By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Ravens upset Texas Wesleyan to advance in NAIA FCS Tournament
The #9 Benedictine Ravens went into Fort Worth, Texas to face an undefeated #8 Texas Wesleyan and used a massive second half to upset the Rams 42-33 to advance to the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals.
The Ravens did fall behind through the first quarter quickly. On the Rams first drive, Carson Rodgers connected with Darren White for a 25 yard touchdown pass. Then, after a fumble by Joseph Lagafuaina on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by Texas Wesleyan, Rodgers found Ernest Ceasar on a six yard touchdown strike, putting the Rams up 14-0 in less than four minutes.
Benedictine went on to answer on their first offensive drive of the game, needing just two plays to do so, as Jackson Dooley threw a 41 yard touchdown pass to Jacob Gathright. Early into the second quarter, Dooley again connected with Gathright, this time on a 40 yard strike, to tie up the game.
With his second touchdown catch, Gathright became the all time leading receiver in Benedictine school history.
But late into the quarter, nearing halftime, Texas Wesleyan took the lead back with a two yard rushing score by Ceasar. And with no time remaining on the clock, Diego Chavarria knocked in a 50 yard field goal, sending the teams to the locker room with the Rams leading 24-14 at the break.
Whatever message Ravens head coach Joel Osborn had for his team at halftime seemed to work, as Benedictine came out in the second half and scored 28 unanswered points, taking a massive lead on the higher seeded Rams.
After Benedictine scored on their first offensive drive of the half, a one yard run by Dalton Witherspoon, they didn't score again until late into the third on another rushing score from Witherpoon, from 21 yards away, giving the Ravens their first lead of the game.
In the fourth quarter, after Jackson Hoskins picked off Rodgers, Benedictine extended the lead on a long pass play, with Dooley finding JaShawn Todd for an 89 yard touchdown strike in just one play. On the first play of the next drive Rodgers was again intercepted, this time by Zachary LaCombe, and the Ravens scored again on a nine play drive, Dooley using his legs this time for a one yard rushing score.
The deficit would be too much to overcome for the Rams, getting a 30 yard field goal from Chavarria, before with no time remaining in the game Ceasar caught his second receiving touchdown of the game from Rodgers from 24 yards.
Dooley was 15 of 30 through the air for 344 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Witherspoon rushed 19 times for 102 yards and two scores. Gathright caught six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, while Todd had three catches for 109 yards and a score.
Next up, Benedictine will travel for a second straight week for the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals taking on #3 seed Indiana Wesleyan.
Brady Cook carries Mizzou past Arkansas on snowy day at Faurot
Both the #21 Missouri Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks seemed to struggle with the weather through a slow first half, but a big second half for both teams led to the Tigers needing a play from senior quarterback Brady Cook to come away with a 28-21 win in the Battle Line rivalry on Senior Day at Faurot Field.
The game went to halftime tied at 7-7 after both teams scored just one touchdown through the first half. Missouri senior running back Marcus Carroll scored on a two yard rushing touchdown in the first, while Arkansas running back Ja'Quinden Jackson had a two yard jaunt of his own in the second.
Jackson added a longer rushing touchdown early on in the second half following a Missouri punt, a 24 yard rushing score, and on the ensuing drive the Tigers could only manage a field goal, sending Blake Craig out to knock through a 28 yard kick, leaving Mizzou trailing heading into the final frame of regulation.
But Missouri would not be trailing for long, after forcing a fumble with 2:42 left in the third quarter, an eight play drive ended early into the fourth quarter with Carroll scoring his second touchdown of the night, from one yard out, giving the Tigers their first lead since the first quarter.
After Craig extended the lead with a 34 yard field goal, the Razorbacks snatched the lead back after a 12 play drive, relying again on the run game as Jackson scored on a nine yard touchdown run with 4:19 left in the game. And that's when the Tigers offense turned it on.
Missouri drove eight plays again, and used up almost two and a half minutes of the clock, before Cook became the hero on the day the Tigers were honoring their seniors, breaking away for a 30 yard touchdown run, then going on to convert a two point conversion with a pass to potential first round draft pick Luther Burden III, who was also honored with the seniors with the potential of him leaving for the NFL Draft.
A 10 play drive by Arkansas ended the game, the drive ending with three straight incomplete passes by quarterback Taylen Green.
Cook was 10 of 20 passing for 168 yards while rushing 11 times for 63 yards and the score. Carroll rushed 22 times for 90 yards with two touchdowns, while fellow senior Nate Noel rushed 1o times for 25 yards. Theo Wease led the receivers with four catches for 100 yards.
Missouri finishes the regular season with a 9-3 record, 5-3 in the SEC, and were a perfect 7-0 at home. They will now wait until Selection Day on December 8th to learn their bowl fate.
Kansas State can't keep Iowa State from cusp of Big 12 title game
The #24 Kansas State Wildcats struggled to overcome the defense of the #18 Iowa State Cyclones, falling 29-21 on Saturday night in Ames, Iowa, giving the Cyclones the first ever 10 win season in program history.
The Cyclones got on the board first, after Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, putting together a six play drive for Rocco Becht to throw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins. Following back to back punts, the Wildcats tied up the game in the opening quarter Johnson throwing a 28 yard pass to Jayce Brown for a score.
Iowa State extended the lead in the second quarter with 10 unanswered points, first getting a 41 yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy, before Becht threw his second touchdown of the game, nine yards to Jaylin Noel, following a recovered fumble from Joey Petersen. With the catch, Noel the receiver from Kansas City, Missouri, passed 1,000 yards on the season.
Kansas State turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing drive, but after an Iowa State punt Johnson again found Brown on a long touchdown pass, where Brown spun away from defenders for a 65 yard touchdown reception, cutting the Cyclones lead to three.
