By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
#24 Tigers top Sooners in renewal of rivalry matchup
The Missouri Tigers had not had the greatest luck against the Oklahoma Sooners in one of their oldest rivalries, coming into Saturday trailing in the series 67-24-5, the Sooners even winning 32 of the 48 all time meetings in Columbia.
But in the renewal of the rivalry, and the first with both teams in the SEC, it was the #24 Tigers that came out on top, behind a strong effort from their defense and backup quarterback Drew Pyne, beating the Sooners 30-23 on Saturday at Faurot Field.
Both teams offenses were slow to get going through the first half, as both only managed field goals, Oklahoma's Zach Schmit knocking through kicks of 40 and 35 yards to give the Sooners a 6-0 lead before Mizzou's Blake Craig hit a 25 yard field goal to get the Tigers on the board. Schmit hit a 56 yard field goal at the end of the first half, giving Oklahoma a 9-3 lead at the halftime break.
Missouri scored the only points of the third quarter on their second offensive drive of the second half, following a turnover on downs by the Sooners, Pyne putting together a 12 play drive before connecting with Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease Jr for a 13 yard touchdown to give the Tigers their first lead of the game.
After both teams traded punts, a fumble from the Sooners, one of four on the day, gave Mizzou the ball back and they would extend their lead with Pyne throwing a touchdown to tight end Brett Norfleet for five yards. Craig knocked through the ensuing extra point, however a false start forced another attempt, which Craig went on to miss.
The missed extra point allowed Oklahoma to go on to tie up the game on the very next drive, finishing a 12 play drive with quarterback Jackson Arnold finding Taylor Tatum for an 18 yard touchdown pass. Disaster struck for the Tigers, and took the air out of the stadium, as on the following defensive drive, Mizzou running back Jamal Robers had the ball knocked from his hands, and kicked it as he was going down, allowing Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr to return the ball 43 yards for a go ahead touchdown.
As fans held their breath with two minutes remaining, Pyne put together another strong drive with two big plays to help the Tigers tie the game back up. First, on a 3rd and 16, Pyne found Luther Burden III for a 33 yard pass to get the first down. After a Marcus Carroll rush attempt, Pyne went to the air again, and once again found Wease Jr, who tiptoed at the corner of the endzone for a 10 yard touchdown reception.
With 1:03 left in the game, and overtime looming, as they had all night the Missouri defense came up big. After the Sooners got a first down, thanks to a defensive pass interference on Kristian Williams, Arnold was hit hard by linebacker Triston Newson as he scrambled looking for a receiver, losing the ball for defensive lineman Zion Young to scoop it up and take it to the house, giving the Tigers the lead with 30 seconds remaining.
A last ditch effort from Oklahoma fell short as they pitched the ball back and forth trying to find an opening, but failing and with zeroes on the clock Faurot Field erupted in celebration as Mizzou left on top. The win was crucial as the only hope for the Tigers to possibly make the College Football Playoffs is to win out the remaining schedule.
Pyne was 14 of 27 on the night passing, throwing for 143 yards with three touchdowns. Roberts led all rushers with 13 carries for 54 yards, while Wease Jr had four catches for 70 yards with two scores. Burden III had five catches for 55 yards.
The Tigers will hit the road next week to Columbia, South Carolina to matchup in the Mayor's Cup with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Kickoff will be at 3:15, with pregame at 1:15 on KFEQ on Saturday.
Bearcats win the battle of Highway 71 over Griffons for 11th straight win
Both the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats and Missouri Western Griffons traded blows through the first half of the Battle of Highway 71, but running back Tank Young helped the Bearcats pull away in the second, as Northwest won the rivalry matchup for an 11th straight time 33-23 on Saturday at Spratt Memorial Stadium.
Each team only scored field goals through the first quarter, as Bearcat kicker Noah Guastella hit kicks of 26 and 37 yards to give Northwest the lead, before Griffons kicker Cody Watson hit a long 53 yard field goal late in the quarter to leave Northwest up 6-3 going into the second quarter.
Watson did tie up the game early on in the quarter, knocking through a 20 yard field goal, before the teams continue exchanging kicks with Guastella hitting a 32 yard field goal. The first touchdown was scored by the Griffons as Branden Berwald connected with Traveon James for a 16 yard touchdown pass. But the Bearcats answered with a touchdown pass of their own on the ensuing drive, Chris Ruhnke throwing to Eric Richardson for a 15 yard score, leaving Northwest up 16-13 at the halftime break.
Following a Missouri Western punt to open the second half, Young would begin to help Northwest pull away, ending a three play drive with a 46 yard rushing touchdown. Later in the quarter it was Young again, this time from just 10 yards away to give the Bearcats a three score lead in the rivalry battle.
Two straight scores for Missouri Western began the comeback effort, Watson first hitting a 37 yard field goal. Later in the quarter, Berwald threw another touchdown pass, this time to Jake Berrey for 41 yards. But that's where the comeback bid fell short.
Berwald threw an interception late in the quarter, and the Northwest offense would drive down the field, allowing Guastella to hit his fourth field goal of the game for what was the final score, knocking the kick through from 22 yards away.
