Border War renewed, McMenamin gets first W, Ravens fall to top seed

By MATT PIKE

It’s the week two college football roundup on St. Joseph Post, with some exciting ones this week.  Let’s jump right into it

Mizzou comes back to snatch victory in renewed Border War rivalry

The Missouri Tigers scored the first touchdown of the game, before giving up 21 unanswered points to the Kansas Jayhawks, from there though, Mizzou outscored Kansas 36-10, on way to a 42-31 win in the first Border War showdown since 2011.

After the Tigers forced the Jayhawks into a three and out on the first drive of the game, Missouri drove down the field in five plays to put up the first points of the game, Ahmad Hardy breaking a 32 yard rush for a touchdown, the extra point by redshirt freshman kicker Robert Meyer though was blocked.  Meyer kicked in place of Blake Craig who will miss the season after tearing his ACL against Central Arkansas.  

Kansas answered on their next drive taking the lead finishing a seven play drive with a precise 15 yard touchdown pass to DeShawn Hanika, taking the lead after converting the extra point.  The lead would be extended quickly on the defensive side by the Jayhawks on a fumble six, Kansas defensive back Austin Alexander recovering a fumble by Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula and taking it 28 yards for a score.

Trailing 14-6, the Mizzou offense went three and out on their next drive, managing just one yard, punting the ball back to Kansas and the Jayhawks responded with another touchdown, a six play drive, ending with Jalon Daniels rushing in from one yard out to give Kansas a 21-6 lead at the end of one quarter of the rivalry matchup. 

The second quarter looked like a totally different game for Missouri, the Tigers using a long 15 play drive to cut into the Kansas lead with a touchdown, Pribula throwing a three yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr.  On the first Kansas offensive play of the next drive, it was the Mizzou defense this time getting points on the board, Zion Young coming off the edge unblocked and sacking Daniels and forcing a fumble that rolled back into the endzone and was recovered by the Jayhawks Kobe Baynes for a safety, cutting the lead to 21-15.

A 17 play drive ended with Meyer’s hitting his first collegiate field goal from 25 yards out to cut the lead to three, and then with no time left on the clock, both teams headed to the halftime break tied at 21 after Meyer hit a 20 yard field goal at the end of the half as the Tigers scored 15 unanswered points.  In the second quarter, Missouri outgained Kansas in yards 186 to -21.

Missouri started the second half with the ball, and after a 10 play drive ended with a turnover on downs, Kansas responded with an 11 play drive for a field goal to take the lead back Laith Marjan hitting a 26 yard field goal.  In another long drive though, which the third quarter was filled with, the Tigers put together 12 plays, driving 75 yards, where Pribula completed an 11 yard touchdown pass to tight end Brett Norfleet, giving Missouri a 28-24 lead at the end of three quarters.

The Jayhawks and Tigers exchanged three and outs and punts to start the fourth quarter, and after Kansas got the ball back the Jayhawks again took the lead as Daniels again connected with Hanika, this time for a six yard score.  From there it was all Missouri, Pribula finishing off a 10 play drive with his second touchdown pass to Norfleet, a pass on 4th and 1 that Norfleet took 27 yards to the endzone for a 35-31 lead.  

Another Jayhawks punt gave Missouri the ball back, and the Tigers needed just three plays, and three runs by Jamal Roberts to put the stamp on the game, Roberts breaking free for a 63 yard touchdown run.  On the ensuing Kansas drive, Daylan Carnell picked off Daniels, dragging his left toe along the turf as he dove out of bounds for the game ending interception. 

For Missouri, Pribula was 30-for-39 with 334 yards passing and three touchdowns.  Roberts rushed 13 times for 143 yards with a touchdown, while Hardy rushed 25 times for 112 yards with a score.  Coleman caught 10 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, Norfleet had seven catches for 76 yards and two scores. 

Daniels was 18-for-30 for 223 yards through the air with two touchdowns and one interception, also rushing 10 times for 17 yards and a score.  Daniel Hishaw Jr had six carries for 11 yards.  Hanika caught six passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns, while Levi Wentz had two catches for 56 yards.  

Up next, the Missouri Tigers (2-0) will host Louisiana on Saturday.  Kickoff will be at 3pm and the game will air on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.  The game will NOT be carried on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) due to Royals baseball.

Kansas (2-1) meanwhile will open up Big 12 play, returning to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to host West Virginia on Saturday.  A kickoff time has yet to be announced by the conference.

Northwest gets road win over Washburn for first win of McMenamin era

The Northwest Missouri State University football team used a complete team effort to stifle the Washburn Ichabods on the road for a 34-7 victory at Yager Stadium.  It marked the first win as a Bearcat for new head coach John McMenamin.

Northwest started the scoring on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Chris Ruhnke to Jackson Miller. Kicker Mo Alwaely though the extra point wide right. The Bearcats extended the lead when Ruhnke hit Dominic Myers for an 18-yard touchdown strike late in the opening quarter.    

The Bearcat defense limited Washburn to 14 yards of offense in the first half and only one first down. Washburn rushed for -19 yards in the opening 30 minutes. Northwest tallied 211 total yards and 13 first downs in the first half, leading Washburn at halftime 13-0.

The Bearcats got back onto the scoreboard extending their lead in the third quarter, Myers scoring his first career rushing touchdown on a 13-yard carry.  Northwest defensive back Jackson Torry forced a fumble and it was recovered by Michael Harrison at the 23-yard line late in the third quarter. Zechariah Owens hit Gannon Gragert for a 17-yard touchdown pass with Northwest facing and fourth-and-4 on the opening play of the fourth quarter for Gragert’s first touchdown reception as a Bearcat, giving Northwest a 27-0 lead. 

