By MATT PIKE
Late touchdown dooms MoWest in shootout with Pittsburg State
In a game that went back and forth all day, a late touchdown run from Luke Niggemann pushed Pittsburg State past the Missouri Western State football team as the Griffons fell 45-42 at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kansas.
MoWest started the game with the ball, and in just under three minutes scored the first points as Rickie Dunn plunged into the endzone from one yard out. Pittsburg State tied the game just a minute later with a one yard run of their own from Bobby Bacon, but the Griffons answered on the ensuing drive going nine plays before Dunn scored again with a one yard run. Before the end of the quarter, Diego Cearns scored on a four yard run to cap a six play drive, ending the first quarter tied 14-14.
Dunn opened the second quarter giving the Griffons the lead back, scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 13 yard run, but again the Gorillas answered with a 10 play drive capped by a two yard rushing score from Billy Middleton III. For the first time in the game, MoWest was forced to punt, and Pittsburg State took the lead on the next drive with the fourth rushing touchdown, one yard from Bacon. Near the end of the half, the Griffons scored through the air to Crew Myers, an eight yard pass from Isaiah Tate, sending the game to halftime tied 28-28.
Both teams exchanged punts to open the second half before the Gorillas took the lead again on a 51 yard field goal from Austin Schmitt. Tate was intercepted on the next drive, however Schmitt missed a field goal attempt, and the Griffons took advantage, taking the lead back ending the third quarter with a 17 yard passing touchdown from Tate to Malik Moore for a 35-31 lead heading into the final quarter of regulation.
The Gorillas opened the fourth quarter taking the lead with a 28 yard pass from Luke Coon before both teams were forced to exchange punts again, setting up MoWest to take the lead with 5:43 left on the clock, Tate scoring on the ground this time with a 24 yard run. The Griffons forced Pittsburg State to punt on the ensuing drive, and ran down the clock to 2:46 before having to punt themselves. From there, the Gorillas consumed just over two minutes of that, leaving 29 seconds for MoWest as Niggemann scored from one yard out. The Griffons though turned the ball over on downs, and Bacon kneeled out the remaining seven seconds to hand MoWest the heartbreaking loss.
Tate was 27-of-46 through the air with two touchdowns and an interception while adding four rushes for 31 yards and a score. Dunn ran 17 times for 68 yards and three touchdowns. Myers had nine catches for 85 yards and a touchdown while Peyton Hatfield had seven catches for 72 yards. Moore added four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Up next, MoWest (3-4, 2-3 MIAA) returns home to host Missouri Southern (1-6, 0-5 MIAA). Kickoff is at 2pm for the annual Hall of Fame Game.
No. 12 Bearcats hold on for nailbiting win over Tigers on road
The No. 12 Northwest Missouri State Bearcat football team battled back and forth with Fort Hays State on the road and held on for a 24-23 win after a failed two point conversion try by the Tigers at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays, Kansas.
The Bearcats scored the first points of the game after Ethan Stuhr blocked a Tigers punt, Zechariah Owens leading a drive in which the quarterback hit Xavier Horn for 52 yards before capping the drive with a 21 yard field goal from Mo Alwaely. On the ensuing drive Fort Hays State took the lead, scoring on a 42 yard run by LaAngelo Ball to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
Opening the second quarter, Fort Hays State turned the ball over on downs, but the following Northwest drive ended with a punt. The Bearcats though forced the Tigers to punt, and capped a nine play drive that used almost five minutes of clock with a one yard rushing touchdown from Quincy Torry. Hays needed four plays to take the lead back on a 66 yard passing touchdown from Kody Guy to Ayden Robinson-Wayne, and after Northwest punted on the following drive, they got the ball back as linebacker Cody Simoncic intercepted Guy, setting up a Torry two yard rushing score with 30 seconds remaining, giving the Bearcats a 17-14 lead at the halftime break.
Northwest opened the second half with the ball but was forced to punt and the Tigers tied up the game following the punt, ending an 11 play drive with a 42 yard field goal from Zane Colson. The Bearcats responded with an eight play drive to take the lead back before the final quarter of regulation, Owens connecting with Horn for a 13 yard touchdown. Northwest held a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter, where the Bearcats got a trio of defensive stops to hold on for the victory.
With the Tigers driving to open the final quarter, getting into Northwest territory on the 11 yard line threatening to score, Simoncic and Elijah Wray combined to stop a rush for no gain on 4th and 1, forcing a turnover on downs. After another Bearcats punt, with 6:13 left in the game, Hays drove down the field in 10 plays, using over four minutes, scoring on a seven yard pass from Guy to Robinson-Wayne. On a two point conversion attempt however, Antwon Jenkins Jr. and David Jacquez deflected away a pass from Guy, allowing Northwest to maintain a one-point lead with under two minutes left. Maryville alum Delton Davis recovered an on-side kick attempt and ran all but 12 seconds off the clock and the Bearcat defense tackled Tigers receiver Andrew Watts in bounds to wind out the clock.
