CFB: Griffons snap losing skid, Bearcats shutout Lopers, Mizzou falls short

By MATT PIKE

#15 Missouri falls to #10 Vanderbilt as last second Hail Mary falls short

Diego Pavia dove across the goal line for a one yard touchdown with 1:52 left as No. 10 Vanderbilt beat #15 Missouri 17-10 to extend the Commodores’ best start in more than 80 years.

Vanderbilt improved to 7-1 overall  putting the Commodores a win off the 1941 squad that started 8-1. It’s also the first time Vanderbilt has won seven games before November since 1915, a squad that had one of the program’s four nine-win seasons.  Better yet, three wins have come against AP Top 25 teams, a first in Vanderbilt history.

Safety CJ Heard set up the winning drive for Vanderbilt by recovering a fumble by Jamal Roberts with 7:02 left.  The finish though didn’t come without plenty of drama.  Sedrick Alexander initially was ruled by officials to have fumbled at the one yard line, only to be overturned upon review with 1:49 left. Pavia finished the drive on the next play.

Missouri lost quarterback Beau Pribula early in the third quarter when he hurt his left ankle on fourth-and-goal. Trainers placed his ankle in an air cast and carted him off the field.  Freshman Matt Zollers, who threw a six yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman tight end Jude James early in the fourth to tie it at 10, tried to tie it once more. He threw to Kevin Coleman Jr. as time expired and was ruled an incompletion. After review, officials said Coleman caught the ball short of the goal line.

Makhilyn Young put Vandy up 10-3 lead late in the third with an 80-yard touchdown run.  The game was tied at halftime 3-3 after Robert Meyer hit a 39 yard field goal for Missouri and Brock Taylor, who hasn’t missed since a double overtime loss last season at Missouri, hit38-yard field goal with 2:00 left in the first half.

Missouri has dominated this series since joining the SEC in 2012. Zollers finished the game going 14 of 23 for 138 yards through the air with a touchdown.  Ahmad Hardy, the SEC’s best rusher and third in the country, ran for 97 yards on 20 carries.

Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC) now has an open date before hosting #3 Texas A&M on Nov. 8.  Kickoff time for that game is still TBD.

Bearcats shutout UNK in defensive Homecoming battle

The #16 Northwest Missouri State University football squad etched a 14-0 blanking of the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Homecoming, marking the first shutout of the season and the second straight game they have not allowed an opponent touchdown.

After a scoreless first quarter, that saw Nebraska Kearney throw an interception and Northwest fumbling, along with both teams exchanging punts, the Bearcats found the scoreboard late in the second as Zechariah Owens rushed in for a three yard score.  Northwest did attempt a 46 yard field goal near the end of the half, but Mo Alwaely missed and it was 7-0 at the halftime break.  

Both teams were again scoreless in the third quarter, Northwest fumbling on their opening drive of the second half, and on the ensuing drive UNK throwing an interception, before both teams exchanged punts.  The Bearcats added to their lead in the fourth quarter with the only other score of the game, early in the frame, as Te’Shaun Porter rushed for a seven yard touchdown.  

Northwest limited UNK to six first downs and 111 total yards. UNK rushed the ball 29 times for 72 yards. UNK went 9-of-20 passing for 39 yards and three interceptions.  Bearcat senior defensive lineman Nile Schuett was honored as the Don Black Award winner, given to the MVP of the Northwest Homecoming game.

Chris Ruhnke was 12-of-24 through the air for 121 yards with one interception.  Quincy Torry rushed 19 times for 65 yards.  Porter rushed eight times for 41 yards and score while Owens added seven rushes for 42 yards and a touchdown.  Madixx Morris had six catches for 65 yards.  Porter added four catches for 42 yards.

Northwest (7-1, 6-0 MIAA) will be in the road next week at Emporia State. Kick is set for 1 p.m.

Griffons snap losing skid with gritty win on rainy Saturday in Joplin

Missouri Western State University broke a five-game losing streak and rushed for 200 yards in a 19-12 win at Missouri Southern on a rainy, breezy and cool afternoon at Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin.

MoWest, scoring both its first conference win and road win of the season, scored their first 10 points within the first 7:15 of the game, leading 10-0 with 7:45 left first quarter behind a 25 yard field goal by Spencer Sprenger and a seven yard touchdown run by Rickie Dunn.  Crew Myers had a 57-yard punt return to set up Dunn’s score that capped a drive that needed just the one play.  

