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

Category: Sports

Chiefs fall to Cowboys 28-17, lose for the third time in four games

Posted on

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ezekiel Elliott ran for the go-ahead touchdown after another reprieve from his six-game suspension and the Dallas Cowboys overcame Tyreek Hill’s improbable last-play touchdown in the first half, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 28-17 on Sunday.

Elliott’s 2-yard plunge in the third quarter came after the Chiefs turned a 14-3 deficit into a 17-14 advantage, sparked by Hill’s weaving 57-yard catch with the first-half clock expired and seven Dallas defenders inside their 25 trying to prevent the score.

Last year’s NFL rushing champion as a rookie, Elliott had 93 yards, ending a streak of three straight 100-yard games but outgaining Kareem Hunt, this year’s rushing leader in his first season entering the game.

Hunt matched a season low with nine carries, finishing with 37 yards as a club record-tying nine-game road winning streak ended for the Chiefs (6-3) in their third loss in four games since a 5-0 start.

Elliott got an emergency stay from a New York court Friday, stopping the suspension over alleged domestic violence for the third time.

With former quarterback Tony Romo calling his first Dallas game as lead analyst for CBS, Dak Prescott had two touchdown passes to Cole Beasley and ran for another score in a third straight win for the Cowboys (5-3).

Terrance Williams had a career-high nine catches for 141 yards, including a 56-yarder from a scrambling Prescott to set up Prescott’s 10-yard TD run with 13 seconds left in the first half.

Trailing 14-3, the Chiefs were at their 43 with 2 seconds left when the Cowboys used three linemen and a linebacker near the line of scrimmage and dropped everyone else back.

Hill caught an easy toss from Alex Smith at the Cowboys 42 and started toward the goal line with three blockers in front.

The speedy Hill motored around Orlando Scandrick at the 25, cut behind two blocks from Demarcus Robinson inside the 10 and sidestepped overpursuing linebacker Anthony Hitchens to finish the stunning TD.

The Chiefs got the ball to start the second half with great field position after Byron Jones was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after Hill’s score. Kansas City went in front on Travis Kelce’s 2-yard scoring catch, which sparked a sack-race celebration with Hill and Robinson.

The Cowboys answered with drives of 75 and 87 yards that took more than 12 minutes combined. Beasley capped the latter with a 7-yard TD and after a 6-yarder in the first half.

Prescott was 21 of 33 for 249 yards, with Beasley getting 24 yards receiving and Dez Bryant 73.

Down by 11 for the second time, Kansas City’s best chance ended on Smith’s first interception of the season on a fourth down throw. It ended a streak of 293 passes without a pick for Smith, who was 25 of 34 for 263 yards and two TDs.

`WELCOME HOME 9′

On the Cowboys’ video tribute to Romo, there was an inset shot of Romo watching the highlight tape as the crowd cheered, and he responded by applauding toward them as the video ended. When the giant board switched to a full shot of Romo, he shook his head briefly as if touched by the gesture as he was putting on his headset.

 

The franchise leader in passing yards and touchdowns lost the job last season when Prescott replaced him after a back injury and led the Cowboys to a club-record 11 straight wins. Romo took the CBS job rather than chase an elusive Super Bowl with another franchise.

INJURIES

Cowboys: Bryant left with an ankle injury in third quarter, and defensive tackle Brian Price was helped off the field after an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Bye next week, at New York Giants on Nov. 19.

Cowboys: At Atlanta, with the defending NFC champs having lost four of their past five.

— Associated Press —

Griffons give up late score, lose at Emporia State 30-27

Posted on

EMPORIA, Kan. – Despite career rushing highs by quarterback Dom Marino and running back Shamar Griffith and an offensive output of 449 yards, the Missouri Western football team (4-6) fell 30-27 to Emporia State (5-5) Saturday. MWSU outgained ESU by 126 yards and recorded five sacks for 20 yards.

CHANGING OF TIDES
A holding call at the one-yard line negated a Shamar Griffith touchdown that would have given Missouri Western a two touchdown lead. A few plays later, the Griffons settled for a 39-yard field goal to take a 20-10 lead. On the next drive, the defense forced a three and out but a fumbled punt return by Jonathan Owens recovered by the Hornets kept them alive. Emporia State cashed in their opportunity with a reverse pass that went for a 31-yard touchdown pass. The momentum change allowed ESU to score 13 unanswered points.

