SAINT LOUIS – After coming up short on the first drive of the game, Missouri Baptist's offense sputtered. The Spartans accumulated just 206 yards of offense in a 30-0 shutout against Siena Heights (Mich.) on Saturday.
 
Missouri Baptist (1-4) came up short on the first drive as the team looked like it would simply pick-up where it left off a week ago. The Spartans received the first kick of the game and Michael Malone put together a 35-yard return to get the team to midfield to begin its drive.
                    
The Spartans drove 54 yards to the one yard line, but were unable to convert on fourth down, which seemed to set the tone on the day.
 
While the offense struggled to get going, the Saints dominated in the run game. D'aries Davis had a monster day as he led the offense for Siena Heights from start to finish. The redshirt junior put together 194 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns.
 
The Spartan defense held firm in the first quarter and allowed just a pair of field goals, but it was the second that proved deadly.
 
On the first drive of the second quarter, the Saints marched 81 yards in 13 plays to set-up a Deontae' Rush seven-yard touchdown reception from Lucas Barner. In that drive, however, it was Davis that provided the spark. The Siena Heights running back posted a 15 and a 20-yard rush on consecutive plays in the drive, one of his best of the game.
 
Siena Heights posted another score on a seven-play, 54-yard drive as they entered halftime with a commanding 20-0 lead.
 
Though the Saints posted another 10 points in the third quarter, Missouri Baptist shut-down Siena Heights in the fourth quarter. The Spartan defense shut-out the home team in the final 15 minutes as they continued to fight until the final whistle.
 
On the whole, third down was perhaps the most glaring issue for the Spartans on Saturday. Missouri Baptist was 0-9 on third down conversions.
 
Kendall Davis led the running attack yet again for the Spartans. The sophomore recorded 62 yards on the ground and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.
 
Defensively, it was Jaylen Cowley that led Missouri Baptist on the day. The freshman out of Raytown South High School recorded a career-high 13 tackles, eight of which were solo, with one sack to his credit.
 
With the loss, the Spartans drop to 1-4 on the year and 0-1 in MSFA Mideast Division play with a date with cross-town rival Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) on the horizon. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at the multi-colored field at Lynx Stadium in Belleville, Ill., next Saturday.