ST. JOSEPH - It wasn't easy, but the Missouri Western football team (4-2) snapped a five-game home losing streak and a five-game homecoming skid with a 43-34 win over Missouri Southern (1-5, Saturday night.
Missouri Western trailed twice, but never more than seven points, to pick up its first homecoming win since 2013. Missouri Southern jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its second drive of the game, an 18-play drive that took 8:19 off the clock. The Griffons answered with a 66-yard throw and catch from Wyatt Steigerwald to Blake Burau on the first play of their ensuing drive.
The Griffons led 13-7 before Southern tied the game late in the second quarter. After the Griffons had built a 26-20 lead with 8:38 left in the third, Southern answered to take a 27-26 lead late in the third quarter. Sam Aviles put the Griffons back on top with a 27-yard field goal with 1:38 left. The Lions got within two, 36-34, with 11:16 left, but the Griffons ended Southern's final two drives with a strip sack fumble recovery and a blocked field goal and added a 43-yard TD from Steigerwald to Kyle Berry with 9:50 to go.
NOTABLES
- The game was tied twice with Southern surrendering two leads and the Griffons giving up one lead.
- Smith rushed for 136 yards, his most as a Griffon, and two more touchdowns to pad his MIAA leading total to nine. Smith averaged 11.3 yards per carry.
- It was the third-straight week the Griffons had a back go over 100 yards and the second time in three weeks that Smith eclipsed the mark.
- MWSU ended three Southern drives with turnovers. Sam Webb had his third interception in the last two weeks and Kobe Cummings' first interception of the season stopped a third quarter Southern drive with the Lions leading 27-26.
- Trey Vaval helped the Griffons with 224 return yards. He returned five kickoffs for a total of 180 yards with a long of 55 and returned one punt for 44 yards.
- Aviles was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts of 20, 33 and 27 yards, but did have an extra point attempt blocked.
- Missouri Western blocked a Southern extra point attempt and a field goal late in the fourth quarter.
- Burau became the fourth Griffon tight end this season to catch a touchdown pass and Eldridge Joyce caught his second of the season. Burau was the 16th different Griffon to score a TD this season.
- Missouri Western won at home for the first time since Sept. 29, 2018, 38-7 over Washburn.
- Three different Griffons had 12 tackles or more with Devan Burrell ending the game with 19, tying for the second most ever by a Griffon. Anthony Williams had 13 and Evan Chohon had 12.
- Arnold Crayton had three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
UP NEXT
- The Griffons travel to Central Oklahoma (2-4) next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff
- The Bronchos have lost three in a row after a 44-26 loss at Central Missouri, Saturday
--- MWSU Athletics ---