CFB: Bearcats dominant second half, Griffons walk off penalty win, Ravens dominant again

By MATT PIKE

Bearcats run away in second half for continued dominance over Emporia

#14 Northwest Missouri State University secured a commanding 41-14 victory over Emporia State University on the road highlighted by four rushing touchdowns and 208 all-purpose yards from Dominic Myers.

The victory extends Northwest’s dominance in the series, as they now hold a 38-3 lead all-time over Emporia State.

The Hornets got on the scoreboard first with a 55-yard touchdown run by Diego Cearns in the first quarter, but after the Bearcats orchestrated a methodical drive Chris Ruhnke connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Luke Mathews to equalize the score.  Later, in the quarter’s closing moments, the Bearcats capitalized on a 66-yard drive, which finished with Myers’ first score of the day, a 25-yard touchdown run, to secure a 14-7 lead, which was also the score at the halftime break.

Northwest opened the third quarter with a defensive stop, halting the Hornets’ drive by forcing a turnover on downs at the Emporia 45-yard line. Quincy Torry’s 15-yard rush set the tone for a strong drive, culminating in five yard touchdown run from Myers. Momentum continued to swing in favor of Northwest Missouri State when Carter Edwards intercepted a pass at the Hornets 24 and returned it to the  three yard line. The turnover was quickly converted into points with a three yard touchdown run by Torry.

A 31-yard touchdown pass from Ruhnke to Myers, though followed by a missed extra point, pushed the score to 34-7. Despite the Hornets’ late touchdown, an eight yard pass from Jamison Sarver to Malik O’Atis, Northwest Missouri State maintained a decisive lead, closing the third quarter ahead.

Myers showcased his rushing ability with a 21-yard run in the fourth quarter, setting up Northwest Missouri State deep in the Hornets’ territory. Ruhnke capped the drive with a  four yard touchdown run, extending the lead after a successful extra point by Alwaely for the final score of the game.

Ruhnke completed 18 of 30 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, adding 38 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Myers contributed significantly with 100 rushing yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns, marking his second 100-yard rushing game this season, while also catching eight passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Torry added 53 rushing yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.  

Northwest (8-1, 7-0 MIAA) will next face off against Missouri Western on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium in a rivalry matchup.

Walk off penalty secures thrilling win for MoWest over Washburn

Missouri Western State University scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:44 remaining and the defense held in the final seconds as MoWest topped Washburn, 27-24.

The Griffons scored first on an 11-play, 71-yard drive ended by a 14-yard touchdown run by Brandon Hall.  Washburn answered, scoring 10 unanswered points, a 28 yard field goal by Aidan Battle near the end of the first quarter and a Ropp,Weston 13 yd pass from Logan Madden to Weston Ropp giving the Ichabods the lead late in the second quarter, the touchdown coming after Washburn recovered a MoWest fumble at the Griffon 27-yard line, and scored five plays later to grab the lead.

The Griffons though drove 72 yards on 11 plays right before halftime, Lattrel Armstrong’s first career field goal from 33 yards out tying the game, 10-10, at the halftime break.

On their second series of the second half, MoWest took advantage of a short field, and Armstrong knocked through a career-long 44-yard field goal to put the Griffons back in front in the third quarter.  Late in the third, the Griffons got the ball back late in the third quarter and marched 79 yards on five plays finishing with a 33-yard touchdown run by Hall to give MoWest a 20-10 advantage headed to the final quarter.

Washburn responded quickly, completing four passes, one of them  a 10-yard touchdown pass from Keller Hurla to Henry Mohrmann to make it a three point game.  The Ichabods struck again quickly just three plays later when MoWest quarterback Kane Donovan was picked off by Jordan Finnesy, giving Washburn a first down at the Griffon 12.  Washburn scored just three plays later, a one yard run by Hurla, and suddenly the Ichabods led 24-20 with 10:55 to play.

Washburn did get the ball back with 7:10 to go, but a three-and-out by the MoWest defense gave the MoWest offense plenty of time to come up with a go-ahead drive.  The Griffons did just that, converting on two fourth downs in the final five minutes. The second fourth down conversion, a 4th-and-goal from the two-yard-line, saw Donovan score on a draw play, putting MoWest back on top 1:44 to go.

Washburn benefited from a pair of Griffon penalties on their final series, getting all the way to the Griffon 12-yard line with just 14 seconds left.  But, on a second down with 11 seconds left, Madden was rushed by Grant Finley, and a throwaway to the sideline  was called an intentional grounding penalty with only seven seconds left. Washburn was out of timeouts, and the 10-second runoff expired the remaining time.

Donovan finished with 213 all-purpose yards – 140 through the air and a career-best 73 yards on the ground.  Hall had a season-best 130 yards rushing on 23 carries for a season-best two rushing touchdowns.

MoWest (3-6, 2-5 MIAA) is back on the road Saturday to face #14 Northwest  at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. 

#3 Ravens cruise to victory over Missouri Valley

The #3 Benedictine Ravens Football cruised to another big victory at home, dominating all four quarters and winning 66-7 over Missouri Valley

All three phases of the game were rolling for the Ravens in the first half. The defense allowed just 54 yards in the opening half and only two first downs.

