By MATT PIKE/AP
St. Joseph Post
Interception seals Northwest's 10th straight win over Missouri Western
The Missouri Western State University Griffons battled back after giving up 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, but an interception in the final minutes sealed a Northwest victory 27-23. Read our full recap HERE
Benedictine rushes for new season high in win to open Heart South play
The #18 Benedictine Ravens opened up Heart South play in dominant fashion compiling 565 yards of total offense, including a season high 308 rushing yards, on way to a 59-21 win over Central Methodist in Fayette, Missouri on Saturday.
It was a balanced effort for the Ravens as aside from all that offense, the Benedictine defense held Central Methodist to negative rushing yards, all positive yards for the Eagles coming through the air as they passed for 226 yards.
The Ravens opened up the scoring quickly, putting up 21 unanswered points in the first quarter alone, getting passing touchdowns of two yards between Jackson Dooley and Tanner Zimmerman, and just two minutes later of 38 yards from Dooley to Jacob Gathright. With 30 seconds left in the first frame Shawn Wara scored his first of three touchdowns, rushing in from one yard out.
The lead would be pushed to 28-0 early into the second quarter, with just inside 10 minutes remaining, as backup quarterback Kaden Austin would connect with Zimmerman this time from five yards out giving the receiver his second touchdown of the game.
Central Methodist would finally get on the board with just over five minutes left in the half, needing just three plays to do so, as Joe Cambridge would find AJ Allen for a 14 yard touchdown, narrowing the lead to 28-7. But the Ravens would answer to close out the half, with 18 seconds left after a 12 play drive that went 66 yards and used just over five minutes of clock, Wara would score his second touchdown of the game making it 35-7 which is where it set at halftime.
The Eagles would start a comeback effort in the second half, scoring the first two touchdowns of the second half, the first coming on the offensive side of the ball as Cambridge would zip the ball to Zane Rice for a five yard touchdown, the second coming on the next defensive drive as Omarion Slaw would pick off Austin, taking the ball 39 yards to the house and narrowing the lead to 35-21.
But that's where the comeback attempt would end for Central Methodist, Benedictine scoring 28 unanswered points to close out the game, with two of those scores coming in the third quarter as Wara would score his third and final touchdown of the game breaking off a big 42 yard run and then Dooley would return to the game to find Gathright for his second touchdown, this time for a 21 yard score, pushing the lead to 49-21 going into the final quarter.
Dooley would connect with Gathright again early into the fourth quarter, with just over 10 minutes remaining, making another big pass for a 35 yard touchdown pass, making the lead 56-21. The Ravens would go on to score their final points of the game near the end, with 2:50 remaining on the clock sending Harry Balke out to convert a 38 yard field goal.
Despite missing some time in the game, Dooley passed for 200 yards even going 12 of 17 and throwing four touchdowns and one interception. Wara rushed 12 times for 142 yards and his three scores while Dalton Witherspoon rushed 17 times for 111 yards. Gathright was the leading receiver with seven catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns, Zimmermans two touchdown catches were his only two catches of the game.
The Ravens could see themselves going up in the rankings again when the polls are released on Monday, improving to 5-2 (1-0 Heart South) on the season. Next up Benedictine will return home for Homecoming and another Heart South opponent, hosting Missouri Valley on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1pm.
Missouri bounces back from LSU loss with big win over Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — With nothing working initially against No. 24 Kentucky, Missouri gambled on deception to find a spark.
It paid off with a touchdown, and the Tigers followed that up with inspired play to spark a sorely needed victory.
Brady Cook threw for one touchdown and ran for another and Missouri scored on a fake punt during a 20-point outburst in a 38-21 win over the Wildcats on Saturday night.
A week after allowing 14 points in the final three minutes of a 49-39 loss to No. 23 LSU, the Tigers (6-1, 2-1 SEC) trailed the Wildcats (5-2, 2-2 SEC) 14-0 before seizing momentum in the second quarter with trickery. Luke Bauer looked ready to punt before stepping back and lobbing a pass down the left sideline to Marquis Johnson for a 39-yard touchdown. Williams had a step on Kentucky’s Andru Williams, jumped to grab the ball and sprinted in for the easy score.
“We ran it all week and I had a feeling we would run it," Bauer said, noting his baseball background for the throw. “For a second I thought it wouldn't get there and then I saw him jump for it and I was like, ‘it was really happening.’”
“The fake punt that sparked us was unbelievable," added Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz, crediting special teams coordinator Erik Link for recognizing the potential to run it. “We just needed something to believe in. We rolled with it. Down 14-0, what do you have to lose?”
Cook took charge from there with his arm and feet.
The nation's sixth-best passer sandwiched an 18-yard touchdown pass to Theo Wease Jr. between two Harrison Mevis field goals for a 20-14 lead at halftime, then answered a Kentucky touchdown with a 1-yard score to restore Missouri's lead early in the fourth. Cody Schrader added a two-point conversion run to make 28-21, then ran for a 19-yard TD minutes later to seize control for good in a sometimes-chippy contest.
