UPLAND (Ind.) – [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist Football needed big plays by its playmakers on Saturday and got just that. As the offense regained its big-play mentality, the defense made key stops when it counted as the Spartans exited Indiana with a much needed, 43-42 win against the Taylor Trojans.
Missouri Baptist (1-4) looked to Gunnar Griffin to take the snaps on Saturday and the sophomore took full advantage of his opportunity. The Paso Robles, Calif., native threw for a new Spartan record 481 yards and four touchdowns in the win. He rushed for one early in the contest and set a new record for overall touchdowns in a game with five.
Missouri Baptist led the game with a big drive and capped it off with a three-yard touchdown run by Griffin to make it 7-0 Spartans. Taylor tied the game just under five minutes later thanks to a big blocked field goal by the Trojans Cameron Gray to make it 7-7.
The Spartans struggled to stop the Taylor option run game throughout the day, but got big stops down the stretch when it mattered. Missouri Baptist allowed 164 yards on the ground, most of which went to the two-headed running game of quarterback Everett Pollard and running back Rich Girodani.
The Taylor lead back cashed-in with 10:06 left in the half on an eight-yard carry to the end zone to give the home team a 14-7 lead. Girodani finished the day with 79 yards rushing and a single touchdown.
After tacking-on a long 41-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10, place kicker Alex McGlassion re-aggravated an existing injury and was forced to sit for the remainder of the game. This situation gave way to Ethan Metzler getting his opportunity for the first time, and the young man from Erie, Colo., made the most of his opportunity with the game winning field goal to give the Spartans a much-needed win.
Taylor extended its lead to 21-10, and made an attempt to make a quick, long drive downfield prior to halftime, but what would happen during this drive would change the tide of the game, and the direction for the Spartans.
The Spartans put sustained pressure on Pollard, and the sophomore quarterback made a critical mistake, which allowed Missouri Baptist to gain the momentum heading into the half. Eddie Calderon picked-off Pollard and returned the ball 39 yards to the Taylor 27 to setup the second touchdown of the day for the visitors. Griffin found Kalen Petty over the middle, who steamrolled 27 yards to the house to make it 21-16.
A back-and-forth battle ensued in the second half and every time it looked like Taylor was getting ready to pull away, Missouri Baptist came right back at the home team.
Devin Griffin, the Parkway North product, made his Alma Mater proud on Saturday. The freshman had a career day with 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Missouri Baptist trailed 35-26 heading into the fourth quarter, but the clutch play continued, which told the story. The Spartans allowed just one touchdown in the final 15 minutes and posted a season-high 17 points to grab its first win of the season.
Defensively, Missouri Baptist's secondary put together its best performance in 2016. The Spartans allowed just 241 yards in the air as Eddie Calderon and Keenan Savage took care of business. Savage led the team with 12 tackles, 11 of which were solo, and added two tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
Calderon finished with 10 tackles, one fumble recovery and two interceptions for 39 yards.
The Spartans will try to make it two in a row on the candy stripe at Lindenwood-Belleville on Saturday, October 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
