ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri Baptist University football tied their program record for wins in a regular season, earning their fourth in a 28-22 victory over Judson University on Saturday.
Giovanoi Sanes and the Spartan defense shut out the Eagles in the second half, paving the way to a trio of scoring drives from the offense after trailing 22-10 at halftime.
The first quarter ended knotted up at 0-0, but the Eagles continued a late first-half drive and finished it with 13:38 remaining in the second, capping the 15-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard pass. A failed pass on a point after attempt put them up 6-0.
Five minutes later, Odaine Reid got the Spartans on the board with a field goal after Josh Munn completed a pair of long passes to Gavin Claud and Drew Gillig to put him in range.
The touchback kickoff by Reid put the Eagles on their own 25, where Sherond Boyd lost nine yards on a rushing attempt and fumbled the football, forced by Jaylen Cowley. Demingo Loggins swooped in and picked up the loose ball and took it to the endzone for a touchdown to put MBU ahead 10-6.
Judson responded with two more touchdowns before the end of the half, taking a 22-10 lead into halftime.
Knowing they had a lot of work to do, the Spartans came out of the locker room in the third and put points on the board. A 30-yard run from Ronald Allen put Reid in a good position to hit another try, this time from 24 yards out to bring MBU back within nine.
The Spartan defense went on to force a punt on the Eagles' next five drives while putting points on the board early in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Claud two pull within two points.
The offense struck again with 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Allen carried the ball three times in a row, followed by a 16-yard pass from Munn to Kaleb Quenichet to get them to the Eagle 36-yard line. Three more consecutive rushes from Allen put the ball in the endzone and gave the Spartans their first lead of the game.
On the ensuing drive, Eagles quarterback Aubrey Williams found Dakari Ferguson for an 11-yard pass, hoping to re-take the lead. Williams then rushed for one yard and threw an incomplete pass on second down to set up third and nine. Hoping to find another receiver down the middle, Williams lobbed up a throw that Jaylen Cowley intercepted.
With a chance to run off the rest of the clock, the Spartans could not find another first down and ended up punting.
The Eagles had over a minute left on the clock for one last chance at a comeback bid, but Giovanoi Sanes had other plans. Sanes recorded a sack on three of the final four plays to force a turnover on downs as time expired to seal the 28-22 victory.
The win broke the Spartans' six-game skid and gave them their first Mid-States Football Association win of the season.
Ronald Allen and Darius Morrison were dominant out of the backfield on Saturday. Allen rushed the ball 12 times for 86 yards and a touchdown while Morrison ran 18 times for 84 yards. Through the air, Josh Munn completed 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Giovanoi Sanes had an eye-popping performance, posting seven tackles for a loss, five sacks for 33 yards, and 11 tackles total. Jaylen Cowley also made huge plays all day, including a forced fumble that led to a touchdown, an interception late in the fourth quarter, and a quarterback hurry.
Next up, the Spartans host St. Ambrose University on November 13, the final day of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Spartan Field.