While Cook also praised Bauer for getting it started, he had good words for Missouri's other units for responding to help stop the Wildcats' roll and taking their homecoming crowd of 61,654 out of it.
“We played complementary football,” said Cook, who completed 10 of his final 12 passes to finish 19 of 29 for 167 yards with an interception. “Credit to the defense and special teams. When we needed to close it out, we found a way to get it done. I thought we did a good job of handling the environment and keeping our composure.”
The Tigers' defense also turned the tables with two interceptions among three takeaways, six tackles for loss and four sacks. Missouri outgained Kentucky 324-286, 308-136 after the first quarter.
Devin Leary threw TD passes to Ray Davis (20 carries, 128 yards) and Anthony Brown-Stephens and rushed for a 13-yard score to give Kentucky leads, but was otherwise harassed, getting sacked four times and throwing two interceptions. The Wildcats sought a rebound from last week's 51-13 rout at top-ranked Georgia, but were thoroughly outplayed the final three quarters.
“(To) start 14-nothing and then have the fake punt definitely it’s one of those plays that kind of feels like it punches you right in the gut," coach Mark Stoops said. "And we didn’t respond very good after that.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Kentucky will move out of the rankings after a second consecutive loss. Missouri was the first team out last week and could return after a one-week absence.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Tigers needed a quarter to regroup after being initially swamped, but were dominant after that in all phases in ending a two-game slide against Kentucky. They converted all six red-zone chances with Mevis kicking field goals from 25, 31 and 29 yards.
UP NEXT
Missouri hosts South Carolina on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 pm and the game will be aired on SEC Network.
K State Freshman Avery Johnson sets FBS record in win over Texas Tech
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Freshman quarterback Avery Johnson played the entire second half while starter Will Howard watched because Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said Texas Tech was giving the Wildcats the QB run game.
Still, there will be questions about what's next under center for the defending Big 12 champions.
Johnson ran for five touchdowns, a first in FBS this season, while sharing time with Howard before taking over after the break, and Kansas State beat the Red Raiders 38-21 on Saturday night.
“That’s why we stayed with Avery because if they’re going to play a deep safety and give you quarterback run, then we’re going to make people pay for it,” Klieman said. “Had we had to get into a game where we’re throwing the heck out of it, who knows what we would have done?”
Johnson finished with 91 yards rushing as the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) bounced back from a surprising loss at Oklahoma State with an eighth consecutive victory in the series.
Jake Strong led a 99-yard drive to the only lead for Texas Tech (3-4, 2-2 Big 12) in his debut in the third quarter after replacing injured starter Behren Morton. But the freshman threw three interceptions after the Wildcats had gone back in front.
Morton, who was starting because of the third long-term injury in as many seasons to Tyler Shough, was slow to get up several times in the first half and was ruled out after the break.
Coach Joey McGuire said Morton had already been dealing with a shoulder injury before the Red Raiders had a two-game conference winning streak stopped after a disappointing 1-3 start to his second season.
“I’m frustrated right now because I think you’ve always got to find a way to win no matter who’s out there,” McGuire said. “This is going to go back to, ‘Yeah, hey, you lose your starting quarterback.’ But at the end of the day, we didn’t play good enough football to win the game.”
Strong's second series started at the Texas Tech 1-yard line, but his 13-yard pass got the drive going.
Strong ran 54 yards to set up an 8-yard scoring pass on third down, when he lofted a pass just as he was hit hard in the pocket and Jerand Bradley got a foot down as he fell out the back of the end zone to give the Red Raiders a 21-17 lead.
Johnson, whose only other touchdown came in a blowout of Southeast Missouri State in the opener, replaced Howard on the third series and scored on a 2-yard run for a 10-0 lead.
Howard, a senior closing in on 30 career games but coming off a three-interception showing against the Cowboys, returned several times in the first half.
It was Johnson's show after the break.
His 30-yard run put Kansas State back in front for good at 24-21, and Johnson's 11-yard score put the Wildcats up 10 the first play after VJ Payne's 17-yard return of Strong's first interception.
After Kobe Savage corralled Strong's third interception in the end zone, Johnson led an 80-yard drive to the game-sealing score, a 3-yard run for his fifth TD.
The Wildcats finished with 436 yards a week after generating a season-low 372 in a 29-21 loss to Oklahoma State.
“We just needed to stay the course, block out the outside noise and listen to the inside noise of coaches, support staff, your teammates that do believe in you all the time,” Klieman said.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Wildcats appeared to have a chance for a three-score lead just before halftime when linebacker Jake Clifton forced a fumble on a catch by Cam’Ron Valdez and Kansas State recovered inside the Texas Tech 25. But Clifton made helmet-to-helmet contact with Valdez and was ejected for targeting. Texas Tech then drove for a touchdown and a 17-14 halftime deficit.
