By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Northwest win streak moves to four with dominant win over Washburn
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats pushed their win streak to four games, after getting off to their worst start since 1995, scoring a dominant 51-34 win over Washburn on Saturday.
The Bearcats would show their dominance through the first half, scoring 20 unanswered points, first scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter taking advantage of a 20 mile per hour south wind, putting up points on back to back drives.
Northwest rushed for 48 yards on the first drive before Henry Martin connected with Zach Atkins on a three yard touchdown pass. Then on the next drive, Chris Ruhnke would throw for a score hitting Andrew Bailey on a slant in the endzone for an eight yard score.
Noah Guastella would knock through two field goals extending the lead in the second quarter, field goals of 26 and 24 yards respectively, before Washburn would finally get onto the board near the end of the first half, Sam Van Dyne throwing a 13 yard touchdown pass to Maury Sullivan with 1:50 left on the clock, and finding the endzone again with 34 seconds remaining, a five yard touchdown jaunt by Keller Hurla. The Bearcats led 20-14 at halftime.
Northwest would score two more touchdowns on back to back drives to start the second half on two rushing touchdowns, first a one yard score from Wentric Miller III. Then on the next drive Tank Young would break several tackles, scampering for a 23 yard touchdown run to push the lead to 34-14.
The Ichabods would answer quickly following Young's first touchdown of the game, needing just one play for an 85 yard touchdown pass from Hurla to Tre Richardson. After forcing a punt from the Bearcats Washburn would draw within one score, Van Dyne again finding Sullivan on a nine yard score with 1:54 left in the third quarter.
Northwest would score another touchdown early on in the fourth quarter, another rushing touchdown this time from Te'Shaun Porter of two yards. Guastella would knock through another field goal midway through the quarter after a Washburn turnover on downs, this time from 38 yards away.
The Ichabods would score one final time with a 32 yard touchdown pass between Van Dyne and Richardson, but the Bearcats would immediately answer in one play with a 45 yard touchdown burst from Young,
Ruhnke was 16 of 27 through the air for 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Young recorded his first 100 yard game of the season rushing 12 times for 134 yards and two scores. Luke Mathews was the leading receiver with four catches for 94 yards.
Northwest will stay on the road next week and head to Edmond, Oklahoma for a matchup with Central Oklahoma and former head coach Adam Dorrel. Kickoff is at 1pm.
#12 Ravens set new season high point total in win over Culver-Stockton
The #12 Benedictine Ravens scored touchdowns on their first four possessions of the game and added a defensive score in the first 16 minutes of the game on way to a 56-21 win over Culver-Stockton at Poulton Stadium in Canton, Missouri.
Benedictine led 35-0 after the first quarter with two rushing touchdowns, a defensive touchdown, and two passing touchdowns. Dalton Witherspoon capped off a 57-yard drive for the Ravens opening touchdown, a 4-yard rushing touchdown. Jackson Dooley connected on a 13-yard pass to Jacob Gathright for the Ravens second touchdown before Trey Williams scored on a 25-yard fumble recovery to make it 21-0 Ravens before the midpoint of the first quarter. Robbie Sharp scored on a 9-yard rushing and then Tanner Zimmerman caught a 3-yard pass from Dooley to make it 35-0 Ravens as the first quarter ended.
Sharp scored on a 9-yard rush for the Ravens only touchdown of the second quarter and then the Wildcats finally got on the board late in the quarter with a 39 yard touchdown pass from Drake Day to Kyle Dixon to send the game into halftime with Benedictine leading 42-7.
Zimmerman scored his second touchdown of the game for Benedictine's third quarter score on a 22-yard pass from Dooley and then Dooley scored on a 1-yard rush for the Ravens fourth-quarter touchdown.
Culver Stockton would add two more touchdowns, both coming via Day, as the quarterback would connect with Eli Edmonds on a two yard touchdown pass, before later in the final quarter rushing in for a one yard score of his own.
