JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern football defeated Upper Iowa 21-19 Saturday evening in the Lions' home opener at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. A one-play, 80-yard touchdown pass from
Tillman Martin to
Isaiah Green pushed Missouri Southern's lead from 14-13 to 21-13 with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter.
Missouri Southern is now 1-1 overall in 2026. Upper Iowa also has a 1-1 overall mark.
Green caught seven passes for a career-best 144 yards and a touchdown. Martin completed 20 of 33 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown and added 20 rushing yards.
Narkel LeFlore rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and added three catches for 11 yards.
Briar McIntire led MSSU with nine tackles.
The Lions produced the first quarter's only scoring drive on their first possession, going 89 yards in 11 plays before
Jackson Marrs ran 30 yards for a touchdown at 8:07 and
Asher Huffman added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Martin helped sustain the drive with completions to LeFlore,
Isaiah Padello and
Allen Mitchell, and Southern converted three third downs on the march. The Lions defense followed by forcing an Upper Iowa punt, with
Riley Hammons and McIntire combining on a tackle for loss before Hammons stopped a third-down rush short of the marker.
MSSU added another third-down conversion on its next series but punted after a loss and two incompletions, then closed the quarter by stopping Upper Iowa at the Missouri Southern 38 to preserve the 7-0 lead.
Upper Iowa scored 10 points in the second quarter, moving in front on a 55-yard touchdown pass with 1:54 left and taking a 10-7 lead into halftime.
Earlier, the Lions moved from their 13 to near midfield behind Martin completions to Green for 19 and 12 yards before
Mitchell Cory's 38-yard punt pinned Upper Iowa at its 16.
After Upper Iowa reached the Southern five-yard line,
Jayshawn Ross dropped Ronald Wilson Jr. for a 4-yard loss and the MSSU defense held the drive to a 26-yard field goal.
Missouri Southern answered with a drive that included
David Bethune's 16-yard catch on third-and-13, but a fumble on third-and-1 gave Upper Iowa possession at its 46 before the go-ahead touchdown. The Lions' final possession covered 41 yards from their 12, including first-down plays by Green,
Messiah Smith and Martin, but ended on downs at the Upper Iowa 47 with three seconds left.
In the third quarter, MSSU turned
Jayce Hitt's fumble recovery at the Lions own 47-yard line into a six-play, 53-yard scoring drive, with LeFlore's 1-yard touchdown tying the game at 13 and Huffman's extra point giving the Lions a 14-13 lead.
Earlier, Upper Iowa held the ball for an 8:30 drive to open the quarter, but
Tugase Williams recorded a sack and
Keylan Mitchell added a quarterback hurry before Upper Iowa settled for a 43-yard field goal.
After Southern threw an interception on its first offensive series, Hitt recovered Zamar Wise's fumble on the next play to give the ball back. Martin completed passes to Green,
Jace Whatley and Padello on the scoring march, while LeFlore added runs of 11 yards and 1 yard near the goal line. Missouri Southern then forced a late punt after
Ethan Altic broke up a third-down pass, and the quarter ended with the Lions ahead 14-13.
Southern struck for the fourth quarter's decisive score at 10:27, when Martin hit Green for an 80-yard touchdown and Huffman's extra point pushed the home team ahead 21-13.
Earlier, the defense got off the field after Upper Iowa reached third-and-2 near midfield, with McIntire and
Brody Eggleston combining to stop Zamar Wise for no gain before a punt.
Upper Iowa answered with a 75-yard drive and a 1-yard touchdown run at 4:26, but its two-point conversion pass failed, leaving MSSU in front 21-19.
Starting at its own 40 after the kickoff penalty, Missouri Southern leaned on LeFlore's carries and a 5-yard Martin-to-Green completion on third-and-3 before kneeling out the final seconds to finish a 21-19 win.
Prior to kickoff, MSSU football helped make a special wish come true. Seven-year-old Caleb's wish to visit Walt Disney World was granted, an experience his family hopes will give him something to look forward to and help him move forward from the challenges of his medical journey.
Read the full press release on Caleb.
Saturday's home opener was moved back to a 7 p.m., CT kickoff from 6 p.m. due to the expected heat in Joplin, Missouri.
MSSU next heads to Northwest Missouri on Sept. 19 to open MIAA play following a bye week. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m., CT in Maryville, Missouri.
Tickets are currently on sale
online. Fans can also purchase an
MIAA Network subscription to support Missouri Southern Athletics and catch all the Lions action this 2026-27 season.