Southern, who was forced to punt on each of their first three drives, was gifted a short field after recovering a fumble at the Griffons 37-yard line and scored a touchdown five plays later as Tillman Martin threw a nine yard strike to Isaiah Green to narrow the lead to three.  MoWest though extended the lead in the second quarter, a four-yard touchdown run by Brandon Hall with 6:57 left in the second quarter, giving the Griffs a 16-7 lead which they would take into the halftime break.

Things went a little haywire to start the second half for MoWest. The Griffons got the ball to start the half, but went three-and-out and had their ensuing punt blocked by Southern.  The ball rolled into the Griffon endzone and MoWest’s Gavin Bell recovered the ball and threw it out of the back of the endzone for a safety, preventing the Lions from scoring an easy touchdown.  Southern then added a field goal on their ensuing drive, again narrowing the lead to just one score with 10:01 to go in the third quarter.

From that point, the Griffons defense stood firm, holding the Lions to a combined 64 yards of offense on their last four possessions, forcing Southern to punt three more times. The Lions punted seven times in all.  The big turning point happened with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter. After Mason Grove drilled a 45-yard field goal with 11:45 to go, putting the Griffons up by seven, TreVon Holmes nabbed an interception on the very next play of the ensuing drive.

Southern still had one last chance to tie it, taking over at their own six-yard line with 5:46 to go, but the Griffs again forced Southern to punt. The Griffons took back over with 3:26 to go, and were able to run out the remaining time.

Hall finished with season-highs in carries, yards, and touchdowns, rushing 25 times for 129 yards and a touchdown. He now has 16 career rushing scores, tying him for 10th most all-time in school history.  Dunn finished with 11 carries for 51 yards and a score. Kane Donovan completed 10-of-17 passes for 108 yards and an interception. Michael Haggerty had three catches for 39 yards while Chris Floyd Jr. had two receptions for 27 yards.

MoWest returns home Saturday to face Washburn. Kickoff from Spratt Stadium is set for 2 p.m. The game will be televised locally on 38 The Spot (Optimum Channel 17 in St. Joseph).

#3 Ravens get crushing Homecoming win scoring 78 unanswered points

#3 Benedictine scored 70 points for the second time this season and remained undefeated in Heart South play.  After William Woods opened the game with a field goal, the Ravens answered with 78 unanswered points en route to a 78-3 win over the Owls.

Benedictine answered the William Woods field goal with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Dooley to Tanner Zimmerman. The score opened up the floodgates as the Ravens pulled ahead 51-3 by halftime after scoring four more times through the air, two times on the ground and one time on a blocked punt.

Xavier Ugorji rushed for a 14 yard touchdown in the first quarter, and a one yard touchdown to open the second quarter.  Blake Dapkus returned the blocked punt 16 yards for the score as the final touchdown of the opening quarter.  Dooley also connected with Titan Osburn twice in the second quarter for touchdowns, a long pass of 62 yards going for a score and another of 17 yards. 

Tyler Watson scored the other rushing touchdown and the Ravens special teams unit also recorded a safety, a bad snap on a punt forced William Woods punter Justin Sharkey to roll out, and attempting to get rid of it Benedictine blocked the punt backwards and as the ball rolled Sharkey kicked it out of the back of the endzone for the safety.

The Ravens added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, a pass from Mark Harris to David Wilburn for 14 yards, and a two yard rush by Derrick Overstreet. They added two more in the fourth quarter, scoring on a nine yard rush by Robbie Sharp and a 56-yard rush by Luke McCormick, which capped the scoring.

Benedictine finished with 268 yards rushing as six players recorded a rush. Dooley and Harris combined for 278 yards in the air as the Ravens finished the game with 546 total yards on offense.  McCormick led the Ravens with 118 yards on nine carries while Overstreet finished with 51 yards.

Dooley threw for 218 yards on 9 of 12 passing while Harris went 4 of 5 with 60 yards.  Osburn and Zimmerman anchored the receiving corp. Osburn finished with 98 yards on three catches with two touchdowns while Zimmerman finished with 64 yards on two catches, also scoring a touchdown.

Benedictine remains at home next week, hosting Missouri Valley College for Atchison Community Day at 1 p.m.

Wildcats take 17th straight Sunflower Showdown over Jayhawks

Avery Johnson threw for 231 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Kansas State returned a fumble 20 yards for another score, and the Wildcats routed Kansas 42-17  for their 17th consecutive victory in the Sunflower Showdown.

Johnson ran for two TDs and threw for two more, including a 78-yard strike to Jayce Brown, who finished with four catches for 160 yards. Joe Jackson added 69 yards on the ground, helping the Wildcats to run out the clock late.