The Ravens closed out Heart cross-division play with a new season-high point total as they finished the game against the Wildcats with 470 yards of total offense.
Dooley was 18 of 25 through the air for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Witherspoon rushed seven times for 70 yards with one score. Gathright caught four passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens enter the bye week with an overall record of 5-1 with a 1-0 mark in the Heart South. They return to action on Oct. 18 hosting Missouri Baptist University at 1 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend.
Missouri Western falls as #10 Pittsburg State runs wild in second half
The Missouri Western Griffons took the lead to start the second half, but #10 Pittsburg State would score 21 unanswered points to take the lead for good, en route to a 31-20 win over Western at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kansas.
The Gorillas struck first in the first quarter with a 21 yard field goal from Hayden Koscicki on their first possession of the game. But the Griffons would answer immediately with a lengthy 13 play drive that ended with a one yard rushing score from Jayden Williams, but Cody Watson would miss the ensuing extra point.
Near the end of the opening quarter, Pittsburg State would take the lead back, scoring with just three seconds remaining in the quarter with a four yard run by Noah Hernandez. Neither team would score in the second quarter, the Gorillas holding a 10-6 lead at the halftime break.
The Griffons would open up the second half with an eight play drive, and would take the lead with a 38 yard touchdown pass between Kody Kirk and Jonas Bennett, this time Watson converting the extra point. But from there, Pittsburg State would run wild scoring 21 unanswered points.
The Gorillas would get a rushing touchdown of three yards by Luke Niggemann to retake the lead. On the next Missouri Western drive, Kirk would throw an interception to Alex Gaskill and would get taken 44 yards to the endzone for a defensive score. Pittsburg State would score once more to start the fourth quarter, a one yard push into the endzone from Niggemann.
The Griffons final score of the game would come again through the air, Kirk connecting with Tyler Carey for a 50 yard touchdown pass with 7:38 remaining in the game. But on their next drive, the Gorillas would use up the remaining clock on a 13 play drive, that would end the game.
Kirk was 9 of 17 passing with 173 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Marrell Fountain rushed eight times for 65 yards while Bennett was the leading receiver with six catches for 115 yards and one score.
The Griffons will return to action next week on the road against No. 12 Central Missouri at 1:00 p.m. from Walton Stadium in Warrensburg for the MIAA Game of the Week, which will be broadcast locally on 38 The Spot. Kickoff is at 1pm
#9 Tigers can't get offense going against #25 Aggies at noisy Kyle Field
The #9 Missouri Tigers could not overcome the noisy environment of Kyle Field as the #25 Texas A&M Aggies dominated their way to a 41-10 victory, making the Tigers one of five teams in the Top 11 to lose on Saturday.
From the get go the game was all Aggies in the first half, leading 24-0 at the halftime break. Texas A&M got two rushing touchdowns from Amari Daniels, both from one yard out, and also a one yard rushing touchdown from Le'Veon Moss. Kicker Randy Bond also hit a 44 yard field goal in the opening half.
Out of the halftime break, Moss would score his second touchdown of the game, breaking off a 75 yard rushing score. Bond would knock through a 38 yard field goal en route to 34 unanswered points from the Aggies.
The Tigers would finally get on the board late in the third quarter, with a quick drive that lasted just over a minute and went five plays, ending with a 35 yard passing touchdown from Brady Cook to Theo Wease Jr.
Moss would score his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, an 18 yard jaunt to the endzone. The Tigers final score of the game came with just eight seconds left, a 23 yard field goal by Blake Craig.
Cook was 13 of 31 through the air for 186 yards and one touchdown. Nate Noel rushed 10 times for 30 yards while Marcus Carroll rushed eight times for 26 yards. Luther Burden III had seven catches for 82 yards, Wease Jr has two catches for 72 yards and a score.
