Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern football team took on the Tigers of Fort Hays State Saturday afternoon, returning home after playing on the road last week. Coming off a high-scoring game last week, the Tiger offense continued to click, defeating the Lions 35-22. With the loss, MSSU drops to 3-3 (3-3 MIAA) on the year.
The Lions had the first possession and took a 3-0 lead thanks to a 41-yard field goal from
Drake Reese. With a lengthy drive of their own, the Tigers scored a touchdown to go ahead 7-3.
Following a punt by MSSU, FHSU drove the field to the Southern 9-yard line where
Zach Bergmann came down with an interception on a pass batted in the air. Southern was facing a 3rd and 3 early in their next possession, when
Luke Sampson found
Nick Panella for 21 yards to keep the drive alive. A play later, Sampson had another 21-yard pass to
Akeem Gilmore. In similar fashion,
Ezekiel Lang caught a 20-yard pass from Sampson for a touchdown, 9-7 Lions. The Tigers had another long drive, scoring right before half to regain the lead, 14-9.
Picking up from where they left off, Fort Hays took a 21-9 lead following a 7 play, 66-yard drive. Southern was forced to punt on their next drive, but the ball bounced off a Tiger and was recovered by the Lions, setting them up on the FHSU 29-yard line. After getting FHSU to jump offsides on 4th and 1,
Nathan Glades took it to the end zone for a 15-yard rushing touchdown. The Tigers responded with another touchdown drive, making the score 28-15 at the end of the third quarter.
Missouri Southern faced a pair of fourth down situations on their next possession, converting both through the air.
Luke Sampson connected with
Nick Panella for 11 yards, then found
Jaedon Stoshak for a 15-yard touchdown, 28-22. Fort Hays would score once more to make the final score 35-22 in favor of the Tigers.
Luke Sampson completed 20-34 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. Seven different receivers were in the mix, with
Deontay Campbell leading the charge at 6 receptions for 52 yards.
Nathan Glades led the ground game, picking up 60 yards on 11 attempts and a touchdown.
Anthodius Ashley also had 4 rushes for 41 yards.
Zach Bergmann had a solid game defensively, collecting 12 tackles, 6 solo, 0.5 for loss, 1 interception, and 1 pass break up.
Next on the schedule for the Lions is another home contest, this one featuring the current #3 team in the nation, Pittsburg State. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 14.