GAME OF INCHES
Down 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Dom Marino stumbled down to the Emporia State 2-yard line and left Missouri Western just inches short of a first down. On fourth and inches, Marino found a narrow crease and dove in for a touchdown to give the Griffons a 27-23 advantage. Later in the quarter, ESU quarterback Braxton Marstall called his own number on a fourth and two. A second effort allowed Marstall to gain the first down by a quarter of a football after an official’s measurement. The Hornets threw the game-winning, two-yard touchdown pass just three plays later with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter.

BOTTLED UP
The Griffon defense bottled up the Emporia State offense as it allowed just 62 yards on the ground and 323 yards of total offense. MWSU sacked ESU five times for 20 yards. Tyrell Robison came away with three sacks for 11 yards. Dennis McKinney was credited with two sacks for nine yards and a forced fumble. Jabbar Miles led Missouri Western with nine tackles.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western returns to Spratt Stadium on Nov. 11 as it host rival Northwest Missouri State. The senior day kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

No. 8 Bearcats fall to No. 6 Fort Hays State for second straight loss

Posted on

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State football team saw the MIAA title slip away midway through the fourth quarter on a big pass play by Fort Hays State.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Northwest gave up a 66-yard touchdown play when Fort Hays quarterback Jacob Mezera connected with Harley Hazlett over the middle, and Hazlett sprinted into the end zone.

The score put Northwest behind 10 points with 9:25 left. Backup quarterback Jonathan Baker came in for Northwest and put together a gutsy drive that mixed his scrambling ability with a couple of nice passes.

Baker led a touchdown drive that helped pull the Bearcats to within three with 3:19 left.

“I appreciated coach Wright for believing in me there and letting me come in and see what I can do,” said Baker, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards.

Northwest defense forced a three and out, putting the ball back in the hands of the Bearcats at their 22 with 1:39 left.

“I am proud of the fact that they fought,” Northwest coach Rich Wright said. “It reflects their character. We didn’t play a clean game by any stretch, but they played hard versus a week ago when I was disappointed at times at their effort. We just came up short.”

Unfortunately, Northwest couldn’t complete the comeback and lost 13-12. An interception by Fort Hays with 1:05 left sent the Bearcats to their second straight loss. Still, there was plenty of drama in the final 20 seconds.

Northwest got the ball at its 37 with 9 seconds left. Northwest completed a pass to Jordan Bishop to the Fort Hays 44 and the Tigers were called for targeting. Unfortunately, Jarrod Bishop, Jordan’s twin brother ran onto the field and was whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty so the ball stayed at the 44 instead of moving to the 29 and setting up a potential game-winning field goal.

“We get the targeting call and are going to get a 15-yard penalty and have a chance to kick a field goal,” Wright said. “His brother made a mistake. You can’t lose your composure in that situation. He negates the 15-yard penalty by creating a 15-yard penalty of his own. That is part of understanding the moment. It is something I addressed with him right afterward. Not that we would make it or not make it, but you have an opportunity.”

It left Northwest with one opportunity for a Hail Mary touchdown pass. Fort Hays intercepted the pass near the goal line to end the game.

Northwest dropped to 8-2. Fort Hays improved to 10-0 and left Maryville with the MIAA crown.

The Bearcats will play for their playoff lives next Saturday at rival Missouri Western. Northwest needs to win and then wait for selection Sunday to learn if it is one of seven teams in its region to make the Division II playoffs.

“I am not going to focus on the playoffs next week,” Wright said. “We are going to focus on Missouri Western because that is all we are guaranteed. This could be our final football game. We are going to treat it like our last football game, and it is going to get our full attention.”

Like the previous week, Northwest struggled on offense. The only time when the Bearcats put together a good drive occurred after Fort Hays took a 13-3 lead with under 10 minutes left.

Faced with a 10-point deficit, Baker took over and engineered a 14-play, 75-yard drive the ended with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Baker to Quincy Woods. It was the first touchdown since the first quarter of last week’s game for Northwest.

