CFB: Cats dominates Top 25 matchup, Ravens blowout Peru State, Tigers win homecoming

By MATT PIKE

Bearcats roar past Bronchos for Top 25 win on Family Weekend

The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats secured a decisive 38-16 victory over No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma at Bearcat Stadium.

The Bearcats executed a balanced attack with 409 total yards of offense, highlighted by a 68-yard touchdown pass from Chris Ruhnke to Jackson Miller that contributed to a 24-9 scoring surge in the second half.

On their second possession of the game, Bearcats quarterback Chris Ruhnke executed a 54-yard touchdown run, concluding a 78-yard drive and securing an early lead. Central Oklahoma responded though with a 75-yard drive, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown run by Dev Matthews, to level the score, the first quarter ending with both teams tied at 7-7.

 As the second quarter wound down, Northwest Missouri State struck with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ruhnke to Nash, extending their lead with 48 seconds remaining on the clock in the first half. The scoring drive was set up by a 17-yard punt return by Dominic Myers. The half closed with the Bearcats ahead, 14-7.

Northwest Missouri State opened the third quarter with a scoring drive, covering 75 yards. Ruhnke connected with Nash on a 24-yard pass to set the tone, and Te’Shaun Porter capped the drive with a one yard touchdown rush to extend the lead. The Bearcats defensive unit then held firm, allowing only a 32-yard field goal from Joseph Kim to Central Oklahoma, maintaining a significant advantage.

Later in the quarter, Northwest Missouri State’s offense continued its efficiency, embarking on another 75-yard march. Quincy Torry’s four yard rush into the end zone increased the lead further, with Mo Alwaely’s successful extra point making it 28-10.  

The fourth quarter began with a defensive stand by Northwest Missouri State, as Cooper Berry and Nile Schuett combined for a tackle for loss on a 4th-and-2 attempt by Central Oklahoma, resulting in a turnover on downs. The Bearcats capitalized swiftly, with Ruhnke connecting with Jackson Miller for a 68-yard touchdown pass, extending their lead. 

Central Oklahoma responded with a touchdown drive, capped by William Mason’s 11-yard rush, but they failed to convert on the subsequent two-point attempt. Northwest Missouri State’s next possession saw them drive into field goal range, where Alwaely successfully kicked a 40-yard field goal for the final score of the game.

Ruhnke completed 9-of-17 passes for 194 yards and threw two touchdowns while also rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Nash led the receiving corps with five receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Porter carried the ball 14 times for 42 yards, finding the end zone once. 

Next up, after a week off, Northwest  (4-1, 3-0 MIAA) hits the road to travel to Central Missouri to continue MIAA play on October 11th.  Kickoff will be at 1pm.

Missouri gets dominant homecoming win, Pribula has record setting day

Beau Pribula completed a Missouri-record 21 straight passes, Ahmad Hardy ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns and #20 Missouri beat UMass 42-6 at Faurot Field to continue their undefeated start to the season.

Hardy sparked the Tigers’ opening drive, gaining 41 yards on four carries before limping off the field after a tackle. While Hardy headed to the medical tent, Jamal Roberts finished off the drive with a nine yard touchdown run.  UMass capitalized on a mistake by Pribula when linebacker Timmy Hinspeter returned an interception 63 yards to the 21. Six plays later, AJ Hairston threw a two yard scoring pass to Max Dowling, but Mizzou defensive tackle Sterling Webb blocked the extra point to keep it 7-6.

After that, it was all Tigers.  Hardy had rushing touchdowns of five yards and one yard in the first half to send Mizzou to the halftime break with a 21-6 lead.  After halftime, Hardy added a 16 yard rushing touchdown, Pribula threw a nine yard touchdown pass to Brett Norfleet, and Tavorus Jones capped the scoring early in the fourth quarter with a three yard rushing touchdown.

Pribula played virtually flawless after the interception, completing 21 consecutive passes to break the school record of 20 set by Chase Daniel in 2008. Pribula finished 26 of 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown.  Kevin Coleman Jr. led the Tigers in receiving with 12 catches for 108 yards.

Hardy entered the weekend as the No. 2 rusher in FBS. It was his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game. The Tigers rushed for 268 yards, with Roberts chipping in 52 yards and backup Marquise Davis adding 77 yards, all in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers’ pass defense bounced back after allowing 302 yards passing last week to South Carolina, allowing just 105 yards through the air to UMass.  Missouri’s run defense allowed only 19 yards on the ground a week after holding South Carolina to -9 yards rushing.

Up next, Missouri (5-0, 1-0 SEC) will have a bye wek this week.  The Tigers will host #17 Alabama on October 11th.  Kickoff is scheduled for 11am

Strong start, but late scores lead to narrow defeat for MoWest on road

The Missouri Western State University Griffons dropped a hard-fought battle on the road, falling 31-23 on the road at Fort Hays State at Lewis Field Stadium.