The Ichabods ended the shutout attempt when Washburn quarterback Justin Lewis hit D.J. Bell for a 69-yard touchdown pass.  Northwest tacked on its final score of the game when Quincy Torry carried it in from a yard out. Torry’s first collegiate touchdown capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive that consumed more than six minutes of the fourth quarter.

Ruhnke was 17-for-27 with 190 yards through the air with one touchdown and one interception.  Owens was 9-for-12 with 59 yards passing and two touchdowns  Owens also added 12 carries for 71 yards on the ground.  Myers rushed 11 times for 50 yards and a score, he was also the leading receiver with three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

After playing its first two games on the road, Northwest will play its first home contest of the season onSaturday. Northwest will play host to Texas A&M-Kingsville in a non-conference game at Bearcat Stadium. Kick is set for 1:30 p.m.

Ravens comeback attempt held off as top seed Grandview prevails

Top-ranked Grand View University won the turnover battle as they held off upset-minded Benedictine in the second Heart-UEN Clash of the Week.

The No. 4-ranked Ravens outscored the Vikings 17-13 in the second half, but couldn’t overcome the 14 points that Grand View scored off two of the Ravens three turnovers as Grand View earned a 27-24 win.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Vikings found the end zone twice in the second quarter, Jackson Waring throwing a eight yard touchdown pass early in the quarter to Aisea Toki and Dalten Van Pelt capping off a 10 play drive late in the frame with a four yard rushing score, before Benedictine scored on a one yard rush from Xavier Ugorgi with nine seconds left in the half to head to the locker room up 14-7 at halftime.

Christian Klobe connected on a 29-yard field goal for Benedictine’s only points of the third quarter before Grand View extended their advantage to 21-10, Waring connecting again with Toki on a 29 yard touchdown pass, headed into the fourth quarter.

The Ravens limited Grand View to a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter while scoring on a pair of passing touchdowns of their own. Jackson Dooley connected on two touchdown passes to Tanner Zimmerman in the fourth quarter of 60 yards and six yards, the second of which came with just over one minute left in the game and pulled the Ravens within three points.

 Dooley went 24 of 39 for 324 yards but finished with two interceptions to go along with his two touchdowns. Zimmerman finished with 97 yards on five receptions with the two touchdowns. Ugorgi had 66 yards rushing on 17 carries with a score.

Benedictine returns home on Saturday to celebrate their annual Stars & Stripes Day at 1 p.m. against Graceland University. 

Kansas State struggles to capitalize on opportunities falling to Army

Army quarterback Cale Hellums accounted for three touchdowns that included a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:52 left to help Army beat Kansas State 24-21.

The Wildcats built a lead through the first half with 13 unanswered points.  A 34 yard field goal from Luis Rodriguez was the lone score of the first quarter, before Avery Johnson connected with Jaron Tibbs for a 32 yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to extend the lead.   Late in the first half, Rodriguez knocked through a 38 yard field goal to move the Kansas State lead to 13-0

Hellums tossed a two yard touchdown pass to Brady Anderson to end the first half for his first score of the game to cut into the lead, sending the teams to the locker room at the halftime break with a 13-7 score.  But coming after halftime, Hellums gave Army the lead late in the third quarter, rushing for a one yard score.

The Wildcats special teams unit got the Kansas State the lead back near the end of the third quarter, a 99 yard kickoff return by Bryce Noernberg going for the touchdown, with a two point conversion pass from Johnson to Tibbs being complete making it a one possession game. 

Army cut the lead to 21-17 with 10:46 left on a 35 yard field goal by Dawson Jones, and then attempted a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff, hoping to avoid another long return. It caromed off a K-State player and Army recovered on its own 44.  On the ensuing drive, Hellums put together a 14 play drive that ended with what would be the game winning score, a 14 yard rushing touchdown by himself.

Kansas State’s final drive ended when Avery Johnson threw an interception just past midfield. It was just the 10th home nonconference loss for Kansas State since 1990.  The key for the Black Knights was going six of seven on fourth down.

Johnson finished 15-of-25 passing for 172 yards and threw one touchdown pass. Tibbs finished with five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.  On the ground, Joe Jackson had seven carries for 30 yards.

Up next, Kansas State (1-2)play at Arizona on Friday. Even though both teams are in the Big 12, it will be a nonconference game.  Kickoff is at 8pm and the game will air on Fox.

Nebraska dominates Akron in shutout victory to stay undefeated

Dylan Raiola threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns and Emmett Johnson ran for 140 yards and scored three times to lead Nebraska past Akron 68-0.

The Cornhuskers turned in their most prodigious offensive performance against a Bowl Subdivision opponent in more than a decade. They recorded their most points in a game since 2007 and most yards in a game since 2014 with 728 total yards of offense.  Nebraska also posted its first shutout since a 33-0 Holiday Bowl win over Arizona in 2009. The Zips, who opened the season with a 10-0 loss to Wyoming at home, were held scoreless for a second straight game.

Johnson broke a 47-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening possession, caught a four yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and ran six yards for a score in the third for his three scores. Johnson was the first Nebraska player with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Anthony Grant had three straight to open the 2022 season.

Raiola gave way to freshman backup TJ Lateef after he threaded a perfect strike to Dane Key in the end zone for a 47-0 lead in the third quarter. Raiola set the Nebraska record for consecutive completions. After connecting on his final 11 passes against Cincinnati last week, he hit on his first nine against Akron. The 20 completions broke the record of 15 by Dave Humm against Kansas in 1974.

Akron did have two good chances to score its first points of the season. But Owen Wiley’s 49-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright in the final seconds of the first half, and Riley Van Poppel blocked Wiley’s 33-yard try in the third quarter.

Up next, Nebraska hosts Houston Christian on Saturday.  Kickoff is at 11am and the game will air on FS1.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.