“I felt we needed to make a switch,” Wright said. “Zach was pressing a little bit. I decided I wanted to give Jonathan a shot and he did a great job executing when we needed it. It is a credit to him and his preparation the last 10 weeks.”

The Bearcats tacked on two more points with 13 seconds left when Fort Hays purposely took a safety to have a free kick.

Because of stellar defense by both teams, the only offense of consequence came from the placekickers. Less than a minute into the second quarter, Northwest freshman Parker Sampson booted a 28-yard field goal in his first collegiate attempt and gave the Bearcats a 3-0 lead.

Fort Hays immediately responded on its next drive. The Tigers moved the ball 34 yards, setting up a 48-yard attempt from senior Brandon Brown. He easily nailed the long field goal with at least 10 yards to spare. His game-tying field goal came with 10:59 left in the second quarter.

For the rest of the second quarter, neither team came close to scoring again. Fort Hays had the best opportunity. In the Tigers’ next drive after their field goal, they started at Northwest’s 47. But they could only move the ball four yards and was forced to punt.

Statistically, Northwest narrowly won the battle, picking up five first downs and 125 total yards. The Tigers had three first downs and 75 yards of total offense.

— Northwest Athletics —

Mizzou earns first SEC win as they roll by Florida 45-16

Posted on

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Three weeks ago, Missouri coach Barry Odom set fire to game plans, scouting reports and negative articles from the first half of the season in a motivational ploy. The Tigers haven’t lost a game since.

Perhaps Florida interim coach Randy Shannon should gather flammable objects for his own bonfire.

In a game pitting two teams riding emotional waves in opposite directions, Missouri trounced Florida 45-16 on Saturday. The Tigers (4-5, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) have won three straight games, while the Gators (3-5, 3-4) have dropped four straight.

“You’re never as good as you think, and you’re never as bad as you think,” said Odom, whose job security was questioned after Missouri opened the season 1-5. “I’ll take the positive momentum, and we’ll use it.”

Shannon can only hope the Gators aren’t as bad as they’ve looked the last two weeks. Coach Jim McElwain was fired last Sunday after a 42-7 loss to Georgia, and Florida didn’t play any better against Missouri. Shannon was asked if players were losing interest in the season.

“Never have to worry about guys checking out,” Shannon said. “Somebody wants to play in the game. If a guy’s going to check out, just go to the next guy. . You’ve just got to keep playing, keep coaching. Now if you check out as a coach? That’ll go down to the players.”

Missouri took control of the game with a 14-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that spanned the first and second quarters. The key play was a 36-yard Drew Lock pass to Emanuel Hall on first-and-25. Larry Rountree III capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers a 14-0 lead.

The Tigers, known for Lock’s prolific passing, leaned heavily on the running game early. Rountree carried 15 times for 83 yards and three touchdowns, and Ish Witter added 83 yards on 17 rushes. The Tigers finished with 227 rushing yards.

Lock and his receivers also exploited Florida’s tight man-to-man coverage over the top. Lock completed 15 of 20 passes for 228 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Hall had five catches for 113 yards. J’Mon Moore had six catches for 64 yards and one touchdown.

In his previous two games against Florida, Lock was a combined 20 of 57 for 190 yards and four interceptions as the Tigers lost 21-3 and 40-14. In those games, Missouri wide receivers struggled to get off the line of scrimmage. Not this time.

“They know how to attack guys way better than what we had in the past couple years,” Lock said of his wideouts. “We’re not worried about teams trying to man us up, press us up. I’m confident in those guys being able to get off the ball. If they get off the ball, there’s not a lot of guys that will be able to run with them in this league.”

In his first start at quarterback for the Gators, graduate transfer Malik Zaire completed 13 of 19 passes for 158 yards and one interception. Florida settled for three Eddie Pineiro field goals, including a 24-yarder after it squandered a first-and-goal opportunity from the 2-yard line.

“Any time you’re in that 5-yard range going in, it hurts not to be able to punch it in due to miscues or missed assignments,” said Zaire, who previously played at Notre Dame. “Whatever the case is, that’s unacceptable.”

