Northwest Missouri State junior outside hitter Hallie Sidney has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Central Region honorable mention team. She becomes only the second Bearcat volleyball player to earn AVCA all-region honors in the program's history.&nbsp;Maddy Bruder&nbsp;earned first-team all-region&nbsp;AVCA honors in 2018. Sidney (Chesterfield, Missouri) led the MIAA in kills (443) and kills per set (4.03). Sidney ranked No. 2 in the nation in attacks per set (13.02). Sidney was a five-time MIAA hitter of the week selection in 2019. Sidney recorded 22 kills and a career-high 23 digs in a five-set win at Missouri Western (Oct. 22).&nbsp;Sidney reached double-figure kill totals in 26 of her 29 matches. Sidney generated six 20-plus kill matches in 2019. Sidney tallied a team-best 18 double-doubles. Sidney also earned first-team all-MIAA honors in 2019. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats' Sidney earns All-Central Region volleyball honors

BOYSSAVANNAH TOURNAMENTBenton 68 (1-1)Smithville 60 MOUND CITY TOURNAMENTBishop LeBlond 80 (2-0)Nodaway-Holt 14 GIRLSSAVANNAH TOURNAMENTMaryville 44Benton 27 (0-3) WINNETONKA TOURNAMENTTruman 57Lafayette 23 (0-1) MOUND CITY TOURNAMENTBishop LeBlond 44 (2-1)Nodaway-Holt 24

City High School Basketball Scores - Tuesday, December 3

WACO, Texas – Missouri Western football freshman Trey Vaval was named second team All-American as an all-purpose player by the American Football Coaches Association.&nbsp;Vaval became the first-ever Griffon freshman to be named to the AFCA All-America team and the first from Missouri Western to receive the honor since Michael Jordan in 2015.&nbsp;In his first collegiate season, Vaval broke a 27-year-old MIAA record, averaging 35.2 yards per kickoff return. He led all of Division II with 1,110 combined kick return yards and led the MIAA in both kick return and punt return (17.7) average. Vaval's 35.2-yard kick return average was third best in DII and his 17.7-yard punt return average ranked fifth in DII. He led the MIAA and ranked second in the nation with two kickoff return touchdowns, becoming the 10th player in MIAA history to do so. Overall, Vaval returned 23 kicks for 809 yards and two touchdowns with 17 punt returns for 301 yards.&nbsp;The Blue Springs, Missouri, native was one of six MIAA players named AFCA All-American this season. Vaval and the Griffons face Henderson State, which had defensive back Mercardo Anderson named to the AFCA All-America second team, on Dec. 7 in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl. --- MWSU Athletics ---

Griffon freshman Trey Vaval earns AFCA All-America honors

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Charleston Southern came to Missouri with a losing record and one of the nation's worst offenses. The Buccaneers left with a stunning 68-60 upset over the Tigers on Tuesday. Charleston Southern made 8 of 11 3-pointers in the second half, including two 3s by Duncan Lexander and one by Travis Anderson in the last 2½ minutes when Missouri rallied. After the Tigers came within 59-57 with 1:54 left to play, Lexander dropped a 3 as did Anderson on the next Charleston Southern possession. The Bulldogs, of the Big South Conference, entered the game ranked 352nd out of 353 Division I teams in 3-point shooting, but made 10 of 22 Tuesday. Missouri made just 4 of 26 shots from beyond the arc. Lexander led the the Buccaneers (3-5) with 17 points, including five treys. Anderson scored 15, and Phlandrous Fleming 11. The Tigers (4-4) scored only three points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but forward Mitchell Smith scored 10 points in the last 10 minutes of the half to propel Missouri to a 28-23 lead at intermission. After going scoreless in the first half, Missouri forward Jeremiah Tilmon finished with 15. Guard Mark Smith scored nine for the Tigers. Starting point guard Dru Smith fouled out after scoring just two points with four rebounds, four assists and three turnovers. It was the third straight loss for the Tigers, who were favored by 26 points. BIG PICTURE Charleston Southern: The Buccaneers showed immense progress offensively against a Power 5 conference opponent. Charleston Southern had scored in the 40s in four of its previous five losses. Missouri: Slow starts have become a trend for the Tigers. In last week's losses to Butler and Oklahoma in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri fell behind 15-3 each time. Against Charleston Southern, the Tigers trailed 12-3 midway through the first half and never regained the second-half momentum they've found in the past. UP NEXT Charleston Southern: The Buccaneers will face North Carolina Central on Saturday at home. Missouri: The Tigers will play Temple on Saturday in Philadelphia. --- Associated Press ---

Mizzou gets upset at home by Charleston Southern 68-60

Northwest Missouri State junior offensive tackle Tanner Owen&nbsp;has been named to the American Football Coaches Association's first-team all-America squad. Owen (Kearney, Missouri/Kearney HS/Univ. of Missouri) has started all 38 games of his collegiate career and is a two-time first-team&nbsp;all-MIAA&nbsp;selection. Owen bolsters a Bearcat offense that ranks No. 1 in the nation in red zone scoring offense. The Bearcats have scored 39 out of 40 times in the red zone for a 97.5% scoring clip. The Bearcats rank No. 6 in the nation in scoring offense (44.8 points per game). The Bearcats have scored 38 rushing touchdowns and 29 passing touchdowns in 2019. He becomes Northwest's&nbsp;23rd&nbsp;AFCA&nbsp;first-team all-America choice in the program's history.&nbsp; Owen and the Bearcats will travel to Ferris State on Saturday for the Super Region 3 title game. Kick is set for 12 p.m. (CT) at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Michigan. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest's Owen named AFCA First Team All-American

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Keandre Cook sank a go-ahead 3-pointer and added two late free throws and Tulio Da Silva notched his second double-double of the season as Missouri State held off Murray State 71-69 on Tuesday night. Cook, who hit all seven of his free throws and scored 15, buried a 3 with 28 seconds left in the game to put the Bears (4-5) up 68-66. Cook hit a pair of foul shots with 3 seconds left to put Missouri State up 71-66. Tevin Brown hit a 3 at the buzzer for the Racers (4-4). Da Silva finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Missouri State, while Gaige Prim came off the bench to contribute 10 points, four boards and three assists. Brown paced Murray State with 19 points. Jaiveon Eaves had 14 points and six rebounds, while Anthony Smith totaled 12 points and 10 boards for his second double-double of the season. --- Associated Press ---

