TIFFIN, Ohio – [BOX SCORE] First-year program Missouri Baptist showed flashes of greatness in several points throughout the game, but the football squad fell to NCAA Division II Tiffin, 53-13.
Missouri Baptist (0-8) gained 307 yards of total offensive in the contest, including 180 yards on the ground. The Spartan offense moved the chains 16 times, while winning the possession battle, 35:48 to 24:12.
"We played as a team today, and played with a lot of heart," said head coach Jason Burianek. "We were in position to make plays defensively, but could not quite finish."
Junior Quarterback DeMarco Billups was extremely efficient in both the passing game and with his legs. The St. Louis native rushed 11 times for 76 yards and one score, averaging 6.9 yards per clip. Through the air, Billups completed 11-of-22 passes for 127 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions.
Freshman Antoryio Barton rushed 16 times for 61 yards and one score. He also caught one catch for 16 yards.
Freshman JP Lowery ran the rock 15 times for 39 yards. He caught two passes for 21 yards.
Freshman tight end Kalen Petty led the receiving core with three catches for 56 yards.
Keihige Allen led the MBU defense with ten tackles in the game. He added two tackles for a loss and one pass breakup.
Maleek Ross posted five tackles, one sack, and one tackle for a loss. He nearly added two other sacks, but was unable to haul down the mobile quarterback.
The Missouri Baptist defense was the first of the units to be challenged in the contest. The potent Tiffin offense, led by dual-threat Antonio Pipkin took to the air on the first three offensive plays. The Spartan defense did not allow the Dragons to get a single yard on the drive, forcing a three-and-out.
Missouri Baptist's first offensive drive did not equate to much more, as the Spartans went three-and-out after -8 yards through the first three plays.
Tyler Hach's punt was downed at midfield, setting up solid field position for the second drive for Tiffin. They traveled 52 yards on seven plays to get onto the scoreboard. After the extra point failed, Tiffin led 6-0 with 9:59 left in the first quarter.
The second MBU drive resulted in a fumble, which set up another Tiffin score. They converted on the extra point to take a 13-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter.
Missouri Baptist drove all the way down the field on its next possession, thanks to a 16-yard run by JP Lowery and a 16-yard completion from Billups to Antoryio Barton. On third and six from the Tiffin 25, Billups could not escape the all-out blitz, and in the process, had the ball stripped.
The Dragons took-over from their own 26 and needed just 53 seconds to get into the endzone again. Senior wide receiver Marcus Beaurem sprinted 49 yards up the MBU sideline to put the Dragons up 19-0.
The Spartan offense went to work on its next drive. They went 70 yards on 11 plays, capped-off by a 4-yard touchdown run by Antoryio Barton to cut the deficit to 19-6. It was Barton's first career touchdown. The extra point was blocked and the score stayed at 19-6 with 9:53 left in the second quarter.
Tiffin scored on its final two drives of the half and held a 33-6 lead as the two teams went into their respective locker rooms.
The third quarter was controlled by the Dragons. They outgained MBU 166-21 in the quarter, while scoring on all three drives. Tiffin ended the quarter with a comfortable 53-6 lead.
The first drive of the fourth quarter was successful for the Spartans, as they rushed ten consecutive times for 72 yards to get into the endzone. Antoryio Barton was the workhorse on the drive, rushing seven times for 39 yard, but quarterback DeMarco Billups earned all the glory, rushing three times for 33 yards. He capped the drive with a touchdown from seven yards out. Alex McGlassion booted the extra point and MBU trailed 53-13 with 5:41 left in the game.
That would be score when the final horn sounded, dropping the Spartans to 0-8 on the season. "We have to bring the same attitude into next week and prepare for Arizona Christian," said Burianek.
Missouri Baptist will be at home for the next two weeks, as they host first-year program Arizona Christian on October 25, before hosting Haskell Indian Nations on November 1.