Florida finally reached the end zone when backup quarterback Feleipe Franks connected with Lamical Perine on a 16-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Missouri safety Anthony Sherrils set up two touchdowns with turnovers. He recovered Brandon Powell’s muffed punt in the first quarter and intercepted Zaire in the second quarter. The Tigers’ defensive improvement has been a key to their turnaround. The group that yielded 43 points to FCS opponent Missouri State in the season opener has held its last three opponents to 21 points or less.

Missouri’s second-half surge also has been aided by a friendly schedule. The recent wins came against Idaho, Connecticut and Florida, which all have losing records. But the same can be said for Missouri’s next three opponents: Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. If the Tigers win at least two of those games, they’ll be eligible for a bowl, which seemed far-fetched a month ago when Odom built his fire.

“They’re aware of it, but we won’t talk about it in here,” Odom said about the possibility of making a bowl. “We’ll talk about having an unbelievable Sunday night practice and meetings and getting the week started off Monday academically in the correct way and jump on the preparation for Tennessee and do everything possible to have a great Tuesday practice. I know that’s a boring answer

“I’d love to talk a little bit more about grander ideas and thoughts, but I don’t know that we can handle that. We’ve got something going right now, and we’ve got to focus on one day at a time. We do that, then all that other stuff will take care of itself.”

THE TAKEAWAY

MISSOURI: Lock, a junior, moved past Brad Smith into second place on Missouri’s career touchdown passes list. Lock has 58 TD passes, which is 43 behind record-holder Chase Daniel. Lock has 31 touchdown passes this season.

FLORIDA: When asked if the quarterback job would be up for grabs after Franks guided the Gators to their only touchdown and completed 7 of 10 passes for 98 yards in the fourth quarter, Shannon said he would look at the film before making a decision. “When we put Feleipe in, it was a little bit smoother,” Shannon said.

UP NEXT

MISSOURI: The Tigers will try for their fourth straight victory with a home game against Tennessee.

FLORIDA: The Gators will try to break their four-game slump at South Carolina.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western volleyball extends win streak to nine with sweep of SBU

Posted on

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Griffon volleyball (20-9) will take a nine-match winning streak into the final week of the season after dominating Southwest Baptist (2-28) in its final road match of the regular season.

Missouri Western had one of its most dominant performances of the season, Saturday, winning 25-14, 25-11 and 25-16 while hitting a whopping .457 in the match. It was the Griffons’ highest hitting percentage of the season and the second highest ever for the program. MWSU had 43 kills in the match to go with eight service aces.

Stephanie Doak led the Griffons with 11 kills. Erin Erb had 10 kills and Ali Tauchen had eight to go along with her four blocks. Kayla Ruff led Missouri Western with 11 digs and four aces. Lauren Murphy had 35 assists in the match.

UP NEXT
The final two matches of the regular season will be in the MWSU Fieldhouse. Fort Hays State (10-21) visits MWSU on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Then, it’s the big one. Should the Griffons stretch their winning streak to 10 on Friday, they’ll be playing for at least a share of the MIAA regular season championship on Saturday, Nov. 11 against No. 5 Nebraska Kearney (27-2).

— MWSU Athletics —

Backup QB Thompson leads Kansas State to overtime win at Texas Tech

Posted on

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson emerged from the shadows of Kansas State’s never-thought-much-about Plan C and threw the game-winning touchdown in a 42-35 overtime win over Texas Tech.

Thompson, a redshirt freshman and once a heralded recruit within the Midwest, also threw a tying two-point conversion to Dalton Schoen that tied the game with 42 seconds to play.

“I’m so glad we won,” Thompson said. “That’s all that matters to me is we won the game. I was ready when my number was called. I knew I needed come in and help us win the football game. I wasn’t expecting it to come down to something like that, but I was ready. I was confident and felt like everyone was confident in me.”

The Red Raiders (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) followed up Thompson’s overtime touchdown with a fourth-and-goal pass from the 4-yard line that quarterback Nic Shimonek threw out the back of the end zone.