Cook's late burst lifts Missouri State over Murray State 71-69

Northwest Missouri State freshman Wes Dreamer has been named the&nbsp;MIAA's&nbsp;men's basketball athlete of the week. In a matchup of undefeated Division II foes, the true freshman Dreamer took off. Dreamer scored 29 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots as No. 1-ranked Northwest moved to 7-0 and dropped the Prairie Stars to 5-1. Dreamer made seven of his first eight shots from three-point and land and finished the game 10-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-10 from distance. Dreamer (Lincoln, Nebraska) is shooting 61.5% from the field, while averaging 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Northwest will open&nbsp;MIAA&nbsp;play this Thursday at Lincoln and Saturday at Central Missouri. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats' Dreamer named MIAA men's basketball Player of the Week

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Xavier Sneed had 18 points, Mike McGuirl scored 16 and Cartier Diarra provided 11 and Kansas State beat Florida A&amp;M 76-58 on Monday night. Evins Desir led the Rattlers with 18 points and eight rebounds and M.J. Randolph scored 10. The Wildcats (5-2) forced 17 turnovers and scored 18 fast break points off those mistakes as Kansas State had 20 turnovers, tied for their most this season. Kansas State outrebounded Florida A&amp;M 35-25 and scored 13 points on 12 offensive rebounds. The Rattlers (0-6) couldn't get the outside shot to fall going 1-of-11, while the Wildcats hit nine 3s. McGuirl and Sneed combined for had six 3-pointers. Kansas State shot 54% and Florida A&amp;M went 45% from the field. The Wildcats scored the first nine points of the second half in which four of the five starters scored. Kansas State led by as many as 27 in the final 20 minutes. Florida A&amp;M is in the midst of a 13-game road trip to start the season. Their first home game comes on Jan. 11 against Morgan State. The Rattlers have lost 19 straight non-conference games while Kansas State has won 33 straight non-conference games at home. BIG PICTURE Florida A&amp;M had to play a near perfect game to beat Kansas State and they were far from it. Kansas State needed a win after two losses last week. It wasn't the prettiest, but the Wildcats are back in the win column. UP NEXT Florida A&amp;M travels to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Wednesday. Kansas State takes on Marquette at home on Saturday. --- Associated Press ---

Sneed, McGuirl lead Kansas State past Florida A&M 76-58

University of Missouri junior tight end Albert Okwuegbunam has announced that he will forego his senior season at Mizzou and enter the NFL Draft. Okwuegbunam was a 2018 John Mackey Award finalist and earned 2nd Team All-SEC honors as a freshman.&nbsp;He had 26 catches for 306 yards and six touchdowns this season, and finished his MU career with 98 receptions, 1187 yards and 23 touchdowns. He is the sixth ranked tight end in the 2020 draft according to ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr. "Ever since the first time I put on a helmet and shoulder pads, playing in the NFL has been my dream," Okwuegbunam wrote on Twitter. "God-willing I've been blessed with this opportunity and I have decided to embark on that journey now. ... I'm excited for what the future holds but always will be thankful to Missouri." Okwuegbunam helped Missouri go 6-6 this season, but the school fired head coach Barry Odom on Saturday.

Mizzou TE Albert Okwuegbunam declares for the NFL Draft

IRVING, Texas – After earning co-MVP honors of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, Kansas sophomore Devon Dotson has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. Dotson won the weekly accolade in a vote by a media panel which covers the conference. This is the second time Dotson has earned a Big 12 weekly honor as last season he was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 31. In guiding Kansas to the Maui Invitational title, Dotson averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and had 13 assists and eight steals in three KU victories against Chaminade, BYU and Dayton last week. The guard out of Charlotte, North Carolina recorded career highs in points (31) and steals (5) in the 90-84 overtime win against Dayton in the Maui title game while playing all 45 minutes in the contest. Dotson was co-MVP of the Maui Invitational along with Kansas senior center Udoka Azubuike who averaged 18.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and shot 82.8 percent from the field for the tournament. Both were also named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team. Dotson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.7 points per game. He is also among the conference leaders in steals (fourth at 2.1, field goal percentage (sixth at 50.0, assists (sixth at 4.3, free throw percentage (sixth at 87.0, assist-to-turnover ratio (14th at 1.4) and minutes played (second at 35.6). No. 2 Kansas (6-1) will next play host to former conference foe No. 20 Colorado (6-0) on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. (Central) in Allen Fieldhouse. The contest will be televised on ESPN2. Colorado is coached by former Kansas forward Tad Boyle who lettered at KU from 1982-85 playing for coaches Ted Owens and Larry Brown. --- KU Athletics ---

KU's Dotson named Big 12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week

MANHATTAN, Kan. – With his 93-yard kickoff-return touchdown to open the game and set the tone for Kansas State's 27-17 victory over Iowa State, freshmen wide receiver/returner Joshua Youngblood earned his second-consecutive Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honor, the conference office announced Monday.&nbsp;Youngblood is the only true freshman in the conference this year to earn offensive, defensive or special teams player of the week honors, while he is the Big 12's first true freshman to do so in back-to-back weeks since Oklahoma's Samaje Perine won two-straight offensive honors in November of 2014.&nbsp;A native of Tampa, Florida, Youngblood became the first freshman in school history and third player overall to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It was his nation-leading third KOR score, a mark that ranks third in school and Big 12 history. He ranks first in K-State and league history in kickoff-return touchdowns among freshmen, breaking the mark of current Seattle Seahawk Tyler Lockett, who had two for the Wildcats in 2011.&nbsp;Youngblood's house call against the Cyclones was his second-straight game with a return touchdown as he took one back 100 yards against Texas Tech. He is the only player in the nation this season with KOR scores in consecutive games and the first Wildcat to do so since Morgan Burns, which was also at Texas Tech and against Iowa State.&nbsp;Youngblood leads the Big 12 in kickoff-return average at 38.1 yards per return – 12.0 yards better than any other player – and he would rank first in the nation if he had two more attempts to meet the NCAA's required minimum.&nbsp;Thanks to its 8-4 record under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, Kansas State will learn its bowl destination and opponent this Sunday, December 8. --- K-State Athletics ---

