By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Bearcats keep playoff hopes alive with comeback win over Lopers
Northwest Missouri State overcame a 10 point fourth quarter deficit to keep their hopes for a playoff berth alive, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Nebraska Kearney 28-24 on Saturday in Kearney, Nebraska.
It's the 18th come from behind win for Bearcat head coach Rich Wright, and just the third time since 2017 that the Bearcats rallied from being behind double digits to earn a win.
Kearney would get the scoring started in the first quarter when last years MIAA Offensive Player of the Year quarterback TJ Davis would find wide receiver AJ McPhee from 13 yards out with 11:26 left in the quarter. The Bearcats would answer though just under five minutes later, when freshman running back Jay Harris would rush in from two yards out to cap a 12 play drive.
The first quarter would end knotted up at 7-7, but then after a 10 play drive with 13:17 in the second quarter, kicker Junior Gonzalez would put the Lopers up again with a 45 yard field goal.
It was back and forth for the next nine minutes of the quarter, before the Bearcats would take their first lead of the game with 4:04 left before half. Following a defensive play where Junior defensive lineman Walker Graves would sack Davis forcing a fumble that Sophomore defensive end Jake Fisher would return to the four yard line, Harris would need just one play to rush it in from four yards out.
Davis would atone for his mistake though, scoring the final touchdown of the half by capping a 7 play, 73 yard drive with a 12 yard rushing score, giving the Lopers a 17-14 lead at halftime.
Nebraska Kearney would come out of halftime and score the only touchdown of the third quarter, a 30 yard rushing score by Damien Cearns to give Kearney a 24-14 lead, before Northwest took over in the fourth quarter.
Northwest would go on to score 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, on a 32 yard rushing touchdown from Harris and a six yard score from Senior quarterback Braden Wright and would hold on for the 28-24 victory.
The passing game was hardly necessary for the Bearcats as they compiled 312 yards rushing on the day. Running back Jemar Moya lead the rushing attack with 120 yard on the ground while Harris ran for 72 yards to go with his three scores.
The Bearcats, now 7-2 on the season, will return to Maryville on Saturday for their final home regular season game and will host Missouri Southern. Kickoff is set for 1:30pm.
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#7 Ravens score late, defense stands up to hold onto win over Baker
The Benedictine defense stood strong over the last two minutes of the game to help the #7 Ravens come away with a 21-20 win over Baker on Saturday in Atchison for Homecoming.
It wasn't pretty for the Ravens though, who after taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, fell behind 20-14 before scoring the go ahead touchdown with 2:14 left in the ball game.
The scoring got started quick for the Ravens in the first. After taking the opening kick 64 yards, the Ravens needed just four plays and two minutes of game clock before Rayshon Mills would rush in from two yards out to make it 7-0.
Benedictine wouldn't score again however until late in the first quarter. Following a missed field goal by Baker kicker Seth Simpson, the Ravens got the ball at their own 20. After a 12 yard rush by Mills, quarterback Garrett Kettle would unload, finding wide receiver Jacob Gathright for a 68 yard touchdown, giving the Ravens the 14-0 lead.
Baker would score the only points of the second quarter as Simpson would knock one through from 27 yards out with 48 seconds left in the half. The Ravens would attempt to move the ball down the field, but would run out of time, taking a 14-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was all Baker, until the Ravens score late in the fourth. With 4:43 left in the third quarter, Baker quarterback Sam Heggemann would find Will Roberts from 10 yards out, bringing Baker a little closer as after the extra point was made they trailed 14-10.
The fourth quarter was when Baker would take the lead, on back to back drives with scores, the first drive would take just five plays to give Baker a 17-14 lead as running back Andrew Colvert would rush in from four yards out for the score.
Simpson would add to that on Bakers next drive, nailing a field goal from 25 yards out to make it 20-14, with 6:57 left of game time.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Ravens would take it back 58 yards, setting up at the Baker 31. From there it would be a game of chewing clock. Benedictine would eat up just under five minutes of clock over 10 plays, before Kettle would rush in from 12 yards out, knotting the game at 20-20, before the extra point would give Benedictine the 21-20 lead.