Kansas State (5-4, 3-3) had trailed for the previous 19:18 after blowing a 24-21 advantage before Shoen pulled down the two-pointer in the front corner of the end zone.

The 2-point play was set up by Thompson’s 1-yard dive into the end zone on second-and-goal. The five-play, 80-yard drive started after Texas Tech kicker Clayton Hatfield missed a 31-yard field goal with 3:40 left in regulation.

The Red Raiders have missed at least one kick, whether an extra point or field goal and sometimes both, in each game of what is now a four-game losing streak.

“There’s something going on,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “There’s no question. To not be able to get this one done, we’ve got to play with more confidence late in games. We’ve got to be able to make kicks. It’s a number of things. Got to have stops. Got to have drives.”

Thompson, who replaced Alex Delton after a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the first half, played the final 30 minutes and finished 5 of 8 for 96 yards passing with the touchdown through the air. Delton started the prior three games for Jesse Ertz, who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Texas Tech defensive end Kolin Hill was ejected for targeting on the Delton hit, but he served his one-half suspension in the second half and will be eligible to play next week against Baylor.

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, Shimonek threw third-quarter scores to Keke Coutee and Dylan Cantrell of 34 yards and 1 yard, respectively, but he also threw a 25-yard pick-6 to cornerback Duke Shelley. Cantrell’s catch gave the Red Raiders a lead of 28-24 and came a split-second after Shimonek shook off blitzing defensive end Reggie Walker.

Texas Tech added a 22-yard touchdown reception from T.J. Vasher in the fourth quarter and Kansas State mustered a 30-yard field goal by Matthew McCrane ahead of tying the game.

Kansas State’s first-half lead could have been larger.

D.J. Reed’s punt return of more than 80 yards for a touchdown was initially negated by a holding call and, subsequently, Colby Moore’s targeting infraction on the play after video review.

Down 28-24 late in the third quarter, Thompson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber that was whistled back after Zuber drifted out of bounds before coming back in for the catch.

“To see the offense be down 10 points, come back, get the field goal, and then come back and get the touchdown and the 2-point conversion — I thought there was a lot of want-to,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “A lot of passion involved in that. A lot of confidence involved in it as well.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: Snyder’s squad took another blow at quarterback, but Skylar Thompson was serviceable against a program now on a four-game losing streak. The ante goes up next week when West Virginia visits.

Texas Tech: Kingsbury’s hot seat is sizzling. Saturday’s loss marked the Red Raiders’ fourth straight after a 4-1 start.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats return home to host West Virginia, which is receiving votes in the AP poll.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders hit the road for a neutral-site game against Baylor at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.

— Associated Press —

MWSU women run well at NCAA Regional Cross Country meet

Posted on

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Griffon women’s cross country team saved its best for the most important event of its inaugural season. Every scoring Griffon posted a personal record and the team posted its best time of the season at the NCAA Central Region Cross Country Championships at the Kearney Country Club.

The team finished 14th with Kaitlyn Shoemaker finishing 13th individually. Missouri Western finished sixth among MIAA schools in the regional event. A new system to determine qualification for the NCAA Division II National Championships means Shoemaker will have to wait until Monday, Nov. 6 to learn if she will compete in the national event on Nov. 18 in Evansville, Indiana.

Shoemaker posted a 21:57 in the 6k race, her first sub-22:00 minute race. Megan Gillen (23:18), Kelsey Cox (23:21), Allison Goos (23:53) and Claire Reedy (24:24) rounded out the scoring for the Griffons.

The men’s team finished in 24th place in their first-ever 10k race. Alex Bautista (34:14) led the men, followed by Christian Arbuthnot (34:54), Ross Baumer (35:28), Jackson Rush (36:30) and Chris Dunn (36:43). Four of seven Griffon men racers posted personal records through the first 8k of the race.

— MWSU Athletics —

Kansas gets routed by previously winless Baylor 38-9

Posted on

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Matt Rhule instituted a dress code for road games when he took over at Baylor, requiring each of his players to wear crisp suits and nice ties before and after their games.

The one exception: Sweats are allowed heading home from a win.