K-State's Youngblood earns weekly Big 12 football honor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Patrick Mahomes looked up at the scoreboard late in the third quarter and was stunned to see the Kansas City Chiefs had taken a 31-0 lead over the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders. "I felt like we'd only scored a couple of times," he said. That's because the Chiefs' high-powered offense didn't need to do a whole lot Sunday. Their defense and the inept Raiders took care of the rest. Mahomes did throw for a touchdown and run for a touchdown, but it was Juan Thornhill's pick-6 and a long list of blunders by Derek Carr and Co. that really made the difference. They allowed Kansas City to cruise to a 40-9 victory and into a two-game lead over the Raiders in the division race. "That's what we expected all season long, and you've seen it week by week the defense getting better," Mahomes said, "and the offense just played in the flow of the game. We've been in every type of game so far and we've been finding ways to win them." LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson also had TD runs for the Chiefs (8-4, who can clinch a fourth straight division title with a win over New England and an Oakland loss to Tennessee next weekend. Oakland (6-6) sure didn't play like a team fighting for a piece of the division lead. Carr dropped to 0-6 at Arrowhead Stadium with another miserable outing, throwing for 222 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Raiders failed to score twice in the red zone, were penalized 12 times for 99 yards, and watched Kansas City put together a 9 1/2-minute drive almost entirely on the ground that soaked up most of the fourth quarter. When the Raiders finally scored a touchdown in the last minute, the Chiefs blocked the extra point and returned it for two points -- one more insult to Oakland in a game full of them. It was the Raiders' seventh straight loss in Kansas City, and the continuation of a major late-season spiral. The blowout came on the heels of a 34-3 loss to the Jets last weekend. Josh Jacobs was Oakland's lone bright spot, running for 104 yards on 17 carries. "We put ourselves in horrible situations," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. "We had turnovers in the kicking game, I think four (offside, a pick-6 and we just never found our rhythm at all." Meanwhile, the Chiefs were not penalized once in a game for the first time since Dec. 8, 1974. "Do that and be productive in the red zone," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, "good things happen." Both teams struggled to move the ball at times with frosty winds whipping at 40 mph out of the west. Flurries even fell during halftime, adding to the misery for fans huddled in the stands. As if those dressed in silver and black weren't depressed enough. In the first half alone, Carr threw both of his interceptions. The Raiders lost a fumble on a kick return; failed to convert on fourth-and-1; committed seven penalties; and watched Daniel Carlson yank a 44-yard field-goal attempt about 20 yards wide left. The Chiefs took advantage of all the squandered opportunities. Mahomes, who perhaps more than anyone benefited from a week off, capped a 47-yard drive in the first quarter with a short TD pass to Darrel Williams. Then, late in the first half, the reigning MVP scrambled to his left and ran untouched 13 yards for another touchdown. The Chiefs put the game out of reach in the third quarter. First, they moved swiftly downfield on the opening possession before Harrison Butker drilled a 50-yard field goal into the wind. Then, on their next possession, Mahomes threw a pick in the end zone that was overturned when replay showed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was held on the play. The penalty gave Kansas City the ball back and McCoy scored moments later. Oakland finally ended the Chiefs' streak of 59 straight points against them when Carlson hit a chip-shot field goal in the fourth quarter. The streak dated to their Week 2 matchup and was a record for a 122-game series that traces its roots to the earliest days of the AFL. It also ended the Raiders' streak of 15 drives against Kansas City without a point. "Every team that makes the playoffs, it's about what their defense can do. I think this week we were able to refocus," Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "Our coaches did a good job of challenging us. Coming off the bye week, we knew what we needed to work on. I'm just proud of our guys. We haven't played well at home. This type of performance against a division team is pretty good." REID ALL ABOUT IT Reid improved to 25-3 against the AFC West going back to 2015. The Chiefs coach also improved to 18-3 in games after a bye, including an 11-1 mark at home, going back to his days in Philadelphia. INJURIES Chiefs: RB Damien Williams (ribs) was inactive. ... CB Rashad Fenton (hamstring) departed in the second quarter, while Darrel Williams (hamstring) and DE Frank Clark (shoulder) left in the third. UP NEXT Oakland: begins a two-game homestand against the Titans on Sunday. Kansas City: visits the Patriots in an AFC title game rematch on Sunday. --- Associated Press ---

Chiefs rout Raiders 40-9 to seize AFC West control

COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the fifth consecutive year and 16th time in program history, Mizzou Volleyball earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will head north and match up against Northern Iowa in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament. Joining Mizzou in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be No. 5 national seed Nebraska, Ball State and aforementioned Northern Iowa. First serve between the Tigers and Panthers on Friday, Dec. 6, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT. With a first round victory, Mizzou would then face the winner of Nebraska and Ball State on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. CT. "It's an awesome feeling and it has become an expectation at the University of Missouri," said Mizzou Volleyball head coach Joshua Taylor. "It's a big deal. To be one of the 64 Division I women's programs to make it is huge. We're focused on the first point Friday against Northern Iowa and then we'll go from there." Mizzou's current streak of five consecutive years in the NCAA Tournament ranks second-best all-time, trailing only the team's eight-straight bids to the NCAA Tournament from 2000-07. The 2019 Tigers finished the regular season 21-7 overall and 13-5 in Southeastern Conference action. In Coach Taylor's first-year campaign at the helm, Mizzou has produced six Top 50 RPI wins, 10, Top 75 RPI victories and 12, Top 100 RPI triumphs. Since 2000, Mizzou has now produced 13, 20-plus win campaigns. First and second round action of the 2019 NCAA Tournament across 16 campus sites will take place from Dec. 5-7. Regionals are set from Dec. 13-14, while the Final Four is scheduled for Dec. 19 and Dec. 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For ticket information on this year's NCAA Tournament, visit NCAA.com/Tickets. Fans can also visit NCAA.com/Championships for a complete bracket and breakdown of this year's postseason lineup. --- Mizzou Athletics ---