Near the end of the half though, Iowa State again extended the lead, this time Becht using his legs to score, rushing for a five yard touchdown with 43 seconds remaining. Kansas State was forced to punt and Becht knelt out the time left, sending the Cyclones to the halftime break with a 24-14 lead.
Iowa State opened the second half with a drive ending in a punt, and after a Kansas State missed field goal were forced to punt yet again, before the Wildcats narrowed the lead to one score again with the lone touchdown of the third quarter, a seven yard passing score from Johnson to tight end Garrett Oakley.
An 11 play drive by Iowa State ended late in the third quarter with a turnover on downs at the Kansas State seven yard line, and early in the fourth quarter the Cyclones defense stood strong, forcing Johnson into an intentional grounding call in the endzone, resulting in a safety. On the next drive Iowa State scored the final points of the game, a 20 yard field goal from Konrardy.
The Wildcats turned over the ball on downs at the Cyclones’ 35 when a pass went off Oakley’s hands on a fourth-and-2 with 4:59 left. They got the ball back for a final possession with no timeouts and 1:11 left when Konrardy missed what would have been a game-clinching 37-yard field goal. K-State went nowhere, with Johnson knocked out of the game on third down and Ta’Quan Roberson throwing incomplete on fourth-and-15.
Becht took a knee, and the fans poured out of the stands to celebrate with the Cyclones on the field.
Johnson was 12 of 28 passing for 220 yards with three touchdowns, rushing 13 times for 64 yards. DJ Giddens rushed 14 times for 72 yards to lead the runners, while Brown (three catches, 106 yards, 2TDs) and Oakley (four catches, 78 yards, 1TD) led the receivers.
Kansas State finished the regular season 8-4, 5-4 in the Big 12, they will now wait until Selection Day on December 8th to learn their bowl fate. Meanwhile Iowa State finished 10-2, 7-2 in the Big 12, and will play in the Big 12 championship against Arizona State, after BYU beat Houston 30-18 .
Kansas falls to Baylor ending hopes of becoming bowl eligible
The Kansas Jayhawks lost a three game losing streak and saw their season come to an end on the road, falling to the Baylor Bears 45-17 in Waco, Texas on Saturday.
The Jayhawks missed a field goal on their opening drive, and after a punt from Baylor scored the first touchdown of the game, a 19 yard touchdown run by Devin Neal, but from there Baylor scored on three consecutive offensive possessions.
Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw two of his four touchdown passes in the opening quarter, both coming to Monaray Baldwin, one for 39 yards and the other for 36 yards. The Jayhawks did manage a Tabor Allen field goal of 26 yards in the second quarter, before Robertson connected with Josh Cameron on a 14 yard touchdown pass for the final score of the half, and Baylor led 21-10 at the break.
Baylor’s first two TDs came off the same route from Baldwin, and the second was nearly a replay of the first. Baldwin lined up in the slot to the right side in a one-on-one matchup with Kansas safety Marvin Grant and ran right by him and down the sideline.
Baylor continued the scoring frenzy in the second half with Bryson Washington getting a 10 yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive, and then after a Kansas punt, scored again through the air with Robertson throwing a 20 yard pass to Dawson Pendergrass. Jayhawks running back Lawrence Arnold scored the final touchdown for Kansas on a 14 yard run late in the third.
With seven seconds remaining in the third quarter, Washington scored on a one yard run, the Bears closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 40 yard field goal from Isaiah Hankins
Jalon Daniels was 12 of 23 passing on the day for Kansas with 280 yards and two interceptions. Neal led the rushers with 20 carries for 133 yards and a touchdown, while Quentin Skinner (three catches, 77 yards) and Luke Grimm (three catches, 73 yards) led the receivers.
Kansas ends their season with a 5-7 record, 4-5 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks made a run late for bowl eligibility with three straight wins over ranked opponents in Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado.
Cornhuskers fall in rivalry matchup with Iowa on last second FG
For a second straight year, the Nebraska Cornhuskers fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes on a last second field goal, losing in the rivalry titled "The Heroes Game" 13-10 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
The first half of the game was all Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers led 10-0 at halftime after a 31 yard field goal by John Hohl in the first quarter, and a one yard touchdown run from Dante Dowdell in the second. Between the field goal and the touchdown, both teams traded nine punts, with six of the nine coming on three and outs.
After Nebraska missed a field goal on their first offensive drive of the second half, the momentum swang Iowa's way. The Cornhuskers forced the Hawkeyes to punt, but the punt was muffed and Iowa recovered it at their own four yard line, however were held to just a field goal 20 yards by Drew Stevens, for the lone score of the third quarter.
A six play drive by Nebraska was halted by Iowa near the end of the third, and early in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes tied up the game needing just three plays to do so, Jackson Stratton completing a 72 yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Johnson. With the game tied, the teams again exchanged punts before disaster struck for the Cornhuskers.
A drive that started with 1:40 left in regulation went six plays, before Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was sacked, and fumbled, which Iowa recovered to set themselves up at the 36 yard line with 16 seconds left on the clock.
After two rushes from Johnson, Stevens marched onto the field and knocked in a 53 yard field goal with no time left on the clock. It was redemption for Stevens who, after struggling in last season’s game against the Huskers, was replaced by Marshall Meeder for the game-winning field goal in Iowa’s 13-10 victory in that game.
Raiola was 22 of 32 passing for 190 yards. Emmett Johnson led the rushers with 18 carries for 71 yards, while Dowdell rushed 13 times for 50 yards and a touchdown. Jahmal Banks caught four passes for 41 yards.
Nebraska finishes the regular season at 6-6, 3-6 in the Big Ten, and will now wait until Selection Day on December 8th to learn their bowl fate after becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.
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