So after the Bears dispatched Kansas 38-9 for their first win under Rhule, the former Temple coach couldn’t help but crack a smile when he stepped into the visiting locker room at Memorial Stadium on Saturday and heard a chant: “Jogging suits! Jogging suits!”

“It was pretty funny,” Rhule admitted.

There was nothing funny about an eight-game skid to begin his tenure, though. But with freshman Charlie Brewer making his first start, the Bears (1-8, 1-5 Big 12) were sharp on offense and downright dominant on defense in beating the Jayhawks (1-8, 0-6) for the eighth straight time.

Brewer threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Denzel Mims had five catches for 122 yards. And the Bears piled up 455 yards total offense while holding Kansas to just 289 yards.

“There was just calmness about our team today,” Rhule said. “Our guys never turned against each other, they only turned to each other. That was really good to see.”

The announced crowd for a matchup between two of the worst teams in major college football was 21,797, but there were perhaps half that many fans in the stands. There were even fewer in the second half, when the Bears kept tacking on points to put the game away.

Carter Stanley, back in the starting lineup for Kansas, finished 17 of 33 for 155 yards with a pick before he was benched in favor of former starter Peyton Bender in the fourth quarter.

It was the third time in four games that Kansas didn’t score a touchdown.

“They kept battling to the very end,” Jayhawks coach David Beaty said. “Those guys kept fighting.”

Almost literally.

The Jayhawks’ frustration peaked when offensive coordinator Doug Meacham, irked by the officials slowing down the game to give Baylor time to substitute personnel, had to be restrained from going after the referee by Beaty and other members of the coaching staff.

Baylor didn’t fare much better offensively early, punting on its first three possessions. But once Brewer got into a rhythm, the freshman quarterback picked apart one of the nation’s worst defenses.

Brewer led the Bears on a 75-yard touchdown march, and then took them on a 74-yard TD drive. He capped the first half with a 56-yard touchdown trot for a 21-6 lead at the break.

“Charlie’s just going to play as hard as he can for you,” said Jordan Feuerbacher, who had one of the Bears’ touchdown catches. “It gives you something extra when you see that out there.”

Terence Williams scored from 1 yard out midway through the second half, and the Bears added a field goal and a touchdown catch by Ish Wainright to put the game away.

The victory should provide a nice boost to Rhule’s rebuilding job, which has taken its lumps as he plays dozens of freshmen. And it should increase the pressure on Beaty, who dropped to 3-30 in his third season and has just one victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision program.

“We got to let this one go. We have no choice,” Beaty said. “I know those boys are disappointed, I know our coaches are disappointed, I know our fans are disappointed. Got every right to be.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Baylor: After coming oh-so-close a handful of times, the Bears ensured they would win at least one game this season. Their start had been the worst in 48 years, and had made those memorable seasons under former coach Art Briles, well, nothing more than a distant memory.

Kansas: It’s less than a week until basketball season starts.

SALUTE TO SERVICE

The Jayhawks wore uniforms inspired by the Civil War era as part of military appreciation day. A new class of cadets was sworn in during a timeout in the second half, and an armored personnel carrier was parked near the south end zone of Memorial Stadium.

YES, YOUR HONOR

The Jayhawks inducted defensive tackle Gilbert Brown, who starred from 1989-92 before embarking on an NFL career, into their ring of honor. They also honored the 1992 Aloha Bowl team at halftime.

UP NEXT

Baylor plays Texas Tech at AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas next Saturday.

Kansas hits the road to face Texas next Saturday night.

— Associated Press —

Northwest volleyball defeats Missouri Southern in five sets

Posted on

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team defeated Missouri Southern, 3-2, on Saturday at the Robert Ellis Young Gym in Joplin, Mo.
– The Bearcats improved to 16-13 overall and 10-6 in MIAA play. Missouri Southern falls to 11-18 overall and 4-12 in conference action.
– Maddy Bruder had a match-high 26 kills with 20 digs and three assists.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest lost the first set, 25-23, but rebounded to win the second and third sets, 25-14 and 25-17. The Lions took the third, 25-19, and the Bearcats won the fourth, 15-9.
– The Northwest offense hit .352 for the match while holding Missouri Southern to a .237 attack percentage.
– Sofia Schleppenbach had 20 kills with a pair of blocks and two digs.
– Hallie Sidney had 11 kills with two digs and a block.
– Maddy Ahrens had 33 assists with eight digs and three service aces.
– Sarah Dannettell added 29 assists with five kills, four digs and one block.
– Olivia Nowakowski had 16 digs while Gaby da Silva had 14 digs.