For Northwest, Ruhnke was 20 of 32 passing for 225 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Young was the leading rusher with 20 carries for 135 yards and two scores, he was also the leading receiver with six catches for 92 yards.
Berwald was 26 of 51 through the air for the Griffons, passing for 305 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, he was also the leading rusher with 10 carries for 10 yards. Jonas Bennett caught 11 passes for 113 yards.
Missouri Western will wrap up their season at home next, taking on Quincy at Spratt Memorial Stadium, kicking off at 2pm. Northwest will also return home for their season finale, taking on Pittsburg State at Bearcat Stadium for Senior Day, kicking off at 1:30pm.
#11 Ravens score dominant win over Central Methodist on Senior Day
The #11 Benedictine Ravens sent out their seniors with a bang, scoring a 39 point victory over Central Methodist on Saturday at Larry Wilcox Stadium, winning 49-10.
After Dalton Witherspoon opened the scoring for the Ravens with a four yard rushing touchdown, Central Methodist got onto the scoreboard with a 24 yard field goal by Oscar Simon late in the quarter. Benedictine wasted no time answering the score, as Jackson Dooley threw a 72 yard touchdown pass to Joseph Lagafuaina, needing just one play, to send the Ravens into the second quarter with a 14-3 lead.
Benedictine scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, starting with a touchdown from their special teams unit as Joseph Abrams blocked a punt in the end zone that was recovered by Isaiah Hasten. Jashawn Todd scored next on a five yard rushing score before the scoring was capped off by Dooley who rushed for a score of his own from seven yards away, sending Benedictine to the locker room at halftime with a 35-3 lead.
After neither team scored in the third quarter, Dooley extended the run to 35-0, as he connected with Tyler Watson for a 19 yard touchdown. But the Eagles finally ended their scoreless drought in the quarter, Gavin Watts throwing a 16 yard touchdown pass. The Ravens final score of the game came late in the quarter, a 66 yard rushing touchdown by Jonah Roberts, again on just a one play drive.
Dooley was 22 of 30 passing for 343 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. With his 343 yards passing, Dooley now has 3,286 yards, breaking the previous single season record of 3,110 yards set by Garrett Kettle in 2022.
Roberts rushed three times for 75 yards with one score, while Xavier Ugorji rushed nine times for 50 yards. Lagafuaina caught two passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, Tanner Zimmerman had five catches for 48 yards.
Benedictine returns to the road for a first-ever meeting in Fulton, Mo., with William Woods University on Saturday to finish off the regular season, kicking off at 1pm.
With MidAmerica Nazarene's loss to Baker in Olathe on Saturday, the Ravens, Pioneers and Wildcats are now tied for the Heart South lead with one week remaining.
Neal sets KU rushing record as Jayhawks upset #17 Cyclones
Devin Neal rushed for 116 yards and became the all time leading rusher for Kansas, as the Jayhawks scored a big upset win in what has been a disappointing season over #17 Iowa State, 45-36 at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.
Neal broke June Henley's rushing record with a 14-yard run on his first carry and now has 3,951. Neal's touchdown runs of 13 and 10 yards gave him 43, breaking Henley's mark of 41.
After Iowa State opened the scoring on their first offensive drive, Rocco Becht throwing a 27 yard touchdown pass to Kansas City native Jaylin Noel, the Jayhawks answered quickly with a big 70 yard touchdown pass from Jalon Daniels to Luke Grimm. Neal's 13 yard rushing touchdown capped the scoring late in the first quarter to put Kansas up 14-7.
The scoring frenzy by the Jayhawks continued into the second quarter, Daniels throwing a 24 yard touchdown pass to Quentin Skinner. After a 22 yard field goal by Kyle Konrardy for the Cyclones, Daniels added a touchdown with his legs, rushing for a two yard score. Field goals from Kansas' Tabor Allen of 47 yards, and Konrardy of 38 yards, ended the scoring in the first half, the Jayhawks leading 31-13 at the halftime break.
Neal scored his 10 yard rushing touchdown for the first score of the second half extending the Kansas lead, before the Cyclones finally found the endzone again, this time with a rushing score of their own, Carson Hansen running for an 11 yard touchdown.
To start the fourth quarter, Iowa State continued cutting into the Jayhawk lead, Becht connecting with Jaylon Jackson for a 27 yard touchdown, then adding a two point conversion by running into the endzone to cut the lead to 10 points. But while attempting to cut the lead even more, Becht threw an interception to Mello Dotson who took the ball 25 yards to the house for a touchdown.
Becht connected with Noel again late in the fourth quarter, an 18 yard passing touchdown, Becht passing to Jayden Higgins for a two point conversion, with 2:41 left in the game, but Neal and Daniels combined to rush for a first down, allowing Daniels to kneel out the remaining clock.
Daniels was 12 of 24 passing for 295 yards with two touchdowns, also rushing 12 times for 68 yards and a score. Neal rushed 18 times for 116 yards with two touchdowns. Skinner caught four passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, while Grimm caught two passes for 76 yards and a score.
Kansas will be back on the road next week traveling to LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah for a matchup with BYU. Kickoff will be at 9:15pm with the game being televised on ESPN.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.