Fort Hays State opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Caleb Heavner connected with Joshua Clark for a 17-yard touchdown pass.  But, MoWest responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by Spencer Sprenger’s 24-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 7-3 with 3:58 left.  The Griffons struck again late in the first quarter. After a Hays fumble was recovered by Drew Scott at the Tigers’ 26-yard line, Kane Donovan hit Damir Abdullah on a four-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds remaining in the quarter, and Sprenger’s point after gave the Griffons the lead at the end of the quarter.

Hays took the lead back to open the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown run by Curtis Douglas.  Late in the quarter, the Griffons responded with a 26-yard field goal from Sprenger to cut the deficit to one point with 1:07 left until halftime.  The game swung in MoWest’s favor when Heavner was picked off by TreVon Holmes, giving the Griffons a first down at their own 40 yard line with 32 seconds left.  Standing at the Hays 44-yard line with three seconds on the clock, Donovan connected with Malik Moore on a 44-yard Hail Mary as time expired, lifting MoWest to a 20-14 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, after the Griffons turned it over on downs on the opening series of the second half, Hays cut into the deficit with a 41-yard field goal by David Arriaga at the 4:24 mark of the third quarter, narrowing the Griffon lead to three to start the fourth.  In the final quarter, MoWest scored its only points of the half on a 35-yard field goal by Sprenger to extend the lead to 23-17 with 14:43 to play.

Hays quickly answered, however, with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Heavner to Tariq Logan to take the lead back at 24-23.  After that, MoWest struggled to find offensive momentum after falling behind punting the ball away on two straight drives, and the Tigers took advantage, as Curtis Douglas broke free on a 59-yard rushing touchdown, putting Fort Hays up 31-23 with 2:40 remaining.

MoWest had one last chance to tie it. Driving all the way to the Hays’ 11-yard line with 11 seconds left, Donovan’s pass intended for Moore fell incomplete on fourth down in the end zone, allowing Hays to take over on downs with just three seconds left.

Donovan completed a career-best 30 passes on 45 attempts for a career-high 314 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.  Moore led the way receiving wise with four catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, while Damir Abdullah added five receptions for 53 yards and a score.  Brandon Hall had 16 carries for 57 rushing yards. .

Missouri Western (1-3, 0-2 MIAA) is back home on Saturday to face Emporia State. Kickoff in that game is set for 6 p.m.  It will be MoWest’s annual Homecoming game and part of a weekend-long celebration, honoring 50 years of women’s athletics at Missouri Western State University.

#3 Benedictine dominates Peru State on Family Weekend in Atchison

The Benedictine Ravens put together another big win at Larry Wilcox Stadium.  The #3 Ravens defeated the Peru State College Bobcats, 70-30.

The Ravens found themselves in a hole early in the game after the Bobcats put the first 10 points on the board thanks to a 23 yard field goal from Parker Cushing and a two yard touchdown pass from CJ Dixon to Bryant Thomas. However, the Ravens had a big answer.

Jackson Dooley connected with Titan Osburn for a 53-yard yard touchdown for the Ravens first points late in the opening quarter.  Then, early in the second quarter, Xavier Ugorji capped off a Ravens drive with a touchdown plunge to put the Ravens in front, 14-10. After a Bobcats turnover, the Ravens reached into their bag of tricks and hit the Bobcats with a 40-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead even more as Dooley found Joseph Lagafuaina for a 40-yard score on a flea-flicker.

The Bobcats responded with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Dixon to Daylan Jones to trim the Ravens lead to 21-16, but it was the home team scoring the final 21 points of the half to take a 42-16 lead into the halftime break as long rushes by JJ Jackson and Xiomar Hernandez set up Ugorji’s second rushing touchdown of the first half, then Dooley finished another Ravens drive with a quarterback sneak touchdown. After the Ravens got the ball back with just 1:04 to play, they quickly drove down the field and Dooley passed to Osburn for his second touchdown of the half with 14 seconds left on the clock.

The Bobcats opened the scoring in the second half with an 11 yard touchdown pass as for a second time Dixon connected with Thomas.  But, the Ravens continued hitting big plays in the second half as Dooley had a 79-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Zimmerman to extend the lead again. Jackson and Hernandez both had touchdown runs in the third quarter as well, of one and two yards respectively, to give Benedictine a 63-23 lead going into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Dixon rushed for a two yard touchdown for the final points for the Bobcats, before Robbie Sharp scored on a three yard touchdown run putting the final points on the board in a 40-point Ravens win.