The Ravens defense would hold strong from there, a five play drive from Baker would result in a four and out after Heggemann was unable to complete a pass on 4th and 12. Giving the Ravens the ball back and allowing them to run the time out.
Mills on the day rushed 10 times for 75 yards and a score to be the leading rusher. Kettle also rushed 11 times for 58 yards and his rushing score, to go with 206 passing yards on the day.
The Ravens are now 8-1 on the season, 3-0 in Heart East play, and will stay home on Saturday, hosting Evangel for Senior Day in Atchison. Kickoff is slated for 1pm.
#22 Kansas State dominates #9 Oklahoma State in shutout
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — After the final seconds ticked away on No. 22 Kansas State's comprehensive 48-0 win over ninth-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday, thousands of purple-clad fans didn't storm the field so much as they wandered onto it in celebration.
Which was altogether fitting, considering the way the Wildcats methodically trounced the Cowboys.
Backup quarterback Will Howard threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns, Deuce Vaughn ran for 158 yards and another score, and a late interception by the Wildcats sealed Oklahoma State's first shutout loss since 2009 while allowing Kansas State to remain a game behind TCU in the race for berths in the Big 12 championship game.
“This is as good a win as I've ever been a part of,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “Offense fed off defense. Defense fed off the offense. We need to play complementary football and we were really good in all three phases.”
Kansas State scored TDs on its first two possessions, had 495 yards of total offense and held Oklahoma State, which had been the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense at 44.7 points per game, to just 217 yards — less than half its season average.
Kade Warner caught five passes for 97 yards and two scores, and Malik Knowles had eight catches for 113 yards. The late interception gave the Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) their first shutout of the Cowboys since a 10-0 win on Nov. 21, 1992.
“We’re confident," Howard said. "We feel good right now. And we just played a really good game against a really good team and beat them 48-0. And the nice thing is, we haven’t played our best game, and that's still in front of us.”
Spencer Sanders was just 13 of 26 for 147 yards with an interception for Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) before landing hard on his shoulder midway through the fourth quarter. The star quarterback did not return to the game.
he biggest question surrounding Kansas State was the health of its own quarterback, Adrian Martinez, who played just four snaps in last week's loss to TCU because of a knee injury. And while he warmed up with the starters Saturday, it was the veteran backup Howard who headed out to the field on the opening possession of the game.
“Adrian didn't feel like he was 100 percent confident in what he was going to be able to do,” Klieman said, “and I appreciate that because he's a team player. We knew we would be good either way.”
New polls released today show Oklahoma State dropping nine spots from #9 down to #18, while the Wildcats are on the rise nine spots going from #22 to #13.
Next up Kansas State will stay home to welcome the Texas Longhorns into Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6pm and will be aired on FS1.
Tigers win second straight game, Mayors Cup in win over #25 S. Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Brady Cook didn't let Missouri's early struggles this season change his outlook on what the Tigers could accomplish. He made sure his teammates wouldn't let that happen, either.
Cook and the Tigers, who opened 0-3 in Southeastern Conference play, directed three long, first-half drives to built a 17-0 lead on the way to their 23-10 victory over No. 25 South Carolina on Saturday night.
“It was a tough three weeks,” Cook said of his team's SEC losses. But he made sure the Tigers knew how close they were to success.
“There's no reason to give up now,” Cook remembered.
That perseverance was evident for Missouri (4-4, 2-3 SEC) in its fourth straight win over South Carolina (5-3, 2-3 SEC).
“I showed and we showed what we can do,” Cook said.
It was a dominating performance over the Gamecocks, who came in with a four-game win streak and in the national rankings for the first time since early in the 2018 season.
Receiver Dominic Lovett had career highs with 10 catches for 148 yards while the Tigers' defense had 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and held the Gamecocks to 203 total yards.
Missouri beat a ranked opponent for the first time since its 45-41 win over No. 17 LSU on Oct. 10, 2020.
It was hard for even the most optimistic among Tigers fans to see this coming. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz told his seniors earlier this season that just because the results aren't there, “that doesn't mean you haven't created positive change in the program.”