The Missouri Tigers will stay on the road next week for their final non conference matchup against Massachusetts. Kickoff is at 11am, KFEQ will join pregame at 10pm. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Kansas takes fifth straight loss on last second Arizona State touchdown
Jalon Daniels didn't turn the ball over for the first time this season, but an Arizona State touchdown with just 16 seconds remaining doomed the Kansas Jayhawks, falling 35-31 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
The teams would trade blows all through the first half. Arizona State striking first with a 28 yard touchdown pass from Sam Leavitt to Xavier Guillory. The Jayhawks would answer with a long 10 play drive that used over five minutes of clock, ending with a 22 yard rushing score from quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Kansas would take the lead early into the second quarter on another lengthy drive, this time Daniels scoring through the air and finding a wide open Quentin Skinner for a touchdown. The Sun Devils answered near the end of the first half Leavitt throwing a 26 yard touchdown pass to Chamon Metayer, leaving the game tied 14-14 at the halftime whistle.
The lone score of the third quarter would give Kansas the lead, a 20 yard field goal from Tabor Allen, before the fourth quarter where again the teams would go back and forth with the lead.
A 10 play drive by Arizona State that carried from the third quarter into the fourth quarter ended with a one yard touchdown run from Cam Skattebo at the start of the final frame. The Jayhawks would answer with a rushing score of their own, 31 yards by Devin Neal to take back the lead.
But again the Sun Devils would use a 10 play drive, trying to consume clock, before Leavitt would throw a touchdown to his third receiver of the day, a 31 yard strike to Jordyn Tyson. A seven play drive by Kansas on the very next drive would again result in a touchdown, another passing score between Daniels and Skinner, with Skinner making a diving grab in the endzone for a 34 yard touchdown.
Arizona State would take over following the touchdown with 2:04 remaining in the game, and would go eight plays using up just under two minutes, scoring with 16 seconds left in the game, Leavitt connecting again with Tyson on a three yard touchdown pass. Daniels would complete two passes to start the final drive, getting into Arizona State territory, but an incomplete pass with five seconds left would end the game.
Daniels was 18 of 31 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns, rushing six times for 14 yards and a score. Neal was the leading rusher with 14 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Skinner had six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Kansas will have a bye this week. They'll be back in action on October 19th against Houston at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff time is yet to be determined by the conference.
Nebraska within one win of bowl eligibility after win over Rutgers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers needed just two touchdowns to score a victory over Rutgers, winning 14-7 to get within one win of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
The Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) prevailed in the hottest conditions ever for an October game at Memorial Stadium. Temperature at kickoff was 97 degrees with a swirling and gusty wind and both teams struggled in the passing game.
Dante Dowdell and Janiran Bonner scored on 1-yard runs, and Nebraska leaned on its defense on a day Dylan Raiola struggled. Raiola, Nebraska's freshman quarterback, never was able to find a rhythm. He completed just 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards, all season lows.
The work of the defense surely was something former Nebraska great Ndamukong Suh could appreciate. Suh, a 2009 Heisman Trophy finalist and consensus All-American before he went on to a long NFL career, was on hand for his Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame induction.
Suh led the Huskers out of the tunnel before the game and then watched the Blackshirts sack Athan Kaliakmanis four times, limiting the nation's third-leading rusher, Kyle Monangai, to 78 yards on 19 carries and hold Rutgers to 264 total yards. Kaliakmanis was 15 of 37 for 136 yards, and he was intercepted twice. The Huskers also kept Rutgers out of the end zone six times on plays from inside the two.
Rutgers had great chances to score but couldn't until late. The Scarlet Knights' second blocked punt of the game set them up at the Nebraska 2, but the Huskers held them out of the end zone on three straight plays after Monangai appeared to score but was marked short of the goal line with no challenge from Schiano. He said he didn't want to use a timeout to challenge the mark because it was reviewed at the replay center in Chicago and he was told it would stand.
Nebraska will have a bye this week. They'll be back in action on October 19th against #23 Indiana. Kickoff time is yet to be determined by the conference.