The offense capitalized on the defense’s dominance, scoring on every possession in the first half while piling up 363 yards. Xavier Ugorji rushed for 52 yards on the team’s first drive, capping it off with a one yard touchdown run.  On the next drive, it was Jackson Dooley and the passing attack going to work as he found Tanner Zimmerman for a 48-yard touchdown.

The third drive was a 35-yard score from Dooley to Titan Osburn, before a 28-0 first quarter was capped off by a blocked punt by Isaac Lopez and taken into the end zone by Blake Dapkus, his second-straight game with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

In the second quarter, Dalton Witherspoon took advantage of a fumble forced by the defense by rushing for 34 yards in two plays for score, his touchdown coming from 19 yards out. The opening half also had two more Dooley touchdowns, the first a 28-yard pass to Joseph Lagafuaina, then another scoring strike to Osburn as the Ravens took a 49-0 lead into the halftime break.

After halftime, the Ravens got a 24 yard field goal from Scotty Robertson for the only points of the third quarter.  In the final frame, Missouri Valley got onto the board with their score, a 17 yd pass from Tomele Staples to  Nate Pouliot, before Benedictine scored the final two touchdowns, both rushing, an 18 yard run by Luke McCormick and a six yard score by Derrick Overstreet as the Raven outscored the Vikings 17-7 in the second half to secure the 59-point win.

The rushing attack was strong all day for the Ravens, accumulating 311 yards on the ground. Ugorji had 84 yards on just seven carries, McCormick picked up 63 yards,  Overstreet ran for 61 yards, Robbie Sharp had 50 and Witherspoon rounded out the balanced attack with 44 yards.  Dooley finished the game 12-of-17 for 226 yards through the air and four touchdowns. Lagafuaina had four catches for 77 yards, Zimmerman had three for 67, and Osburn had the two touchdown catches for 49 yards.

Next up for the Ravens (8-1, 4-0 Heart South) is a road trip to (RV) Baker University on Saturday. The Wildcats have won five-straight games and are also unbeaten in conference play.  Kickoff is at 1pm.

Jayhawks snap losing skid with second half surge to top Oklahoma State

Jalon Daniels led four second-half touchdown drives as Kansas overcame a sluggish first half to trounce Oklahoma State 38-21, helping the Jayhawks snap a two-game losing streak.

Kansas did score on the two possessions they had in the first half.  After the Cowboys opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 12 yard passing touchdown from Zane Flores to Shamar Rigby, the Jayhawks cut into the lead with a 39 yard field goal by Laith Marjan.  Oklahoma State missed a field goal on their next drive, allowing Kansas to take the lead in the second quarter on a three yard run by Daniel Hishaw Jr, and the Jayhawks led 10-7 at the halftime break after the Cowboys missed a second field goal with no time remaining in the half.

In all through the first half, Oklahoma State ran 36 plays to Kansas’ 28 as both teams put together long drives.  The Jayhawks took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards in 10 plays to open up a two-score lead. Daniels hit Boden Groen in the back of the end zone for a thee yard touchdown pass.

After three-and-out by the Cowboys, Daniels found Bryson Canty for a five yard touchdown pass to extend lead. An Oklahoma State score drew the score within 10 points, as Flores found Gavin Freeman for a 10-yard touchdown pass, but Kansas answered with three yard and five yard touchdown runs by Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams, respectively.  Daniels handed the ball to Williams on the last 10 plays on the drive.

A two yard run by Sesi Vailahi ended the scoring for Oklahoma State with 1:19 left to play in the game.  Backup quarterback Cole Ballard knelt out the clock on the final two plays for Kansas. 

Daniels was 13-for-19 through the air for 110 yards and two touchdown passes, adding six rushes for 28 yards.  Williams rushed 14 times for 77 yards and a touchdown while Hishaw Jr ran 14 times for 65 yards and two scores.  Leyton Cure had two catches for 32 yards, Canty had two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown, and Emmanuel Henderson Jr. had two catches for 19 yards.

Next, Kansas (5-4, 3-3 Big 12)  will travel to face Arizona on Saturday.  Kickoff is at 2:30pm and the game will air on ESPN2.

Turnovers cost Kansas State as #13 Texas Tech takes advantage

Behren Morton threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns in his return from an injury, J’Koby Williams ran for 135 yards and a score, and #13 Texas Tech romped past sloppy, mistake-prone Kansas State 43-20.

Cameron Dickey also had a touchdown run for the Red Raiders, who forced five turnovers while snapping an eight-game losing streak against the Wildcats  with their first win in Manhattan since the 2008 season.

Avery Johnson threw for 199 yards and a touchdown while running for 86 and two more scores. But Kansas State’s quarterback also threw two interceptions and was responsible for a late fumble that Texas Tech returned for a touchdown.

Morton, who had been out of the lineup with a leg injury, opened the game with an interception of his own. But Johnson threw a pick right back, and it was the beginning of a messy first half in which both failed on fourth down, Kansas State lost a fumble and Texas Tech nearly did the same.