Mizzou volleyball gets at-large bid to NCAA Tournament

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -&nbsp;The Missouri Western men's basketball team fell to 3-5 on the season with a 86-82 loss to Western Colorado (3-3) in the Holiday Inn Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Colorado Mesa. Missouri Western outscored the Mountaineers 51-47 in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome a Western Colorado team that shot 49% on the afternoon and better than 59% in the second half. A&nbsp;Tyrell Carroll&nbsp;layup with 44 seconds left in the game capped a 15-3 Griffon run that tied the game at 82. Western Colorado scored the final four points, two on a layup and two on free throws as the Griffons missed two 3-point attempts in the final five seconds of the game. NOTABLES<ul><li>Tyus Millhollin&nbsp;followed up his career-high night on Friday with a new career-high on Saturday, scoring a game-high 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the field, 5 of 11 shooting from 3-point range and 10 of 12 free throw shooting.</li><li>Carroll was one point shy of tying his career-high with 28 points. He had seven assists one night after dishing out 10.</li><li>Zach Anderson&nbsp;scored a career-high 10 points and had four blocked shots.</li><li>After four starters fouled out on Friday at Colorado Mesa, three fouled out Saturday against Western Colorado with&nbsp;Jonathan Mesmacque,&nbsp;Will Eames&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alex John&nbsp;all fouling out.</li><li>Missouri Western shot 39% in the game after shooting 44% in the second half.</li><li>The Griffons were 10 of 35 from 3-point range.</li><li>Western Colorado pulled down 50 rebounds to the Griffons' 29.</li><li>MWSU was outscored by 14 in the paint.</li></ul> UP NEXTThe Griffons open conference play Thursday at Central Missouri (3-4). --- MWSU Athletics ---

Griffons' rally comes up short again as they lose to Western Colorado 86-82

MARYVILLE, Missouri - The Northwest Missouri State University football team lit up its postseason record book in a 63-7 NCAA Division II second-round playoff victory over the&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;Lions on Saturday at Bearcat Stadium. The Bearcats gashed the Lions for 413 yards on the ground in the largest postseason victory in Northwest history, 63-7. The 63 points is also a Northwest postseason record for a single game. Entering into the day the Bearcats were set for success,&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;was coming in as the No. 104 rush defense in the country, allowing 175 yards per game. Northwest as a run-heavy team with the No. 23 rush offense in the country, knew it was its time to shine. The Bearcats went out and proceeded to rush for eight touchdowns – another Northwest postseason record. Seven players contributed to this rushing milestone, with Isaiah&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;rushing for a career-high 178 yards and two scores and Braden Wright rushing for 116 yards and three scores. Justin Rankin tallied two scores and 73 yards as he averaged 9.1 yards per carry. Northwest averaged 8.4 yards per carry in the game. This historic victory began with the Bearcats scoring on the opening drive of the game for the third straight week. Rankin found plenty of daylight to score on a 39-yard run and just like that, the onslaught had started only 3:30 into the first quarter. In a game where the rushing attack blistered and dominated the Lions defense, the touchdowns came quickly for both Rankin and Wright to begin the game. Wright captured his first score at the 6:56 mark of the first quarter. This touchdown came after the Bearcats recovered a muffed punt on their own 33. Wright took advantage with a QB power play from 7-yards out that gave them a 14-0 lead. Rankin and Wright alternated scores as Rankin took it in from two yards out with 13:05 left in the second. Then Wright scored on a 15-yard scramble at 8:48 in the second to make the score 28-0. Although those two started the scoring trends,&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;got his fair share of the spotlight when he opened up his scoring endeavors with 2:00 left in the half.&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;found the outside and pushed his way to an 18-yard touchdown to put Northwest up 35-0 at the break. In a 35-0 halftime lead, it was easy to highlight the Bearcats’s offensive power that plagued the&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;defense, but that mark was there also because of a stout Bearcat defense. Going into the break, the Lions offense had only mustered two rushing yards and 138 passing yards. For a team that averages 309.1 yards passing per game, this was significant. One of the most biggest factors that allowed the defense to be so successful was their ability to force turnovers. The Bearcats forced and recovered two fumbles on the day to go along with four interceptions. Three of those interceptions came from Blake Bayer, including one 20-yard pick-six to make the score 56-7 early in the fourth. Bayer is the sixth Northwest player to have three interceptions in a game and he is first to accomplish the feat in the postseason. Before Bayer could make his impact on the final score, the Bearcats continued their rushing rampage with the two-headed rushing monster of Wright and&nbsp;Strayhorn. Wright opened the second half scoring at the 10:39 mark in the third. He found a seam and&nbsp;juked&nbsp;out a defender in the open field before sprinting to a comfortable 40-yard touchdown run to make it 42-0. Strayhorn&nbsp;found his second score with 10:39 to play in the third as he sprinted to the outside for a 35-yard touchdown. Lindenwood&nbsp;finally dented the scoreboard at 4:41 when they scored on a 21-yard pass from Cade&nbsp;Brister&nbsp;to tight end Erik&nbsp;Henneman, but that was the only breath of life during the entirety of the game. Bayer’s third pick of the day turned into instant offense as he returned the interception 23 yards for a touchdown with 2:29 left in the third quarter to give Northwest a 56-7 lead. After Bayer scored his pick-six, Mike&nbsp;Hohensee&nbsp;finished the scoring early in the fourth with a quick and easy one-yard rush to make the score 63-7. The Northwest defense made their stance known while the offense enjoyed their success.&nbsp;Lindenwood&nbsp;finished the day with only 205 yards passing and 21 yards rushing. With the help of the offense and the defense, the Bearcats eclipsed their previous largest margin of victory in a playoff game at 47 points (54-7 vs. Humboldt State (Nov. 28, 2015). The Bearcats move onto the Super Region 3 title game as they head to Big Rapids, Michigan, next Saturday to take on the No. 1 seed Ferris State. It will be a rematch of last year’s second matchup where the Bulldogs scored a 27-21 win over the Bearcats on Nov. 24, 2018. NOTES: Northwest becomes the fourth NCAA school to record 50 postseason victories joining Mount Union (104, North Dakota State (62) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (52) … Northwest improves to 50-17 all-time in the Div. II playoffs … Northwest has won 24 straight home playoff games at Bearcat Stadium … Northwest is 31-3 all-time at home in the playoffs … it’s the&nbsp;13th&nbsp;time in school history that Northwest has reached 12 or more wins in a season … this was&nbsp;Strayhorn's&nbsp;second postseason game over 100 yards, as he rushed for 171 yards last year against Grand Valley State … Northwest eclipsed its previous postseason scoring mark of 59 points vs. St. Cloud State in 2013 …&nbsp;Strayhorn&nbsp;led all rushers with 178 yards on 16 carries for an average of 11.1 yards per carry … Wright finished with 152 yards passing and 116 yards rushing as well as two rushing touchdowns … Jacob&nbsp;Gassman&nbsp;led Northwest with five tackles … Elijah Green (1.0, Noah Williams (1.0, Mike&nbsp;Ehlke&nbsp;(0.5) and Jackson Barnes (0.5) each recorded a sack … Williams added his first career interception in the second half to go along with a sack … Alec Tatum caught a team-high five passes for 57 yards …&nbsp;Imoni&nbsp;Donadelle&nbsp;tallied four catches for 39 yards … Northwest posted a season-high 29 first downs Bearcat Postseason Records SetLargest Margin of Victory – 56 (previous mark of 47 set vs. Humboldt State – Nov. 28, 2015)Most Points Scored – 63 (previous mark of 59 set vs. St. Cloud State – Dec. 7, 2013)Most Rushing Yards – 413 (previous mark of 356 at Grand Valley State – Nov. 17, 2018)Most Rushing Touchdowns – 8 (previous mark of 7 set vs. St. Cloud State – Dec. 7, 2013)Most Touchdowns – 9 (previous mark of 8 set three times) --- Northwest Athletics ---