Owens was 9-of-16 through the air for 131 yards with a touchdown adding six rushes for 44 yards. Torry had 20 carries for 85 yards with two touchdowns. Horn had two catches for 65 yards with a touchdown while Trevor Snady had one catch for 39 yards and Tommy Hutsler had one catch for 17 yards.
Northwest (5-1. 4-1 MIAA) will travel next on Saturday to take on the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (1-6. 1-4 MIAA). Kickoff is set for 1pm.
No. 3 Ravens keep on rolling throttling Pioneers on Senior Day
The No. 3 Benedictine Raven football team scored 56 unanswered points on way to a dominant 59-17 victory over MidAmerica Nazarene on Senior Day at Larry Wilcox Stadium in Atchison, Kansas.
The Ravens scored 21 points in the first quarter, first getting a passing touchdown from Patrick Heitert 63 yards to Christian Pitts, before finding the endzone on the ground twice with a 15 yard run by Xiomar Hernandez and a one yard rush from Heitert. Benedictine continued pouring on the scoring in the second quarter with three more touchdowns, two through the air with a 38 yard pass from Heitert to Joseph Lagafuaina and an 80 yard strike from Heitert to Titan Osburn, before Heitert added another rushing score from three yards, giving the Ravens a 42-0 lead at the halftime break.
To start the third quarter, Hernandez extended the Benedictine lead with a 75 yard touchdown run. After a turnover on downs by the Pioneers, the Ravens added another score on Cooper Hajek's one yard run. With Benedictine up 56-0, the Pioneers finally got on the scoreboard as Smith Sherman scored on a one yard touchdown run and Luke Hardman hit a 40 yard field goal. MidAmerica Nazarene added one more score in the fourth quarter on a 17 yard touchdown pass from Sieger Spensar to Zane Hall before the Ravens capped the scoring on a 35 yard field goal from Scotty Robertson.
Heitert was 9-of-14 for 243 yards with three touchdowns and added six carries for 24 yards with two more scores. Hernandez rushed nine times for 112 yards with two touchdowns and Hajek ran nine times for 46 yards with another score. Osburn had two catches for 91 yards and a touchdown and Pitts had two catches for 72 yards with a score. Lagafuaina had two catches for 43 yards with a touchdown.
Benedictine (7-1, 3-0 Heart South) will stay home on Saturday for their final home game, hosting Homecoming against William Woods University (4-4, 1-2 Heart South). Kickoff is at 1pm.
No. 13 Tigers offense stifled in Simmons homecoming to No. 9 Ole Miss
The No. 13 Missouri Tigers struggled to get anything going against No. 9 Ole Miss in the return of Austin Simmons to Oxford, as the Rebels stormed to a 31-3 victory at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The Tigers forced the Rebels to punt on their opening drive, and marched down the field capping a 10 play drive with a 27 yard field goal from Blake Craig, but from there could not do much more. Ole Miss took the lead on the ensuing drive on a 10 yard touchdown pass from Trinidad Chambliss to Caleb Odom, and then added two more touchdowns in the second quarter through the air, a 21 yard pass to Horatio Fields and a 17 yard strike to Caleb Cunningham, for a 21-3 lead at the halftime break. Craig did miss a field goal attempt following the touchdown to Fields, missing a 23 yard kick.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, with the Tigers turning the ball over on downs once. In the fourth quarter, Chambliss extended the lead with his legs rushing for a five yard score before Lucas Carneiro knocked through a 38 yard field goal to cap the scoring. Missouri did have one final chance to score near the end of the game, getting to the Ole Miss four yard line, where Simmons threw an interception to Landon Barnes, allowing the Rebels to run out the remaining clock.
Simmons was 25-of-44 for 339 yards through the air with an interception. Jamal Roberts ran 20 times for 39 yards to lead the rushing attack while Donovan Olugbode caught nine passes for 127 yards with and Cayden Lee had five catches for 62 yards. Jude James caught five passes for 57 yards in place of an injured Brett Norfleet.
No. 13 Missouri (5-2, 2-2 SEC) will be on bye next week. The Tigers will next be in action on the road against Arkansas on Saturday, October 31st.
Kansas State survives to take Sunflower Showdown over Kansas
The Kansas State Wildcats survived a rash of mistakes to hold on to a 35-24 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Sunflower Showdown at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
The win extended the Wildcats streak to 18 in the Sunflower Showdown, a streak that goes back to when current head coach Colin Klein was the quarterback for Kansas State. The Wildats started out the scoring in the matchup, needing just five plays on their opening possession for Rodney Fields Jr to find the endzone on a four yard rush, but on the ensuing kickoff the Jayhawks tied up the game as Bryson Hayes returned the kick 95 yards for a kickoff return touchdown.