The Ravens had six rushing touchdowns on the day as they put up 243 yards. Ugorji led the team with 86 yards and Jackson ran for 70.  Dooley passed for 359 yards and had four touchdown tosses. Zimmerman hauled in five catches for 134 yards and Osburn had  three catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

The Ravens (4-1) will hit the road for their next contest on Saturday at Missouri Baptist.  Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.

Kansas State snaps two game skid, gets first Big 12 win over UCF

Avery Johnson threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns, Dylan Edwards ran for 166 yards and another score, and Kansas State held on to beat UCF 34-20 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, snapping a two game losing skid, and earning its first Big 12 win of the season.

Johnson also ran for 75 yards, and the Wildcats  piled up 268 yards on the ground, while their defense made a critical fourth-down stop with just over four minutes left after the Knights had closed to within 31-20.

Kansas State opened the scoring in the game after a scoreless first quarter with a field goal, Luis Rodriguez knocking through a 38 yard field goal.  The Knights were rolling off a 34-9 rout of North Carolina, but Kansas State must have had plenty of time to scout them during their bye. The Wildcats shut down the UCF offense even before Tayven Jackson got hurt with 10:48 left in the first half.

Jacurri Brown entered the game and immediately threw an interception, leading to Joe Jackson’s touchdown run for Kansas State, and a 10-0 lead.  UCF finally got a big play moments later, when Brown hit DJ Black down the sideline. Kansas State’s Wesley Fair missed a tackle, and the resulting 82-yard touchdown rception was the longest by a Knights player since Doug Gabriel’s 83-yarder in 2001.

But the Wildcats answered with a 73-yard touchdown march, and Will Anciaux’s catch from Johnson with 45 seconds remaining gave them a 17-7 lead at the halftime break.

Not much changed after halftime. Brown and the Knights went three-and-out to start the third quarter, and Kansas State added to the lead with another long touchdown drive, Garrett Oakley catching a one yard touchdown pass from Johnson. And when Jackson’s surprising return sparked the UCF offense, Brown came in to run a sneak on fourth down, and the backup quarterback promptly fumbled the ball away.

The Wildcats did have to punt on the drive following the fumble, and UCF got a 53 yard field goal from Noe Ruelas on the ensuing drive.  But, Edwards added a 75-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter, helping to put the game out of UCF’s reach extending the lead to 31-10.

The Knights did add a touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 54 yard touchdown run from Jaden Nixon.  In the fourth quarter though, it was just field goals knocked through by both teams, a 40 yard field goal from Ruelas and a 48 yard field goal by Rodriguez.  

On top of Johnson and Edwards, Jaron Tibbs led the team in receiving with eight catches for 72 yards.  Kansas State has never lost to UCF in three meetings.

Up next, Kansas State (2-3, 1-1 Big 12) heads to Baylor on Saturday.  Kickoff will be at 11am and the game will air on ESPN+

Late score gives Cincinnati victory over Kansas at the Booth

Tawee Walker scored on a two yard touchdown run with 29 seconds left to help lift Cincinnati to a 37-34 victory over Kansas at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Kansas struck quickly on a 93-yard touchdown pass from Jalon Daniels to Emmanuel Henderson on the Jayhawks’ first play from scrimmage. Cincinnati responded with a methodical 13-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a  two yard touchdown run by Walker. The Bearcats attempted and succeeded on two fourth-down conversions on the drive.

In the second quarter, with the game tied at seven, the teams exchanged field goals, with Stephen Rusnak knocking through a 29 yard field goal for Cincinnati and Laith Marjan hitting a 27 yard field goal for the Jayhawks.  Tied at 10, the Bearcats took the lead on a 10 yard touchdown pass from Brendan Sorsby to Cyrus Allen.  Late in the quarter the teams exchanged field goals again as Marjan hit a 35 yard field goal, and Rusnak nailed a 43 yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Bearcats a 20-13 lead at halftime. 

Kansas took the opening drive of the second half and marched 75 yards for the tying score. Daniels found Boden Groen on a 24-yard, wide-open touchdown pass. But Cincinnati answered with a 14-yard Sorsby to Allen touchdown to retake the lead.

Daniels found  Henderson for a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game at 27-all. Cincinnati had first-and-goal inside the one yard line but had to settle for a 24-yard  Rusnak field goal to take a 30-27 lead into the final quarter of action.

Daniels put Kansas  ahead 34-30 with a late score, with 1:45 left on the clock when he found Levi Wentz for a six yard touchdown. But there was too much time for Sorsby and the Bearcats.  Cincinnati drove 75 yards in 1:16 for the game-winning score.

Daniels threw for four touchdowns and 445 yards.  LeShon Williams rushed 10 times for 64 yards, while Daniels added 14 rushes for 55 yards.  Henderson had five catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns

Next, Kansas (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) travels to UCF on Saturday.  Kickoff is at 6:30pm and the game will air on ESPN2.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.