Drinkwitz hopes the positivity continues the final month of the season. It could if Cook keeps leading like this.
He completed 17 of 26 passes for 224 yards without an interception. He added 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground. as Cook's steady hand kept driving Missouri forward.
Missouri won the Mayor's Cup that's contested between the two SEC East teams whose campuses are located in Columbia of their respective states. Missouri gets to keep the Cup for a fourth straight year. “It's a trophy game,” cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. said. “We wanted to take something with us.”
The Tigers will hope to extend their win streak to three games when they return home on Saturday to host the #19 Kentucky Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 11am and will be aired on SEC Network.
#17 Illinois wins sixth straight game crushing Huskers
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Illinois' breakout season keeps getting better.
The Illini's 26-9 win over Nebraska on Saturday was nothing flashy, just workmanlike. Chase Brown and the top defense in the country did what they've been doing all year, and now No. 17 Illinois is on a six-game win streak for the first time since 2011.
“Our guys are locked into the moment,” second-year coach Bret Bielema said. “When you get better and better, everyone wants to talk about where you’re going to end up. What we need to concentrate on is the journey, and to get to where we are today has been probably one of the most enjoyable journeys I’ve ever been on in my life.”
Brown rushed for 149 yards and scored on consecutive series in the second quarter to help the Big Ten West-leading Illini (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) beat the Cornhuskers for the third year in a row and secure their first winning regular-season record since 2007.
“I tell these guys all the time that I’ve been around some championship teams, and this team is that same caliber if not better,” Bielema said. “We're an exceptional defense and we have playmakers on literally both sides of the ball and in the kicking game.”
Nebraska (3-5, 2-3 Big Ten) committed four turnovers and dropped its 20th straight against a Top 25 opponent.
The Huskers lost quarterback Casey Thompson to a right arm injury in the second quarter. Interim coach Mickey Joseph said Thompson's elbow got hit, causing finger numbness. Logan Smothers finished the second quarter, and Chubba Purdy played the entire second half.
Illinois' Tommy DeVito was 20 of 22 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. His 91% completion rate was a Memorial Stadium record for visiting quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts.
The Illini held Nebraska to 29 yards on 20 plays in the second half and 248 for the game, the fewest by the Huskers since they finished with the same number against Michigan State in 2018. Trey Palmer, coming off a school-record 237-yard receiving performance against Purdue, caught one pass for 1 yard.
“We came out with a great game plan and didn’t execute,” Nebraska tight end Travis Vokolek said, “so I give all props to Illinois’ defense. Great team. Tough-nosed football team.”
Nebraska will stay home on Saturday and will look to snap their small losing streak as they host Minnesota. Kickoff is at 11am and will be aired on ESPN 2.
Bye week notes
During their bye week a big focus for Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold was to get his team healthy.
"Obviously we've got to get healthier, it's been 12 plus weeks going straight for these guys," Leipold told reporters. "It's a full week of a lot of things. In our practice models of working with some of the younger players, some guys that have a high volume of game snaps probably won't take as many reps at least in the first couple days, kind of play it by ear. So it's a great time to get a lot done."
Injuries have played a crucial part on Kansas' season, especially over just the last couple of weeks. KU lost crucial starting-quality players in running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., quarterback Jalon Daniels and cornerback Cobee Bryant in consecutive weeks.
When asked if his injury list was longer than usual by reporters, Leipold wasn't afraid to admit that it was.
"I'll say this, probably a little bit more on the higher side at the skill position area, guys that you like asking questions about,” Leipold said. “I’ve thought we've done a pretty good job in some of that but we'll see. The list got longer [against Baylor]. So we'll keep seeing where it goes. But Trent Carter our head athletic trainer and his staff, I probably should have said this long ago, but they're the best bet around. They do an excellent job."
After starting the season 5-0, the Jayhawks have lost their last three games to fall to 5-3 on the season overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play. Kansas will look to right the ship in Lawrence Saturday against an Oklahoma State team coming off that big loss against Kansas State. Kickoff is set for 2:30pm on FS1.