Bearcats rout Lindenwood 63-7 in second round of NCAA Playoffs

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARDSaturday, November 30 8-MAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPMound City 82Southwest Livingston 46 CLASS 1 SEMIFINALSValle Catholic 37Mid-Buchanan 14 Lincoln 46Marceline 20 CLASS 2 SEMIFINALSLutheran North 38Lathrop 24 Ava 20 OTClark County 14 CLASS 3 SEMIFINALSOdessa 31Kennett 14 Cassville 13Trinity Catholic 0 CLASS 4 SEMIFINALSPlatte County 15St. Mary's 14 Webb City 35Ladue Horton Watkins 0 CLASS 5 SEMIFINALSJackson 20Staley 7 Carthage 20Fort Zumwalt North 17 CLASS 6 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPDeSmet 35Joplin 20

High School Football Playoff Scores - Saturday, November 30

ST. JOSEPH -&nbsp;A strong second half effort by the Missouri Western Women's Basketball team (5-1) pushed the Griffons to their fifth consecutive win, 74-67 over Florida Southern (4-4, Saturday in the Fairfield Inn Classic. The Griffons outscored the Mocs 43-27 after halftime to overcome a solid first half by the visitors. Missouri Western scored 27 points in the third quarter on 10 of 16 shooting to flip what was a nine-point halftime lead for Florida Southern into a two-point Griffon lead heading into the final quarter. Missouri Western held the Mocs to 28% shooting in the final quarter to stretch the lead to as many as eight points. NOTABLES<ul><li>MWSU shot 52% in the second half and made 16 of 23 free throw attempts to flip the script on Florida Southern. The Griffons shot 51% in the game.</li><li>Chris Wilson&nbsp;scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half. Wilson was 7 of 10 from the field.</li><li>Corbyn Cunningham&nbsp;pulled down eight of her 14 rebounds in the second half and added 17 points in the game with three assists.</li><li>Kylee Williams&nbsp;knocked down her first two 3-point attempts of the game and another early in the second half and didn't miss all afternoon. She made all four field goals, all three 3-pointers and all three free throws for 14 points.</li><li>Mychaell Gray&nbsp;added 10 points with four rebounds.</li><li>MWSU trailed much of the first half and early in the third quarter, leading for just 14 minutes total.</li><li>Florida Southern went to the line just six times in the game, four in the second half.</li></ul> UP NEXTThe Griffons play their first true road game of 2019 and the first MIAA game Dec. 5 at Central Missouri (3-3). --- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri Western women use big second half to defeat Florida Southern

SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team fell to the McKendree Bearcats 77-69 in OT in the MWSU Thanksgiving Classic Saturday.&nbsp; The Bearcats battled each other all game, in a game that featured seven lead changes and was tied seven times. Northwest led by two at half 28-26. Mia Stillman made a free throw to tie the game at 66 and send it into OT. The two stats that haunted Northwest in this game were rebounds and fouls. They were out rebounded 46-26 which resulted in 13 second chance points for McKendree. Northwest committed 27 fouls as a team and had both Paityn Rau and Jayna Green foul out. McKendree attempted 38 free throws as a result of this, compared to Northwest's 11 attempts.&nbsp; Kendey Eaton led Northwest in scoring with 23 points, and Erika Schlosser added 14. Jayna Green led the team with 7 rebounds. Ellie Horn had 2 blocks which was the most of any player in the game.&nbsp; Jordan Heberg led McKendree in scoring with 20 points, followed by Megan Jensen with 17 and Brianna Johnson with 13. Jensen and Madison Hart led the team with 8 rebounds each.&nbsp; The Bearcats will be back in action Dec. 5, for their conference opener at Lincoln at 5:30 p.m.&nbsp; --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest Missouri State women lose in OT to McKendree 77-69