Key Northwest Sequence
– The Bearcats jumped out to a 9-7 lead in the fifth and decisive set. Dannettell and Schleppenbach had back-to-back kills to make it 11-8 before Missouri Southern got a point back. After the two teams traded points to make it 12-9, Northwest closed out the match with a 3-0 run. Schleppenbach put away another kill and a Lion attack error forced a timeout on match point, 14-9. Out of the break, the Bearcats forced another Missouri Southern attacking error to end the match.

Up Next
– Northwest hosts Nebraska-Kearney on Friday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

Nebraska gets beat in OT by Northwestern

Posted on

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Northwestern has no problem working overtime. None at all, it seems.

The Wildcats’ 31-24 victory over Nebraska on Saturday made them the first Football Bowl Subdivision program in history to play three consecutive games that have gone to overtime and win them all.

“I definitely think it’s our mentality going in,” linebacker Paddy Fisher said. “You get to play some more football. There’s nothing better than that. You just take it up another notch.”

Northwestern had the ball first in overtime for the third straight game, and Thorson sneaked into the end zone on fourth-and-1 for the go-ahead touchdown. The Wildcats’ defense came up with a big sack and pass breakup to give them their fourth straight win after an 0-2 start in Big Ten play.

Northwestern (6-3, 4-2), which became bowl eligible for a third straight year, came to Lincoln off a 39-31 triple-overtime win at Michigan State. The week before the Wildcats beat Iowa 17-10 in overtime at home.

“I think our guys have some confidence in tight games,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “To see the look in their eye in overtime — we’re going to win the game.”

Northwestern scored the tying touchdown with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter, and Thorson’s pass to the end zone was broken up on the final play of regulation.

In overtime, the Cornhuskers (4-5, 3-3) kept Thorson out of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 1. Northwestern chose to go for the touchdown rather than kick a field goal, and Thorson got into the end zone on the next play with a push from Trey Pugh.

On Nebraska’s possession, freshman defensive tackle Samdup Miller sacked Tanner Lee on second down for a 10-yard loss. After Lee hit Tyler Hoppes for 8 yards to set up a fourth-and-12, Kyle Queiro broke up a pass intended for JD Spielman to end the game.

“We’re obviously disappointed in our finish,” Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. “It felt like there had been some good football and then it felt deflated right through and into the overtime. The defense did their best after giving up some yardage early in the overtime to keep them out. It went to fourth down and we didn’t quite get it done.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Northwestern: The Wildcats, who have won three of four meetings in Lincoln since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011, took sole possession of second place in the Big Ten West.

Nebraska: Lee had shaken off the interception bug the last month, but his three picks against Northwestern gives him 13 for the season.

ACTION JACKSON

Northwestern’s Justin Jackson scored on a 17-yard run in the first quarter, his school-record 39th career touchdown. He ran 31 times for 154 yards and has 798 yards in nine games. He has three games and a bowl to get the 202 yards he needs to hit 1,000 for a fourth straight year.

“The line was working,” he said. “I think they did a great job. Credit goes to them, man. They’ve been working the last month, month and a half, getting better every single day. You’re seeing that on the field.”

QUITE A DAY, QUEIRO

Northwestern’s Queiro intercepted two passes, broke up three and finished with six tackles. Queiro tipped away a deep ball intended for JD Spielman that probably would have gone for a touchdown, and he had the breakup on the game’s final play.

“Not to be corny, but I thought I left some plays on the field,” Queiro said. “On the same note, I was fortunate to make those plays. The coaches put me in the right position.”

BROWN PASSES BROTHER

Nebraska’s Drew Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter for the 58th of his career. He passed his brother, Kris (1995-98), for second place on the school field-goal chart.

UP NEXT

Northwestern hosts Purdue on Saturday.

Nebraska visits Minnesota on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File