By MATT PIKE
Mizzou runs all over Arkansas for 4th straight Battle Line rivalry victory
Ahmad Hardy ran for 149 yards and a touchdown while Jamal Roberts ran for another 100 yards and a score to lead Missouri to a 31-17 win over Arkansas in the regular season finale rivalry battle between the teams.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, an Arkansas native, had previously been bandied as a potential candidate for the Razorbacks’ open head-coaching job. He signed an extension to stay at Missouri earlier in the week and beat Arkansas in a rivalry game for the fourth straight season.
The Tigers opened the scoring in the first quarter as Roberts rushed for his score, a four yard touchdown, but the Razorbacks tied the game up with a 16 yard touchdown pass from K.J Green to O'Mega Blake. Arkansas took the lead in the second quarter after the ball slipped from Beau Pribula’s hands as he cocked his arm to pass. Linebacker Bradley Shaw grabbed the fumble and returned it 32 yards to give Arkansas a 14-7 lead.
But Pribula, who threw for just 25 yards on 4-of-7 passing, but gained 78 yards on 16 carries, picked up Missouri’s second-quarter touchdown that tied the game at 14, an 11 yard touchdown run. A 28 yard field goal from Razorbacks kicker Scott Starzyk with 11 seconds in the half, gave Arkansas the 17-14 lead at the halftime break.
After halftime, it was all Missouri. Hardy, who entered the game third in FBS in yards rushing, gave the Tigers the lead, 20-17, on a 53-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Missouri added a 41 yard field goal from Oliver Robbins and a 67-yard punt-return touchdown from Kevin Coleman Jr. in the fourth quarter to go ahead by two scores. Roberts two point conversion run sealed the game.
Missouri’s 322 yards rushing marked the second-highest total for the Tigers this season and the most in an SEC game. On a day with little passing, Brett Norfleet led the receivers with two catches for 13 yards.
Missouri has firmly established themselves in the second tier of the SEC under Drinkwitz. Missouri’s eight regular-season wins provided the third winning season in a row, marking the first time that’s happened for the team since 2009-11.
Missouri (8-4, 4-4 SEC) now waits on its bowl destination.
Ravens advance with second half comeback over Campbellsville
The #5 seeded Benedictine Ravens completed a double-digit comeback to advance in the NAIA Football Championship Series with a 21-17 win over #12 seeded Campbellsville University Tigers.
The Ravens trailed 17-7 at half, but outscored the Tigers 14-0 in the second half to earn the win.
Benedictine thwarted the Tigers opening drive of the game when Isaiah Hasten picked off a Campbellsville pass in the end zone. After the teams traded punts, the Ravens put together a scoring drive that concluded with a one yard touchdown run from Dalton Witherspoon. The Ravens took a 7-0 lead after one quarter of play.
Campbellsville drove into Benedictine territory late in the first quarter and answered on the second play of the second quarter, leveling the score on a two yard run from Tre' Bass. The Ravens drove into Tigers territory on their ensuing drive, but Jaquon Coulter returned an interception 80 yards to give the visitors the lead After a turnover on downs by Benedictine, Colin Fratus connected on a 41-yard field goal with under a minute to play before half to give Campbellsville a 17-7 lead heading into the halftime break.
The turning point in the second half came on a special teams play midway through the third quarter. Ben Gilliland knifed through the Tigers line to block a punt, then recovered the ball in the end zone to pull the Ravens to within three points. The teams then traded empty possessions until Benedictine took over at their own 42-yard line with 8:38 to play in the game.
Three rushes by Xavier Ugorji and a Tigers penalty put the Ravens at the Tigers 17-yard line. Dalton Witherspoon handled the rest, rushing for a 17-yard touchdown, his second of the day, to put the Ravens up 21-17 with 6:41 to play. The Tigers methodically drove down the field on the ensuing drive, eating five minutes off the clock while driving to the Ravens 33-yard line. Then, on the 12th play of the drive, Isaac Lopez sank into coverage and intercepted the Campbellsville pass to seal the win for the Ravens.
Witherspoon and Ugorji combined to rush for 233 yards – Ugorji with 123 yards and Witherspoon with 110 yards and two scores. Jackson Dooley was 8 of 19 through the air for 95 yards with an interception. Joseph Lagafuaina had four catches for 51 yards.
Benedictine will now hit the road for the Quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series on Saturday against #4 seeded Friends University in Wichita. Kickoff will be at 1pm.
Wildcats bowl eligible after Jackson's three score day against Colorado
Joe Jackson rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns as Kansas State defeated Colorado 24-14 and earned bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season on a cold and blustery day. The game-time temperature was 32 degrees with a wind chill of 24.
K-State used nearly half the first quarter to take a lead on a four yard touchdown run by Jackson. The teams wound up going to halftime tied, after the Buffaloes scored late in the second quarter, a one yard rushing touchdown from Micah Welch. After one rush, the clock ran out and the teams went to the halftime break tied 7-7.
Jackson scored his second touchdown of the day from one yard out with 4:32 left in the third quarter to give the Wildcats the lead back. The score capped a 56-yard drive. Kansas State made it a two-score game with a 35-yard field goal by Luis Rodriguez. The Wildcats stalled at the Colorado 19-yard line, but they burned 6:43 off the clock.