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Chris Klieman gathered his players in the locker room after a heart-stopping win at Texas Tech and challenged not his seniors, who soon would be playing their final game for Kansas State, but the rest of the guys who would be around for years to come. The first-year coach wanted his youngsters to lay it on the line for the veterans. "Without question," he said, "they played an excellent football game." Jacardia Wright ran for a touchdown, fellow freshman Joshua Youngblood returned a kickoff 93 yards for another score, and the Wildcats' aggressive defense shut down Brock Purdy and high-flying Iowa State to win a 27-17 defensive slugfest on a cold, windy Saturday night. The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) only managed 57 yards passing and 288 yards of total offense, but they scored the final 13 points while holding the Cyclones in check. "At halftime I told the guys, `We just have to make some more plays. If we make some plays we'll be fine," Klieman said. "I could sense a lot of life on our sideline. We just had to make a play." There wasn't a whole lot of life left in the Iowa State sideline by the final whistle. Purdy was just 15 of 30 for 185 yards passing and a touchdown, and the Cyclones (7-5, 5-4) only had 236 yards in all. Their biggest problem came in converting third downs -- they were 1 of 13 -- and that in turn led to a massive advantage for Kansas State in time of possession. The result: The Wildcats beat the Cyclones for the 11th time in 12 meetings in the game known as "Farmageddon." They also have won seven straight in Manhattan against their fellow land-grant college. "Give credit to Kansas State. On a night like tonight, I thought they were the more physical team," Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. "The reality of it is, my hat's off to them. They did what they needed to do to win the game and we didn't." It was Senior Day in Manhattan, but it was a freshman that provided the early fireworks. Youngblood fielded the opening kickoff on blustery night and angled toward the Iowa State sideline, then headed up field. There was nobody in a chrome red helmet between him and the end zone, and the fleet-footed receiver cruised to his nation-leading third kick return TD of the season. Kansas State's offense soon got on track, too. After taking possession inside its own 10-yard line for the third straight time, the Wildcats used nearly 7 minutes to march 98 yards for the score. They converted three third downs, got some help from a personal foul penalty and capped it with Wright's 12-yard touchdown run. "I had the same play in pregame warmups and I busted it the same way," said Wright, who hadn't played since Sept. 7 because of an ankle injury. "I was like, `OK!" Iowa State finally gave Purdy time to answer, and the record-setting sophomore quarterback used it to pick apart Kansas State's well-regarded secondary. Purdy threw a 15-yard strike to Sean Shaw Jr. for a touchdown, then connected with Tarique Milton for 60 yards to set up Breece Hall's tying touchdown. That score came on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, and after Campbell and Klieman hilariously traded running downfield and frantically calling a total of four total timeouts. After trading field goals during an offensively inept third quarter, the Wildcats took advantage of good field position set up by their defense to pull ahead 24-17. Brown finished the methodical eight-play drive -- entirely on the ground -- by going untouched 15 yards with 10:24 left in the game. The Cyclones were forced to punt on their next possession, and Wright and Youngblood tore off long runs to set up Blake Lynch's chip-shot field goal that effectively put the game out of reach. "There's been some rough times, you know that," Klieman said. "We've been on a little bit of a rollercoaster, but we continued to get better. The guys continued to buy in and learn more and get more invested in the program. Let's credit where credit is due and that's with the players." BIG PICTURE Iowa State's offense came into the game sixth nationally in passing at 330.5 yards per game, but Purdy struggled with the stiff, cold wind out of the west. He also got little help from his receivers, who dropped several passes -- a few of them on crucial third downs. Kansas State stuck to its persona by running the ball, even though Iowa State led the Big 12 in rush defense, and it paid off. The Wildcats wore the Cyclones down at the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter and that allowed them to break the 17-all tie. UP NEXT Both teams will await their bowl destinations next weekend. --- Associated Press ---

K-State upsets No. 23 Iowa State 27-17

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- No. 11 Baylor tuned up for a rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game in fine fashion. JaMycal Hasty ran for three touchdowns, the Bears forced lowly Kansas into committing six turnovers and they cruised through the second half to a 61-6 victory on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Charlie Brewer threw for 182 yards and a touchdown as Baylor (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) equaled the school record for wins in Matt Rhule's third season as coach. Trestan Ebner, Gerry Bohanon, Qualan Jones and Jacob Zeno also rushed for TDs as the Bears piled up 263 yards on the ground. Only three times since the program's founding in 1899 have the Bears won 11 games in a season. "I'm really proud of them not just today but over the past two years, the process that they've had, the toughness, the grind," said Rhule, who now has a chance to avenge a meltdown loss to the seventh-ranked Sooners earlier this month -- their only loss of the season. With a spate of upsets Saturday, the Bears are still in the College Football Playoff picture, too. Kansas (3-9, 1-8) finished Les Miles' first season as coach with its fourth straight loss. Carter Stanley was just 13 of 25 for 92 yards with three of the Jayhawks' four interceptions in his final game. Manny Miles also threw an interception while Pooka Williams was held to 97 yards rushing. Baylor jumped on the Jayhawks midway through the first quarter when Gerry Bohanon scored from six yards out. Brewer found Tyquan Thornton with a 51-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later, and Hasty scored the first of his trio of touchdowns to make it 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. The rout was most certainly on. Baylor added a pair of field quals along with Trestan Ebner's 14-yard touchdown run to carry a 34-0 lead into halftime, and Hasty tacked on a pair of touchdown runs to start the second half. The lone highlight for Kansas came when Miles, the backup quarterback and the coach's son, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Parchment. And even that was spoiled by a failed two-point conversion. "Whatever could've gone wrong," Les Miles said, "did go wrong." PUNT SUCCESS Kansas punter Kyle Thompson landed three punts inside the 20, including one that dropped at the 1-yard line. But it's rarely a good day when the punter is the standout performer. REDZONE PERFECTION The high-powered Baylor offense entered the Kansas red zone nine times, converting each time. It was an impressive display by a team that could be headed for a shootout against the Sooners. 1,000-YARD MARK Williams became the second player in program history with consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He accomplished the feat despite missing the season opener because of a suspension. BIG PICTURE Baylor: The Bears were rolling against Oklahoma when the teams met earlier this month, only to let a big lead slip away in a 34-31 loss. But they've taken care of business the past two weeks, and their defense has been a big reason. They knocked off Texas 24-10 before shutting down the Jayhawks. Kansas: Another lackluster season in Lawrence came to an end, though there is hope for the future after a couple of impressive performances. The Jayhawks finally won a road game by beating Boston College and they had Texas on the ropes before losing a shootout in Austin. UP NEXT Baylor meets Oklahoma in the rejuvenated Big 12 title game while the Kansas coaching staff hits the recruiting trail in search of more talent on both sides of the ball. --- Associated Press ---

