Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern football team was within two points at halftime and ten late, but the Lions couldn't complete the comeback and fell 45-28 today to Missouri Western inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
 
Southern (3-6, 3-6 MIAA) won the toss and took the opening kickoff 25 yards before a bit of trickery from Dawson Herl resulted in a 56-yard pass and catch to Brian Boyd Jr to put Southern at the 17-yard line. The Lions settled for an 18-yard field goal from Nick Williams to lead 3-0 early on.
 
Western (4-5, 4-5) answered right back and scored on a 56-yard rushing score from Reagan Jones to give the Griffons a 7-3 lead with 10:39 to go in the first quarter.
 
The Griffons scored again in the quarter, this time on a one-yard carry from Travon Harris to go up 14-3 after one.
 
Western got a field goal from 20-yards out to go up 17-3, before the Lions answered back. A 22-yard field goal from Williams made the score 17-6 with six minutes to go in the quarter. The Southern defense forced a turnover when Richard Jordan Jr forced a fumble that was picked up by Ian McSwain to give the Lions the ball back with 4:03 to go.
 
Herl and Boyd hooked up for 35 yards on the first play of the drive, before Herl hit Jaedon Stoshak for 23 yards to get to the Western 15-yard line. As time was ticking in the half, the Lions got a pass from Herl to Ty Harvey for 13 yards to the Western two-yard line before Herl found Keandre Bledsoe in the endzone for a touchdown to make the score 17-12. The Lions faked the extra point and Stoshak found Bryce Osman in the endzone for the two-point conversion to make the score 17-14 going into the locker room at the half.
 
The Griffons scored on their first possession of the third quarter and tacked another one on with 5:26 to go in the third to lead 31-14. On the ensuing drive, the Lions got a 22-yard pass from Herl to Harvey and finished the drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Herl to JarMichael Cooper to make the score 31-21 with 2:44 left to go in the quarter.
 
Western scored on its first two possessions of the fourth before the Lions got a score on its final possession, this time a short pass from Herl to Cooper. Earlier in the drive, Herl hit Boyd for 60 yards setting up the scoring situation.
 
Herl went 16-of-36 for 307 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Boyd picked up 176 yards on five catches, including 85 yards after the catch. The 176 tops his previous high of 169 at Lincoln and is 7^th-most in a single game for MSSU. Cooper caught a pair of touchdowns in the game on three receptions for 43 yards, while Stoshak had three for 43 yards and Bledsoe had two catches and a score.
 
Nathan Glades rushed for 81 yards, while Nick Williams made a pair of field goals from 22 and 18.
 
Defensively, Jordan and Colton Winder had 12 touchdowns each with Jordan picking up a forced fumble and Winder providing a tackle for a loss. White and Chuncey McCaullie had a forced fumble each, with Kalepo Fiaseu returning one of the fumbles 19 yards.
 
The Lions will be back in action next week as Southern plays host to eighth-ranked Northwest Missouri for Senior Day.