Welch's second rushing touchdown of the game capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive and brought the Buffaloes to within three points. But Jackson's third touchdown, a 17-yard scamper with 2:34 left, extended the lead to 10 points, sealing the game.
Quarterback Avery Johnson was 10-of-17 for 115 yards in difficult conditions for Kansas State. Jaron Tibbs was the leading receiver with four catches for 55 yards.
Kansas State (6-6, 5-4 Big 12) will now await a bowl invitation.
Jayhawks miss out on bowl as season ends at hands of #13 Utah
Devon Dampier threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns, Elijah Davis returned an interception 97 yards for another score, and #13 Utah came from behind to beat Kansas 31-21 on Friday.
Larry Simmons caught two touchdown passes, Wayshon Parker ran for 95 yards and Utah picked off Jalon Daniels three times in the final game of his college career, helping the Utes reach the 10-win mark for the third time in the last five years. Utah won despite allowing 290 yards rushing, one week after beating Kansas State after allowing 472 on the ground.
Utah looked as if it might turn Senior Day into a rout in the opening minutes, but the Kansas defense, which had let Leipold's team down so often this season, finally seemed to find its fight. The Jayhawks bottled up the Utes, who had been averaging 279.6 yards on the ground, and early on Dampier was having little success through the air, twice misfiring on fourth-down attempts.
Dillon Curtis hit a 34 yard field goal for the Utes to open the scoring, before Daniel Hishaw Jr put Kansas ahead with a seven yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Dampier threw a 58 yard touchdown pass on the ensuing drive though to JJ Buchanan and Utah led just 10-7 at the halftime break in a game it desperately needed to win.
The Jayhawks briefly pulled ahead after the break, when Utah coach Kyle Whittingham went for it on fourth down rather than kick a field goal on a cold, blustery day. Kansas made a stop, drove 67 yards, and Daniels' scoring sneak gave them a 14-10 advantage. But the momentum swung for good on his two red-zone blunders early in the fourth quarter.
First, Daniels was picked off while trying to throw the ball out of the end zone, and Utah needed just four plays to go 80 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, a 28 yard pass from Dampier to Simmons. Then, after Kansas marched downfield again, Daniels was picked off by Davis near the goal line, and the junior cornerback returned it 97 yards to give the Utes a 24-14 lead with 7:52 remaining.
Kansas did cut the lead to three points, as Daniels connected with Leyton Cure on a 21 yard touchdown pass. But Utah put the game away for good on Simmons second touchdown catch, a 48 yard throw from Dampier for the final score of the game.
Daniels finished with 187 yards passing and a touchdown, and also rushed for a score, though his turnovers led to a smattering of boos from Kansas fans, many of whom have endured the QB's highs and lows over the past six seasons. Hishaw Jr. had 107 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Jayhawks. Leshon Williams ran for 104. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. had three catches for 113 yards.
Kansas (5-7, 3-6 Big 12) started the season 4-2 before a loss to Texas Tech. It wound up losing five of its last six games. The Jayhawks now watch bowl season on TV for the second straight year
Huskers dominated by border rival Iowa for 10th time in 11 meetings
Mark Gronowski rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a third, Kamari Moulton ran for 93 yards and two scores, and Iowa spoiled Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson's career game with a 40-16 victory.
The Hawkeyes broke open what was a one-point game late in the second quarter with three touchdowns and a safety and they shut out the Cornhuskers in the second half. They took home the Heroes Trophy after their 10th win in 11 meetings with their border rival.
Johnson had 177 of his career-high 217 yards for Nebraska (7-5, 4-5) in the first half, and he matched his career high with 29 carries. It was Johnson's eighth 100-yard game of the season and fifth straight. He broke a career-long 70-yard run on the Huskers' first possession. However, he was limited to 40 yards on 10 carries in the second half.
The temperature was 26 degrees at kickoff, and intermittent light snow fell in the first half. The teams were tied at the end of the first quarter, Johnson opening the scoring with a one yard touchdown run, before the Hawkeyes took the lead scoring on back-to-back possessions, first cutting into the lead on a 41 yard field goal from Drew Stevens, before taking the lead on a 35 yard passing touchdown from Gronowski to DJ Vonnahme. Kyle Cunanan tied the game late in the quarter with a 31 yard feld goal
Cunanan knocked through another field goal in the second quarter, from 29 yards out, to put the Huskers ahead. Moulton's first touchdown of the game gave Iowa the lead back though, running in from three yards out. After Cunanan hit a 35 yard field goal to cut the lead to one, the Hawkeyes started taking control when Gronowski scored from the one yard in the final minute of the half, putting Iowa ahead 24-16 at the halftime break.
The Hawkeyes recorded a safety early in the third quarter when Jacory Barney muffed a punt and the Huskers’ Jamir Conn recovered it in the end zone. Touchdown runs of six yards by Gronowski and one yard by Moulton made it a 24-point game and sent many of the fans home early in the fourth quarter.
Nebraska freshman TJ Lateef, making his third start in place of the injured Dylan Raiola and first at Memorial Stadium, played most of the game with a tight hamstring and was just 9 of 24 for 69 yards. Johnson, on top of being the leading rusher, was the leading receiver with two catches for 22 yards. Luke Lindenmeyer had two catches for 20 yards and Dane Key had three catches for 16 yards.
Both teams wait to find out their bowl destinations next Sunday
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