The Wildcats turned the ball over on downs at the Kansas 12 yard line, an incomplete pass to Joshua Manning, and the Jayhawks took advantage adding another touchdown after a 13 play drive ended with a 12 yard passing touchdown from Isaiah Marshall to Nik McMillan. Another Kansas State mistake gave Kansas the ball back as Linkon Cure fumbled, and the Jayhawks capped the scoring in the first quarter with a 31 yard field goal from Martin Connington.
The second quarter was all Wildcats as Kansas State stormed back to take a lead at the halftime break. Luis Rodriguez knocked through a 22 yard field goal, and after the Wildcats forced a punt, Rodriguez hit a 51 yard field goal to put Kansas State down by four. On special teams, a safety made it a two point game when Jayhawks punter Matthew Gill dropped a snap and was tackled by cornerback Nick McClellan. With 24 seconds remaining in the half, Rodriguez kicked a 28 yard field goal, giving Kansas State an 18-17 lead at halftime.
Starting with the ball in the second half, Kansas took the lead back with a nine play drive ending with former Wildcat Dylan Edwards rushing for a three yard touchdown. Kansas State answered with a touchdown of their own, also on the ground, as Joe Jackson rushed for an eight yard touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 25-24 lead heading into the final quarter of regulation, after the Jayhawks punted on the ensuing drive.
Starting the fourth quarter with the ball, Kansas State got to the Kansas one yard line but turned the ball over on downs, however the Jayhawks could not take advantage as Marshall threw an interception on the next drive to Logan Bartley. The Wildcats extended their lead as Avery Johnson threw a nine yard touchdown pass to Jaron Tibbs, and capped their scoring after a Kansas punt with another field goal by Rodriguez from 34 yards out. Kansas turned the ball over on downs following the field goal, and Kansas State ran the clock out from there.
For Kansas State, Johnson was 14-of-24 for 209 yards with a touchdown adding 12 rushes for 132 yards. Jackson ran 27 times for 159 yards with a score and Fields Jr. rushed eight times for 66 yards with a score. Tibbs had five catches for 67 yards with a touchdown while Derrick Salley Jr led the receivers with two catches for 70 yards. Rodriguez was 4-for-4 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points.
Marshall was 12-of-26 with 151 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Kansas, adding 14 runs for 117 yards. Edwards ran 16 times for 57 yards and a touchdown. McMillan led the receivers with five catches for 55 yards and a score while Cure had two catches for 44 yards.
Up next, Kansas State (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) will travel to play Arizona State (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) on the road. Kickoff time is to be determined. Meanwhile for Kansas (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) will return to Lawrence to host Baylor (4-2, 2-1 Big 12). Kickoff time is also to be determined.
Huskers fall as former QB Raiola throws game winner for Oregon
The Nebraska Cornhuskers fell as the Oregon Ducks rallied back in the fourth quarter for a 17-14 win, capped by a touchdown throw from former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Both teams exchanged punts through most of the first half, along with a turnover from each team, before the Cornhuskers scored with one second left on the clock in the opening half. Anthony Colandrea threw an interception during the first half to Oregon's Ify Obidegwu and on the drive following the interception the Cornhuskers Caleb Benning forced a fumble that was recovered by Jahsear Whittington. Late in the half, Colandrea threw a touchdown 17 yards to Kwazi Gilmer and Nebraska took a 7-0 lead into the halftime break.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Cornhuskers turned the ball over on downs, and the Ducks began to cut into the lead with a field goal with Gage Hurych knocking the kick through from 36 yards out. After forcing a Nebraska punt, Hurych hit another field goal for Oregon to cut the lead to one, hitting another kick from 36 yards away. The Ducks again forced the Huskers to punt, but Brock Thomas threw an interception to Dwayne McDougle III and Nebraska extended the lead from there on a six yard rushing touchdown from Colandrea.
Raiola took over for Thomas at quarterback following the interception and the Ducks wrapped up the third quarter with the ball, and cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter ending a 17 play drive with another field goal by Hurych, this time from 37 yards out. Oregon forced a punt, getting the ball back with 5:17 in the game, and went on to put together a 20 play drive that consumed five minutes of clock scoring with 28 seconds as Raiola connected with Jamari Johnson on a four yard pass. Nebraska was able to cross the 50 yard line and get into Oregon territory with eight seconds remaining, but managed just an eight yard pass to wind out the clock.
Colandrea was 18-of-33 for 164 yards with one touchdown and an interception adding 13 rushes for 38 yards and a score. Isaiah Mozee ran four times for 28 yards while Mekhi Nelson had 11 rushes for 25 yards. Gilmer caught six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Jacory Barney Jr had two catches for 37 yards.
Nebraska (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) will have a bye week now. The Cornhuskers will be back in action on Saturday, October 31st when they host Washington.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.