Joplin, Mo. - Missouri Southern's Johnny
Johnson rushed for three touchdowns and caught another, all in the
second half, but the Southern football team lost 48-34 on Senior
Day today in front of more than 3,500 fans at Fred G. Hughes
Stadium in Joplin.
The Lions (3-7, 3-6 MIAA) scored first as Collin Howard, making
his first start since injuring a knee against Nebraska-Omaha,
capped off an 11-play, 60 yard drive with a one-yard dive into the
end zone.
Hays (6-5, 4-5 MIAA) scored the next four touchdowns, however,
and went into the locker room up 27-7 at the half. The Tigers win,
coupled with a Pittsburg State loss at Truman today, means Hays
finishes by themselves in sixth place in the MIAA.
Southern, however, made good use of the halftime and came out
with a new spark and quickly scored two-straight touchdowns, both
on Johnson runs, the first 23 yards and the second four. After
watching Collin Howard direct the Lions' offense in the first half,
Roland Thompson helped lead the Lions' comeback in the second half.
The second score, cut the Fort Hays' lead to just six at 27-21.
After a Tigers' score as time expired in the third quarter,
Johnson picked up his third rushing touchdown of the day on a
16-yard run that capped off a seven-play, 61-yard drive to cut the
lead to seven at 34-27 after the point after failed.
Hays once again answered, and this time made it hurt, as facing
a fourth and one from the 47 yard line, the Tigers' James Walker
picked up his second touchdown of the day to put the Tigers up
41-27.
Johnson's fourth touchdown of the game, this time a 14-yard pass
from Thompson cut the lead back to seven (41-24) with just 50
seconds remaining. An onsides kick attempt was recovered by the
Tigers at the Missouri Southern 41 yard line and Hays put one more
score on the board with 31 seconds left for the final tally of the
game.
Southern out-gained the Tigers 482-467 overall and 220-197 in
the air. The Tigers held the advantage on the ground with 270 to
the Lions' 262. MSSU had four more first downs than the Tigers, but
the Lions threw five costly interceptions on the day. Both teams
had a sack each.
Johnson rushed for 93 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns,
while Toderick Hunt had 99 yards on 17 touches. Johnson added a
late touchdown score on a brilliant one-handed catch in the end
zone, one of two spectacular one-handed catches on the day for the
senior. Isaac Norman had eight catches for 81 yards, while Thompson
went 14-18 for 154 yards and a touchdown pass, all in the second
half.
Defensively, Richard Williams had 17 tackles in the game with
1.5 for a loss to lead the Lions. Dusty Bratzler had ten tackles,
while Justin Cowper had nine stops and a sack. Antwoine Brown had
eight tackles, while David Benham and Jairius Jarvis had seven
stops each.
The Lions said good-bye to ten seniors today. Among those
seniors, a few made their names prevalent in the Missouri Southern
record books. Isaac Norman is now third place all-time (behind
Colin Bado and Rod Smith) in career pass receptions with 146. He
also finishes fifth in receiving yardage with 1,744 and receiving
touchdowns with 14.
Daniel Thompson became just the second Lion ever to catch 10
touchdown passes or more in a single-season joining Hall of Famer
Rod Smith in that elite group. Thompson also finishes sixth
all-time in receiving touchdowns with 13.
Jairius Jarvis, in his short two-year career with the Lions,
made his name known as one of the best defensive lineman the
program has ever seen. The native of Louisiana came just a half a
sack shy of tying the Missouri Southern single-season record, but
his 9.5 this season place him in second place all by himself. Add
in his two sacks from 2008, and Jarvis is tied for sixth all-time
with 11.5 sacks in his career.
