ROLLA, Mo. – The Southwest Baptist University football team fell on the road at Missouri S&T on Saturday afternoon 41-38. With the loss the Bearcats drop to 4-4 (3-3 GLVC) on the season.
The Bearcats started the first drive of the game off right when Kendrick Payne returned the opening kickoff for 39 yards to put SBU in great field position. SBU drove the ball down to the MST 2-yardline before settling on a 24-yard field goal from Jordan LeClair to give SBU a 3-0 lead. The SBU defense then picked up another defensive touchdown when Julian Shade had a strip-sack of S&T quarterback Tyler Swart where Tevin Hall picked up the ball and returned it six yards to extend the lead to 10-0. Missouri S&T promptly responded with an 82-yard touchdown run before Payne had another big kickoff return. Payne took the S&T kickoff 83-yards to the house to push SBU back on top by 10 at 17-7.
Quincy Jones Jr. ended the Missouri S&T drive with an interception, giving the ball to the Bearcats inside the redzone. However, the Miners responded with a pick of their own as the defense went back to work. The SBU defense forced a three-and-out, and with a short field Larry Nixon punched it in from one yard out to extend the lead to 24-7.
Holding a 17-point lead to open up the second quarter the Miners got one score back, recovered an onside kick, and advanced the ball into the SBU redzone. However, the defense again came up big when Cory Hanger blocked the 31-yard field goal attempt. After back-to-back punts, the SBU offense went to work. TJ Edwards hit Jerminic Smith a 20-yard pass, Cassian Foreman with a 12-yard reception, and capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Payne to extend the lead to 31-10. The defense again forced another turnover, with a strip sack from De’shawn Tone which was recovered again by Hall. However, Missouri S&T answered back on their drive with a touchdown as SBU lead 31-17 late in the second quarter. The Missouri S&T defense forced another turnover, and advanced the ball inside the SBU redzone before Hanger blocked his second field goal of the game, this one from 25 yards out, as SBU took a 31-17 lead into the half.
Coming out of the break Missouri S&T took their first lead of the game with 17 unanswered points as Southwest Baptist went into the fourth quarter trailing 34-31. The Bearcats used an 11 play 66-yard scoring drive, which started in the third quarter, to again go back on top. During the drive Edwards hit Foreman for 10 yards, Nixon for 30 yards, while picking up 13 yards with his feet before connecting with Payne on a 17-yard touchdown strike to give SBU a 38-34 lead. However, Missouri S&T responded with a score as neither team again put points on the board as the Bearcats ended up falling 41-38.
Cory Hanger had a strong defensive performance for the Bearcats, blocking two kicks, collecting 5 tackles, while also breaking up 6 passes on the afternoon. De’shawn Tone led the way for SBU in tackles with 10, while Tyler Curtsadded 9 tackles. Offensively TJ Edwards was 21-36 for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Kendrick Payne had a team high 62 receiving yards with 2 touchdowns in the loss.
SBU will continue their road trip on Saturday, November 4 when they travel to Truman State for their second match-up against the Bulldogs this season. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. from Stokes Stadium in Kirksville, Missouri.