Kansas ends season with 61-6 loss against No. 11 Baylor

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Director of Athletics Jim Sterk has relieved fourth-year Tigers’ football coach Barry Odom of his coaching duties and launched a national search to find the program’s next head coach. “I want to thank Coach Odom for his contributions to our program,” Sterk said. “He and his staff have worked diligently during the past four years. “Coach Odom has represented our program with integrity and dedicated himself to developing our student-athletes on and off the football field for which we are grateful. We wish the very best for him and his family in their future endeavors.” Odom, hired as Mizzou’s 32nd head football coach on Dec. 3, 2015, compiled a 25-25 on-field record in four seasons along the Tiger sideline, including a 6-6 mark in 2019 that ended with Friday’s 24-14 victory over Arkansas in Little Rock. After a 4-8 debut season in 2016, Odom’s Tigers went 7-6 and earned an invitation to the 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoor Texas Bowl. Mizzou went 8-5 in Odom’s third season, which ended with a 2018 AutoZone Liberty Bowl bid. “As a program, we had tremendous momentum coming into the 2019 season with the opening of the new south end zone facility as well as other strategic investments in our football program,” Sterk said. “However, we lost a great deal of that energy during the last half of the season. This decision was difficult to make but was necessary.” Odom spent 18 seasons at Mizzou, including eight as a coach (2009-11, 2015-19, six in an administrative capacity (2003-08) and four as a student-athlete (1996-99). “Mizzou enjoys a winning football tradition and has the necessary resources and commitment to compete at the highest level,” Sterk said. “We strive to achieve excellence, and we expect to compete for Southeastern Conference titles, consistently play in the postseason and represent Mizzou the right way on and off the field. “A national search is underway and confidentiality during the process is critical. Thus, I will have no further public comments regarding the search process until the announcement of our next head football coach is made.” --- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri fires football coach Barry Odom after four years

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. –&nbsp;The Missouri Western men's basketball team finished regulation on a 14-1 run to force overtime at Colorado Mesa (3-2, but without four starters for much of the overtime period, the Griffons (3-4) fell 94-92 on Friday night.&nbsp;Down by 13 with 3:37 to play in regulation, MWSU finished the final 3:09 going 4 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the line while holding Colorado Mesa without a field goal down that stretch. Alexander John sunk a layup with 28 seconds left that tied the game at 84 and helped the Griffons overcome a Maverick lead that reached as many as 19 points in the second half. The Griffons outscored the home team 42-25 over the final 13:12 in regulation, but saw some of their stars exit the game with fouls.&nbsp;Will Eames&nbsp;fouled out with 3:37 left in regulation after scoring 14 points.&nbsp;Jonathan Mesmacque&nbsp;fouled out with 5:24 to go.&nbsp;Tyrell Carroll&nbsp;picked up his fifth foul one minute into overtime after scoring 17 with a career-high 10 assists. John picked up his fifth with 1:14 left in overtime and the Griffons down by four.&nbsp;As the only starter left, Tyus Milhollin led the Griffons with a career-high 23 points. He got MWSU within a point on his fifth 3-pointer of the game with two seconds remaining in overtime. Down by two after a made free throw with one second left, the Griffons couldn't get a game-winning shot off before the buzzer.&nbsp;<ul><li>NOTABLES</li><li>The lead changed 10 times with seven ties.</li><li>Colorado Mesa took a five-point lead to halftime, but led by 20 with 11:31 to go.</li><li>MWSU outscored the Mavericks 44-26 in the paint.</li><li>CMU won the battle on the glass, pulling down 50 rebounds to MWSU's 38.</li><li>Missouri Western was whistled for 31 personal fouls to CMU's 18, but the Mavericks made just six more free throws (26) than the Griffons on 16 more attempts.</li><li>CMU was 8 of 21 from 3-point range while the Griffons were 14 of 42.</li><li>20 of Millhollin's 23 points came in the second half.</li><li>Reese Glover&nbsp;scored a career-high 22 points on 8 of 17 shooting (6-14 from 3-point range).</li><li>Sam Siganos&nbsp;pulled down a career-high six rebounds to tie with Millhollin, who also notched a career-high rebound total, for the team lead.</li></ul>&nbsp;UP NEXTMissouri Western continues play in Grand Junction on Saturday with a 3 p.m. tip-off against Western Colorado (2-3). The Mountaineers lost 73-71 to Montana Western on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Griffons rally to force OT, but fall at Colorado Mesa 94-92

ST. JOSEPH -&nbsp;Tamia Cunigan scored all four of her points in the final 47 seconds and her final two points lifted the Missouri Western Women's Basketball team (4-1) to a 52-50 win over McKendree (4-1, Friday night in the Fairfield Inn Classic. It was Missouri Western's fourth straight win and the first loss of the year for McKendree. Cunigan's game-winning layup rolled home with six-tenths of a second remaining after McKendree knocked down a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go that tied the game at 50. The layup wasn't Cunigan's only important contribution late in the game. She also blocked a McKendree 3-point attempt with 47 seconds remaining and sunk a couple free throws to give MWSU a 50-47 lead. Cunigan's layup came off a&nbsp;Chris Wilson&nbsp;steal, one of 19 for the Griffons in the game. NOTABLES<ul><li>Corbyn Cunningham&nbsp;made a layup with 1:10 remaining that put MWSU up 48-47.</li><li>Cunigan scored the rest of MWSU's points with a free throw with 47 seconds to go and another with 16 seconds to go then the game-winner under one second.</li><li>The game was tied seven different times with eight lead changes. MWSU led for just over 18 minutes.</li><li>The two teams combined for 77 missed shots, 48 turnovers and 45 personal fouls.</li><li>MWSU overcame 3 of 14 (21.4%) shooting in the first quarter and 20% shooting in the third.</li><li>In the first quarter, the teams were a combined 5 of 21 from the field and in the third they were 6 of 29 from the field.</li><li>MWSU got 22 of its points off the bench with&nbsp;Kyra Hogan&nbsp;scoring a team-high 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting.</li><li>The Griffons outscored McKendree 30-16 in the paint.</li><li>Chris Wilson&nbsp;continued her impressive rebounding pace, leading the team with 13 and scoring seven points.</li></ul> UP NEXTMissouri Western closes out the Fairfield Inn Classic at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, against Florida Southern. The Mocs fell to 4-3 on the season with a 52-37 loss to Northwest Missouri, Friday in St. Joseph. --- MWSU Athletics ---

