ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri Baptist football won their third consecutive game to begin the season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Madonna University 42-24 behind a heavy ground attack.
The defense made things interesting early when Demingo Loggins forced a fumble that Joe King recovered on the third play of the game to give the Spartans tremendous field position on their first drive.
A 14-yard pass to Tyler Ball put the team in the red zone, and Ronald Allen finished the job with a four-yard touchdown rush. A missed extra point had the Spartans up 6-0 with 9:58 remaining in the first.
Allen found the end zone again with 23 seconds remaining in the first, after a big 34-yard completion to Jacob Triplett set up his second touchdown of the game to put the Spartans ahead 12-0 heading into the second quarter.
The MBU defense continued to come up with big plays, forcing another Crusaders punt to start the second quarter. Unfortunately for the home team, the punt was fumbled and recovered by Madonna to set up their first scoring drive. Eight plays later, starting quarterback Luke Pfromm scored on an 11-yard rush to pull within five.
The Spartans lost their second consecutive fumble on the next drive, but again the defense came up with big plays. With an opportunity to take the lead on a fourth-down chance from 10 yards out, Joe King batted down a Pfromm pass intended for D'Vonta Garrett to turn the ball over on downs.
After a Gavin Claud punt to give the ball back to the visitors, Rodney Smith came up with an interception on the Spartan 23-yard line to shut down another chance for Madonna to take the lead.
This time, the offense capitalized. Quarterback Josh Munn ripped off a huge 27-yard rush on third-and-five to save the drive, followed by a pair of Devin Wills' rushes to get them into the endzone. Munn then found tight end Easton Locke for the two-point conversion to put the Spartans ahead 20-7 at the half.
Madonna continued to fight in the second quarter, beginning a comeback bid started by a 24-yard pick-six from Owen Aldridge to pull them within one possession.
After the offense struggled in the proceeding drive, week one MSFA Midwest Player of the Week Gavin Claud downed his punt at the one-yard line. Two plays later, the MBU defense came up with the safety and two more points when Giovanoi Sanes met running back Christian Gaier in his own endzone.
Another Spartan fumble on the free-kick was recovered by the Crusaders at the home 49-yard line, and their offense took it from there. Pfromm found Mike Mathias for 43 yards and Xavier Ricks for six yards to make it a 22-21 game.
MBU returned the punch with one of their own on a 52-yard touchdown reception from Tyler Ball. The Crusaders again answered on the next drive with a 35-yard field goal.
After relying on squib kickoffs up to this point in the game, kicker Moritz Pruess decided to kick one deep, and Ball made them pay. The junior from St. Louis, Missouri, scored his second touchdown of the quarter on a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to put his team ahead 34-24.
Comparatively, the fourth quarter was uneventful. The only scoring that took place was a Darius Morrison touchdown rush and a Josh Munn two-point conversion. The clock ran out on a Crusaders comeback as the MBU football earned their third consecutive win to begin the season.
The running game was formidable for the Spartans on Saturday, collecting four touchdowns on the ground and had four different runners with 40 or more rushing yards. Quarterback Josh Munn had another strong outing, going 16-for-22 with 164 yards and a touchdown. On the outsides, Tyler Ball reeled in seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Jacob Triplett caught six for 57 yards.
Defensively, Giovanoi Sanes led the charge with six total tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and the safety. Rakweon Ramsey found himself in the backfield a lot as well, posting 3.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and a quarterback hurry. Other notable performers were Rook Rowe, Rodney Smith, and Andre Chandler, all with interceptions in the win.
Next up for Missouri Baptist football is a road game against ninth-ranked Marian University on September 25. The opening kickoff against the Knights is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. in Indianapolis, Indiana.
