JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Without three starters, the Missouri Western football team (8-3) closed the 2019 regular season with a 71-8 trouncing of Lincoln (1-10) on Saturday. MWSU picked up its eighth win for the first time in six years and matched a program record with its 10th straight win away from home.
The win was one of the most efficiently lopsided on the stat sheet in recent memory. Cooper Burton took the opening kickoff back 77 yards for a touchdown and Missouri Western led by 54 points before Lincoln got on the board early in the fourth quarter.
With starting quarterback Wyatt Steigerwald out, Anthony Vespo stepped in for his first career start. Vespo completed 18 of his 21 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Vespo's first career touchdown pass went for 18 yards to fellow redshirt freshman Devon Holmes with 3:57 left in the first. Homes finished with eight catches for 94 yards.
Missouri Western led 40-0 at the half and out-gained the Blue Tigers 590-225. Lincoln passed for just 57 yards and the Griffon defense limited the MIAA's leading rusher, Hosea Franklin, to 61 yards on 20 carries.
NOTABLES
- The 71 points scored were the most by a Griffon team since scoring 81 on Lincoln in 2011.
- MWSU's 10.4 yards per play were the third most ever in a game by the Griffons
- Vespo's 85.7 completion percentage was the second-best ever recorded by a Griffon.
- MWSU's 815 all-purpose yards were the third most in program history.
- With 132 punt return yards, the Griffons tied for the second most in a game by any Griffon team.
- Trey Vaval had 120 of those punt return yards, the second most ever in a game by a Griffon. Vaval broke an MIAA single season record, averaging 35.7 yards per kick return.
- With rushing touchdowns by Cole Kruse and Travon Harris, MWSU ended the regular season with 19 different Griffons scoring at least one touchdown, 18 on offense.
- Burton's kickoff return TD was the third by a Griffon this season. Vaval had two of the three.
- Markel Smith rushed seven times for 146 yards and a touchdown, averaging 20.9 yards per carry.
- MWSU rushed for 350 yards and five scores on the ground.
- Sam Aviles was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts.
UP NEXT
An announcement is expected, Sunday, regarding a likely second consecutive postseason appearance.
--- MWSU Athletics ---