JOLIET, Ill. — Missouri Baptist football dropped their second consecutive game on Saturday afternoon, falling 20-13 after being shut out by the University of St. Francis defense in the second half.
Despite holding a lead at halftime, the Fighting Saints' defense was too much for the Spartan offense in the second half, opening the door to a pair of touchdowns to send MBU to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
Tyler Ball jump-started the game for his team, returning the opening kickoff 70 yards to the USF 29 yard line. The offense struggled to get a first down and sent out Odaine Reid, who made a 28-yard field goal to give the Spartans an early 3-0 advantage.
The Fighting Saints did not respond until early in the second quarter when their starting quarterback Sam Tumilty found Tremel Truitt for a three-yard touchdown with 12:31 remaining.
The Spartans took the momentum back by stopping a two-point conversion attempt and promptly ripped off a 12-play scoring drive that ended with another Reid field goal. Set up from the USF 19 yard line, the junior boomed a 37-yard kick through the uprights to tie the game at six.
MBU put together one last scoring drive at the end of the half when a fumble recovery on a botched punt return from USF opened the door to a pair of crucial Josh Munn completions and a Darius Morrison five-yard touchdown rush. The Spartans went into the locker room with a 13-6 lead.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the USF defense came ready to play in the second half and pitched a shutout to hold up a pair of touchdowns from their offense to down Missouri Baptist with a 20-13 final.
Ronald Allen once again led the team in rushing yards with 71 while Darius Morrison took his only rushing attempt into the endzone for his second touchdown of the season. Tyler Ball also continued his strong play, catching nine passes from Josh Munn for 101 yards.
On defense, Rakweon Ramsey led the way with five tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble. Jeremiah Austin also had an impressive outing with a sack and five tackles. Other notable stats include Austin Richards' two pass breakups and Jaylen Cowley's team-leading six tackles.
The Spartans are back at home on October 9 to take on 17th-ranked Roosevelt University in a Mid-States Football Association Midwest divisional contest. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