Meanwhile, the Jayhawks still have not beaten their rival since Nov. 1, 2008, seven head coaches ago. l Kansas State made life especially miserable on a cold, wet day for Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who was 17 of 35 for 129 yards with an interception in his final Sunflower Showdown. The Wildcats piled up four sacks and seven tackles-for-loss.

Daniels did have a touchdown run for the Jayhawks, while Daniel Hishaw Jr. ran for 67 yards and a score.

The opening half Saturday was an exercise in polar-opposite quarters.  The first quarter was downright crazy.  Kansas State fumbled the opening kickoff, leading to a quick touchdown by Kansas on a six yard run by Daniels. Then the Wildcats answered with a long touchdown drive, Johnson answering with a two yard rushing score, before the Wildcats held the Jayhawks, then Ralph Ortiz scooped up a poor snap on the punt and returned it for another score, giving  Kansas State a 14-7 advantage.

Kansas State added one more score before the end of the first quarter as Johnson threw his first passing score of the day, connecting with Jaron Tibbs for a 27 yard touchdown to extend the lead.  But, the Jayhawks weren’t done quite yet.

They took over midway through the second quarter and made it seem downright boring, grinding away on an 18-play, 85-yard drive in which they converted four third downs and soaked up more than eight and a half minutes. By the time Hishaw barreled into the end zone to make it 21-14, the Wildcats had enough time to run just one play before the halftime break.

The good feelings for Kansas didn’t last as they so often haven’t in the rivalry.  The Jayhawks went three-and-out on their opening two series of the second half, and Kansas State capitalized on an interception of Daniels to extend the lead, with DeVon Rice’s touchdown plunge making it 28-14 midway through the third quarter.

The decisive blow came moments later, after the Jayhawks had settled for a 47 yard field goal by Laith Marjan. On the next play from scrimmage, Johnson found Brown in stride down the Kansas sideline, and he hauled in the heave for a 78-yard touchdown reception.

Late in the fourth quarter, Johnson put the final seal on the game with a three yard touchdown run for the final score of the game.  Along with his 231 passing yards, going 11-for-17 through the air, Johnson rushed for 17 yards.  

Up next, Kansas State(4-4, 3-2 Big 12) returns home to play #14 Texas Tech on Saturday.  Kickoff time is TBD.  

Meanwhile, Kansas (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) also stays home to play Oklahoma State on Saturday.  Kickoff is at 3pm and the game will air on ESPN+.

Huskers blow lead, but grind out win over Northwestern

Emmett Johnson scored the tie-breaking touchdown on a four yard run with 2:44 left, and Nebraska ended Northwestern’s four-game winning streak with a 28-21 victory to become bowl eligible for the second straight season.

The Cornhuskers bounced back from a loss at Minnesota last week, but not before some anxious moments after they squandered a 15-point lead.  Dylan Raiola converted four third-down passes on the winning 13-play, 64-yard drive that chewed 6:27 off the clock. The Wildcats turned the ball over on downs, and Nebraska ran out the clock.

After Johnson opened the scoring for Nebraska with a six yard touchdown run and Northwestern kicker Jack Olsen knocked through kicks of 40 yards and 25 yards, putting Nebraska up by just one point at halftime, the Huskers ended up with a 21-6 lead, which they held midway through the third quarter after Kenneth Williams’ 95-yard kick return and Nyziah Hunter’s diving catch for a 12 yard touchdown reception from Raiola.

The Wildcats drove 78 yards to pull within 21-13 on Caleb Komolafe’s four yard run, and on their next possession Komolafe bounced to the outside and ran free for a 56-yard touchdown. Preston Stone threw to Hayden Eligon II under pressure for the two point conversion to tie up the game.

Northwestern was in position to take the lead when Mac Uihlein picked off Raiola to set up the Wildcats at the Nebraska 34. But a holding penalty was followed by the Huskers getting the ball back when Stone threw an interception over the middle to waiting linebacker Javin Wright.  Wright’s interception set up what would be the game winning drive, ending with Johnson’s four yard run. 11 of the last 14 meetings have been one-score games.

Johnson had a career-high 27 carries and finished with 124 yards as Nebraska leaned into the run game after Minnesota sacked Raiola nine times. Raiola was 16 of 22, his second-fewest attempts in 21 career games, for 141 yards.

Next, Nebraska (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) hosts USC on Saturday.  Kickoff will be at 6:30pm on NBC.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.