’s Shi Qing Ong named MIAA Golfer of the Week

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MWSUKANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Western Women’s Golfer Shi Qing Ong was named MIAA Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week.  Ong won the Central Region Preview this past Tuesday, Sept. 6 and Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Prairie Highland Golf Course in Olathe, Kansas after shooting a 149.

She tapped in five birdie opportunities on the second day, finishing with a 73 after a day one total of 76.  Last season, Ong was named MIAA Freshman of the Year after helping the Griffons advance to their first ever NCAA Championship.

— MWSU Athletics —

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