GROUND AND POUND
Treshaun Ward had 118 yards rushing as the Wildcats finished with 273 yards on the ground, the most allowed by Texas Tech this season. Tahj Brooks ran for 98 yards and a touchdown for Texas Tech, and Morton scored on a 1-yard plunge.
UP NEXT
Kansas State has TCU at home next Saturday in a rematch of last year's Big 12 championship game, when the Wildcats handed the Horned Frogs their first loss of the season. Kickoff is at 6pm and the game will be aired on ESPN2.
Despite holding halftime lead, Kansas falls 39-32 to Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy decided to let Ollie Gordon II cook.
Gordon gained 284 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns to help Oklahoma State defeat No. 23 Kansas 39-32 on Saturday.
Gordon ran for a career-high 168 yards and caught six passes for a career-best 116. He became the first Oklahoma State player since Gerald Hudson in 1989 to have at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game and the first Oklahoma State running back since Rafael Denson in 1992 to gain at least 100 yards receiving.
“When he’s hot, we’ve got to pound him and let him go," Gundy said. "And he’s getting emotionally driven but he’s not out of control. Last year, he used to get emotionally driven. He was out of control. You have to play with energy and enthusiasm, but if you play out of control, you’re not helping anybody because you can’t think. And he’s not doing that this year. And the line is feeding off of him.”
Gordon had a career-high 29 carries on the day former Oklahoma State running back Terry Miller was added to the Ring of Honor at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Gordon said Miller inspired him.
“He was just talking to me and he told us to go out there and handle business,” Gordon said. “So I had to do it for him.”
Alan Bowman passed for 336 yards and two touchdowns, Rashod Owens had career highs of nine catches and 112 yards and Brennan Presley caught a touchdown pass and ran for the go-ahead score with 2:32 remaining for Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12). The Cowboys gained 554 yards to win their second straight after upsetting Kansas State last Friday.
Kansas (5-2, 2-2) was without quarterback Jalon Daniels for the third straight game because of a back injury. Jason Bean stepped in and passed for career highs of 410 yards and five touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions.
“He struggled a little bit there late in the fourth, obviously," Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. "But before that, I thought he played outstanding. I thought he made some really nice throws and created some things with his feet. But there’s some plays I wish we all had back.”
The Jayhawks had an extra point blocked, failed on another extra-point try because of a bad snap and threw incomplete on a two-point conversion attempt.
On the game's opening drive, Gordon caught a 50-yard pass from Bowman, then hauled in a short pass and took it 17 yards to the end zone. On the next drive, Bowman found Presley for a 20-yard score to make it 14-0.
Bean rallied the Jayhawks by throwing four touchdown passes in the first half. The fourth, a 49-yarder to Quentin Skinner, put Kansas up 25-24 — a score that held up until the break. Bean completed 13 of 17 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Bowman passed for 261 yards and two scores for the Cowboys while Gordon had 177 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the first two quarters.
Alex Hale missed a 43-yard field goal with 9:38 remaining that would have put Oklahoma State up 33-32.
Minutes later, Kansas went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Oklahoma State 40. Oklahoma State's Collin Oliver rushed in and forced a fumble. Kansas recovered, but it was a turnover on downs.
Leipold thought Oliver was offsides. He was frustrated with the officiating during and after the game.
“Oh, we thought the guy was offsides,” Leipold said. "I guess it’s what you’re asking, if the guy was offsides, right? Because everybody’s nodding their head in the room almost, right? It’s baffling. Baffling sometimes.”
Oklahoma State took advantage. Presley went in motion, took the handoff and scored from 6 yards out to put the Cowboys ahead for good. Kansas got the ball down seven with 15 seconds remaining and no timeouts and could not mount a threat.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Jayhawks moved the ball, but their defense struggled. The Cowboys entered the game averaging 4.3 yards a carry, but they averaged 5.7 on Saturday.
RUN STUFFERS
Kansas entered the game ranked sixth nationally with 232.3 yards per game, but finished with 90 yards on 29 carries. Gundy said limiting the Kansas ground attack was Oklahoma State’s primary focus on defense.
DANIELS UPDATE
Leipold said he believes Daniels could return this season.
“It’s kind of like last year’s deal," he said. "He wasn’t out for the season and no one’s told me that he’s out for the season this year. It still stays that. And you can see him moving a lot better than he has been. And so hope? Yeah. I have no reason not to.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Kansas will likely drop out. Oklahoma State may get some votes.
UP NEXT
Kansas hosts No. 5 Oklahoma on Oct. 28. Kickoff time is still to be determined.
Bye week notes
The Nebraska Cornhuskers had the week off and will begin to prepare for Northwestern looking to earn a second win in a row. Nebraska will kickoff against the Wildcats, who are also coming off a bye week, at 2:30pm and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.