Kearney, Neb. - The MSSU football team was on the road for the second straight week, making the road trip to face Nebraska Kearney on their turf. Led by the Lion defense, Southern defeated UNK 18-13 to improve to 2-1 on the season. Prior to Saturday, the Lopers had won the previous five matchups.
Winning the toss and electing to defer, Southern sent their defense out first. On the seventh play of UNK's opening drive, the Lopers were facing a 3rd and 6 situation. It looked like the pass was completed, but
Peyton McKee took the ball right out of the Loper receiver's hands to give MSSU possession. That possession led to a 48-yard field goal from
Drake Reese to give the Lions a 3-0 lead.
Following a punt on the next Loper drive, the Lions extended their lead to 9-0 thanks to an 8-yard touchdown catch by number 8,
Jaedon Stoshak.
Akeem Gilmore had a couple of big plays on that drive, a 23-yard rush and a 16-yard reception. Early in the second quarter, UNK attempted a 45-yard field goal but it wouldn't go through the uprights, keeping the score at 9-0. The Lopers would find the end zone in the period, cutting the MSSU lead to 9-7 at the break.
The Lions had a solid opening drive of the second half, driving down and scoring on a
Ja'Veon Marlow 3-yard rush. Late in the third,
Luke Sampson found
Jaedon Stoshak and
Akeem Gilmore on two 20-yard completions, keeping the drive alive into the fourth quarter.
Kearney would eventually stop Southern, but after a three-and-out, the Lions were back in business. MSSU drove down to the UNK 18, where
Drake Reese made his second field goal of the day to push the lead to 18-7. On the very next UNK offensive play,
Christian Owens got to the Loper QB for a sack and a fumble, and
Andrew Portillo was there for the recovery. The Lopers found the end zone with just over a minute left, but
Ezekiel Lang recovered the onside kick attempt to seal the win for Southern 18-13.
Luke Sampson was 18-28 on the afternoon for 174 yards and a touchdown. The game's leading receiver was
Jaedon Stoshak, hauling in 6 passes for 75 yards and a score. MSSU's rushing attack was solid as well,
Ja'Veon Marlow picking up 66 yards on 16 attempts,
Anthodius Ashley with 65 yards on 13 attempts, and
Akeem Gilmore with 27 yards on 4 attempts.
Colton Winder made his presence known, finishing with 5 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and 1.0 sack. Leading the Lion defense with 7 tackles was
Halid Djibril.
Peyton McKee contributed with 6 tackles and an interception.
Jermaine Young Jr. and
Christian Owens both picked up a sack as well.
The Lions return home for their next contest, playing host to the Northeastern State Riverhawks. That game will take place on Saturday, September 23 with kickoff scheduled for 2:00 PM at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