Kansas State scored the opening touchdown after a punt by the Red Raiders, on the drive following the back-to-back interceptions.  Johnson rushed for a 46 yard touchdown to give the Wildcats the early lead.  Stone Harrington hit a 29 yard field goal in the second quarter for the Red Raiders, before Texas Tech turned a fumble by Jayce Brown into a touchdown, a the one yard run by Dickey to take a 9-7 lead after Harrington missed his point after attempt.

The Red Raiders turned a three-and-out late in the first half into a 55-yard field goal to extend their lead, taking a 12-7 lead into the halftime break.  Out of halftime, to start the second half, Texas Tech turned another fumble, this time from Garrett Oakley on the fourth play of the second half, into a 41-yard run by Williams that silenced the crowd and pushed Texas Tech ahead even farther.

Johnson tried to answer with his second touchdown run for Kansas State, this time an 18 yard rushing score, but Texas Tech’s offense kept on going. Stone Harrington drilled another field goal, again from 29 yards out, and Caleb Douglas hauled in a short touchdown throw from Morton to make it 29-14 heading into the final quarter.

After the Wildcats scored with 12:44 to go, a nine yard pass from Johnson to Oakley, the Red Raiders stopped the two point try to keep it a two-score game. Later in the quarter, they stuffed Johnson for a loss on fourth down near midfield. And when the Texas Tech offense fumbled the ball right back, the Red Raiders again stopped the Wildcats on fourth down with less than six minutes to go.  Along with the slew of turnovers, the Wildcats also were 0-for-4 on fourth down.

The Texas Tech defense added to the scoring late in the fourth quarter when linebacker John Curry returned Johnson’s fumble for a touchdown with 4:52 left to put the game away.  The Red Raiders put the final stamp on the game as Morton found Douglas for a second time, this time for a 19 yard touchdown pass.

Johnson was 16-for-33 through the air for 199 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, rushing 15 times for 88 yards and two scores.  Johnson also fumbled once.  Joe Jackson added 10 runs for 25 yards.  Oakley led the way with five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.  Jaron Tibbs had three catches for 54 yards.

Kansas State (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) is off before visiting Oklahoma State on November 15th.

Huskers losing streak against Top 25 extended against #23 USC

King Miller ran for 129 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and #23 USC overcame its worst passing performance in seven years to beat Nebraska 21-17.

The Trojans came in with the nation’s top passing offense, but Jayden Maiava was just 9 of 23 for 135 yards during Nebraska’s first “Blackout” game. The Huskers dressed in all black, as did most of the juiced-up sellout crowd of more than 86,000.

The Cornhuskers lost quarterback Dylan Raiola to a right ankle injury in the third quarter and dropped their 29th straight game against a ranked opponent. Coach Matt Rhule didn’t have an update on Raiola’s status after the game.

USC was able to make up for its passing struggles with a run game that churned out 202 yards, with many of them coming on chunk plays. Miller had five of the Trojans’ 10 runs of at least 10 yards.

Nebraska led through the first half of the game, holding USC to field goals.  Raiola throw a 14 yard touchdown pass to Dane Key to cap a 14 play drive in the first quarter, following a Trojans punt on the opening drive.  Back-to-back punts ended the first quarter, and to open the second quarter USC hit the first field goal of the half, a 24 yard field goal by Ryon Sayeri.  

The Huskers were forced to punt on the ensuing drive, and Sayeri knocked through a 49 yard field goal to cut the lead to one.  Nebraska extended the lead on the next drive, an eight play drive ending with a 10 yard run by Emmett Johnson with 1:37 left until halftime.  

The Huskers led 14-6 at halftime and intercepted Jayden Maiava’s first pass of the third quarter, but fumbled on the drive following the turnover. Maiava turned into a runner on the Trojans’ next series, following a 29-yard burst with a 16-yard touchdown run and USC tied it at 14 when Miller took a direct snap, faked a pitch and ran to the corner of the end zone for the two point conversion.

Nebraska took the lead back near the start of the fourth quarter on a 39 yard field goal by Kyle Cunanan.  The Trojans though took their first lead of the game on the very next drive.  Maiava threw a 43-yard pass to Jaden Richardson on a flea-flicker and USC was at the Nebraska six yard line after DeShon Singleton was called for pass interference. Miller ran in on the next play for the go ahead, and eventual winning score.

The Huskers were pinned at their four yard line to start their final possession with 3:27 left. Freshman TJ Lateef, who replaced Raiola, scrambled for a first down. But on fourth-and-one from his 27,  Johnson slipped after he took a handoff and went down, and the Trojans ran out the clock.

Prior to the injury, Raiola was 10-for-15 through the air for 91 yards and a touchdown.  Lateef in relief was 5-for-7 for seven yards.  Johnson had 165 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.  Nyziah Hunter was the leading receiver with five catches for 30 yards and Key added two catches for 23 yards and the touchdown.

Up next, Nebraska (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) visits UCLA on Saturday.  Kickoff time is to be determined.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.