Cunigan's layup with 0.6 seconds left lifts MWSU women past McKendree

SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. – The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team defeated the Florida Southern Mocs, 52-37, in their first game of the MWSU Thanksgiving Classic.&nbsp; After winning the first quarter 9-8, the Bearcats started the second quarter on a 19-3 run. The Bearcats led 28-15 at the end of the first half. The Mocs scored the first six points of the second half. The Bearcats battled back to play the third quarter to a 10-10 tie. -The fourth quarter featured back-and-forth scoring and the Bearcats were able to pull out the quarter by a score of 14-12. The Bearcats led nearly the whole game, with the Mocs last lead coming near the end of the first quarter (8-7). The Bearcats shined defensively holding the Mocs, who were averaging 68.5 ppg, to nearly half their average, allowing 37 points, the Mocs lowest scoring total on the season. The Bearcats forced the Mocs to commit 20 turnovers and held them to 32.1% from the field. The Bearcats also did not allow a single made three-pointer on the night, forcing the Mocs to go 0-11 from behind-the-arc. Ellie Horn had 3 blocks and Jayna Green had 2. Kylie Coleman led the Bearcats with 17 points, Mia Stillman and Kendey Eaton added 9 points each. Erika Schlosser led the team in assists with five. The Bearcats will back in action tomorrow against McKendree in their second game of the MWSU Thanksgiving Classic in St. Joseph at 1:30 p.m. --- Northwest Athletics ---

Northwest women knock off Florida Southern 52-37

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- In a game started by third- and fifth-string quarterbacks, the outcome was decided by one of their backups. It was appropriate enough for Arkansas and Missouri, two teams facing their longest losing streaks in decades. Fayetteville High School graduate Taylor Powell entered for injured Connor Bazelak in the second quarter and led Missouri over his hometown Razorbacks 24-14, snapping a five-game skid for the Tigers and furthering Arkansas' spiral to 19 straight SEC losses. Missouri coach Barry Odom ran around the field after the final whistle, congratulating every player he could find individually. They were all emotional just three days after the NCAA's surprising decision to uphold its bowl ban on the team after a nearly year-long appeals process. "The mental toughness of creating the noise and controlling the noise between your ears, that's up to you alone," he said. "These guys, they responded, they didn't like it. But at the end of the day, nobody cares. It's what we've got. It was about us." Powell entered in the second quarter after Bazelak, in his first career start, left after injuring his knee on a scramble. Powell's third pass was a 30-yarder, setting up a field goal to give Missouri (6-6, 3-5) a 10-7 lead. It was the first of three scoring drives he directed. The three drives would have been enough by themselves. Arkansas interim coach Barry Lunney Jr. started junior Jack Lindsey, who was only placed on scholarship in August. Lindsey began the year as the fifth-stringer but was pushed into duty after ineffectiveness and injury plagued the position to the point that coach Chad Morris didn't win an SEC game in his season-plus before being fired November 10. Lindsey completed just two of his first 13 passes, though both went for go-ahead touchdowns. The second score came on the first Arkansas drive of the second half after Greg Brooks Jr. intercepted Powell on the first play after the break. Lindsey, who finished 10 of 26 for 75 yards, began the drive at the Missouri 26, ran for 15 yards and, two plays later, found Grayson Gunter uncovered in the corner of the end zone to give the Razorbacks (2-10, 0-8) their first post-halftime lead against in any game since October 12 against Kentucky. Two drives later, Powell led Missouri on an 8-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that would ultimately be the game-winner. He added a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to former Arkansas wide receiver Jonathan Nance for the final score of the game. Powell finished 8 of 14 for 105 yards. Fellow Fayetteville High product Barrett Banister had six catches for 60 yards. "I know what it's like to go back and play your home school," Odom said. "I'm proud of the effort and the focus. It's not easy. It's not easy a lot of times to handle those things." Arkansas will search for answers for a third straight offseason. The Razorbacks have finished 2-10 for back-to-back years, their worst stretch in school history. They need to find a quarterback after using eight different starters, including five in 2019, over those two seasons. They also need to find a coach as Lunney Jr. isn't expected to be named Morris' permanent replacement. Lunney Jr., who has been on the Arkansas staff since 2013 with Bret Bielema and was the Razorbacks quarterback in the early and mid-1990s, coached the last two games of the season. "We obviously didn't play well enough to win. We didn't deserve to win," he said. "But for two weeks, these guys, they were in a very difficult situation, and they very clearly gave everything they had in an effort to win the game tonight. So for that I'm very thankful." It's also unclear whether Odom will return for a fifth season leading Missouri. He has a 25-25 record after four years and the recent five-game losing streak leaves his job status in jeopardy. He is focused on returning to work Monday, happy with the way his team finished during a trying week that also kept all 23 of Missouri's wins from 2012-13 vacated. "It wasn't pretty, we all know that, but it was a win and I'll take as many of those as we can get," Odom said. "Wish we had an opportunity to go play in a bowl game somewhere, but they can't take those six from this team." A QUIET EXIT Both teams had graduate-transfer quarterbacks begin the season as the starter, with each team's hopes banked on the new face. Only one saw the field in the finale. Missouri's Kelly Bryant, who dealt with leg injuries for the last month, was unable to go Friday and finished his one season with 2,215 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Arkansas' Ben Hicks, who hadn't played since November 2, came in for the final Arkansas drive of the game and completed one pass for two yards, finishing his one year with the Razorbacks with 736 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. FEW SAW IT Attendance at War Memorial Stadium on Friday was 33,961, the lowest total for an Arkansas game in its home away from home since 1996. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville had already achieved its lowest and second lowest attendance figures since 1997 earlier this year. SICK AND WOUNDED Arkansas was without 14 players in its last game. Some, like offensive lineman Colton Jackson and linebacker Hayden Henry had pre-existing injuries. Others, including starting safety Kamren Curl, were late scratches. The university had experienced an outbreak of mumps earlier in the week that affected several students, though Arkansas would not comment on the reasons for some of the missing players. THE TAKEAWAY Missouri: The Tigers have been a thorn for Arkansas since joining the SEC. Missouri has won the last four meetings and six of the last seven between the two teams. Arkansas: Arkansas is in the midst of the worst two-year stretch in school history, having finished 2-10 in back-to-back seasons and riding a 19-game SEC losing streak. UP NEXT Missouri: Eyes turn to Odom's status as Missouri's postseason ban keeps them from a bowl bid in the winter. Arkansas: Lunney Jr. is unlikely to be named permanent head coach and the search for a replacement for Morris is entering its third full week. --- Associated Press ---