Topeka, Kan. – The Missouri Southern football team out scored 24^th-ranked Washburn 14-0 in the fourth quarter, but the Lions couldn't complete the comeback and fell to the Ichabods 38-28 at Yaeger Stadium in Topeka.
 
The Lions (3-8, 3-8 MIAA) fell behind 24-7 at the halftime break, but outscored the Ichabods (9-2, 9-2 MIAA) 21-14 in the second half. Southern had 88 yards on the ground and 263 in the air for 371 in the game, as well as two forced fumbles and a recovery in the game.
 
Dawson Herl went 26-of-40 in the game with 283 yards and three touchdowns. Jaedon Stoshak had six catches for 71 yards, including 36 yards after the catch and a touchdown. Chris Boudreaux had five catches for 65 yards and a score, while Keandre Bledsoe had five catches and Brian Boyd Jr. had four for 48 yards and a score.
 
Billy Mance had 37 yards on the ground, while Taylor Thomas had 34 and Nathan Glades had 25.
 
Defensively, the Lions were led by Richard Jordan Jr. with eight tackles, including two for a loss of four yards and a forced fumble. Ian McSwain and Solomona Fetuao had eight stops each, while Dionnte White had a forced fumble and Spyncer Chambers picked up a fumble recovery.
 
The Lions opened up the scoring as after the Ichabods missed on a 49-yard field goal attempt in their first possession. Southern took the ball and Herl completed passes to JarMichael Cooper for 18 yards to start the drive, while also hitting Stoshak, Bledsoe and Boudreaux, before finding Stoshak for a 31-yard strike to go up 7-0 in the first.
 
Washburn added a touchdown on its next possession then a field goal from 34-yards out to go up 10-7 after one. The Ichabods opened the second quarter with another score to go up 17-7 early in the period, but the Lions defense held Washburn to a punt in its next possession. WU found the endzone late in the second and the Ichabods led 24-7 at the break.
 
After Washburn scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter, the Lions answered back to make it 38-14 after a 33-yard touchdown pass from Herl to Boudreaux. The drive started after a forced fumble from Jordan that was recovered by Chambers.
 
The Southern defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter, holding the Ichabods to just 57 yards of offense in the quarter. Herl hit Boyd for a 23-yard score as the quarter started and the other touchdown came when Bledsoe, lining up in wildcat formation, ran it in from two yards out for a score.
 
Boyd finishes his career with 1,517 yards, which ranks 11^th overall at MSSU. His 811 yards this year are 8^th in a single-season, while ranking as the fifth-most by a senior wide out. Bldesoe finished his career with 66 receptions, which ranks third among tight ends at Missouri Southern, while his 717 yards are fourth-most among tight ends.
 
Glades finished with the third-most rushing yards by a freshman in MSSU history, finishing with 737 this season. Herl had one of the top freshman campaigns for a quarterback in Southern history as his 2,260 yards through the air this season rank third-best at MSSU and ninth-most by a quarterback ever in a single-season. He completed 177 passes and that was third-most by a freshman signal caller.
 
Jordan finished with 112 tackles and that is the 11^th-most in a single-season, while moving his career tally to 289 and into 8^th place on the career tackle list. His 14.5 tackles for a loss were tied for second in the MIAA this season and his five forced fumbles equals Brandon Williams (2012) and Ron Burton (1992) for the school record, leading the MIAA in that category.
 
Nick Williams finished with 62 points from kicking which is the second-most ever by a kicker in MSSU history.