Loper Rally Falls Short in St. Joe, 31-21
Junior quarterback Isaiah Tate threw three first half touchdown passes to help Missouri Western hold off Nebraska Kearney, 31-21, Saturday night in St. Joseph.
On "Homecoming", the Griffons (3-3, 2-2) snap a two-game losing streak to the Lopers (0-6, 0-4). The Blue & Gold has now dropped five games by a total of 32 points.
"We were not very good in the first half, especially defensively. They scored on all four drives except the last one before the half when they ran the ball out. The turnover before the half really hurt us; we were trying to "happy hour" them. Get three there and then we get the ball to start the second half," said Loper head coach Ryan Held. "You really want to be so frustrated and mad but then these guys fight and keep going. When you looked up, you realized we could get this done."
UNK out gained Mo West by a 455-397 but fell behind by scores of 14-0 and 31-7. With junior quarterback Devin Tate (Oxnard, Calif.) coming back from injury, the Lopers went down swinging and got big nights from true freshman back Calin Arndt (Overland Park, Kan.) and true freshman receiver Canon Allen (Aurora). However, three missed scoring opportunities – one at the end of the first half and two in the second – doomed the comeback chances.
"Devin did a lot of good things in the game; we threw the ball the best we've thrown all year. He's going to keep better; and Ziggy came in and did a nice job on that one drive. We have a lot of good freshmen in this program like Cal and Canon," said Held.
One of Division II's passing leaders, Tate showed why as he finished 20 of 28 for 283 yards, those three scores (4, 5, and 36 yards) and a second half pick. He completed passes to four teammates and was sacked once. Mo West scored TDs on its first four possessions (85, 55, 71 and 65 yards) but were held to a field goal after the break. They were forced to punt three times with Tate picked off inside Loper territory.
Graduate back Isaiah Harris (Millard South) got UNK on the scoreboard with a four-yard scamper early in the second. That capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive. The Lopers failed on 4th down at the Griffs 45- and 35-yard lines, respectively, in the opening half but were on the move again right before the break. However, Tate was picked off at the MWSU two.
After redshirt freshman Latrell Armstong booted a 21-yard field goal late in the third to make it a 24-point deficit, the comeback began in earnest. First, Tate hooked up with Allen for a 44-yard gain. A few plays later, Arndt rambled 18 yards for his second TD of the fall. The next Loper drive seemed to be headed for points as well, but a 15-yard flag made sophomore kicker Kaden Kiernan (Kansas City) have to attempt a 57-yarder. It fell short, but the defense got a stop, and the offense was on the move again.
Reserve QB Ziggy Harper (Belle Galde, Fla.) came in for Tate who was hit late on a completion. Harper ran for 11, 19, and 25 yards and then plunged in from a yard out to finish the scoring at the 6:50 mark. Finally, the Lopers chance to make it a one-score game was thwarted when the Griffs blocked a Kieran attempt from 38-yards out with 2:27 remaining.
Still not 100 percent, Tate finished 13 of 33 for 198 yards and completed passes to six teammates. Allen had five grabs for 105 yards with Arndt rumbling for 139 yards on 15 totes. Harris was busy in spurts and managed 53 yards with Harper at 46. For Mo West, true freshman slot Petyon Hatfield had a big night (nine catches, 135 yards) with 230-pound junior Rickie Dunn running 25 times for 101 yards. Both teams were good on 3rd down (UNK, 7 of 13; Mo West, 8 of 12) with the Lopers 1 for 3 on 4th down. Finally, the teams combined for 14 penalties with several of the 15-yard variety.
"I've said this before to our guys; this isn't a video game. There are consequences for good things and bad things. I think we have a football team that wants to win so badly. Today we let our emotions, in some of those sequential things, really hurt us," said Held.
Defensively, junior corner Marquese Chapman (Houston) had a pick, senior safety Eddie Whipple (Daytona Beach, Fla.) had seven stops with senior backer Dylan Jordan (Pittsburg, Kan.) and redshirt freshman end LaDainian Blackwell (Boys Town) combining for a sack.
"We'll go back to work next week and just have to find a way to finish," said Held.
UNK hosts Missouri Southern next Saturday at Foster Field. The Lions (1-5, 0-4) fell today to No. 9 Emporia State, 35-21.