ST. LOUIS - Despite holding the University of Saint Francis Fighting Saints to 154 yards of total offense and allowing only 3 completed passes, the Missouri Baptist University Spartans football still came up short against USF.  The final score was 28-21 at Spartan Field on Saturday.

As has become the custom between these two programs throughout their 6-game series history, this was a tight game throughout. No team led by more than 7 points at any juncture of the contest. But the Fighting Saints got the big play when they needed it.  USF defensive lineman Ryan King blocked a Gavin Cloud punt with 2:14 left in the fourth quarter. The ball went airborne and fell into the hands of linebacker Logan Johnson, who rumbled his way for 32 yards and a touchdown to take the lead and essentially seal the victory for St. Francis.

The Spartans had a chance to tie the game up late but were turned away after the Fighting Saints intercepted Spartan freshman QB Ashton Strother for the third time on the day, this time at the USF 17-yard line with 40 seconds to play. 

It was a frustrating result given how well the Spartan defense played. The Fighting Saints had three scoring drives that covered 113 yards in the game.  On their other 13 drives, they gained only 41 yards. The defense also had nine tackles for loss and three sacks in the game. Senior defensive end Jeremiah Austin accounted for two of those sacks, giving him eight on the season. He came into the game ranked third in the NAIA in that category. As has been the case for four of the five Spartans games this year, sophomore Blake Kight led the team in tackles with 12.

Offensively, the Spartans could not turn opportunities into points.  Six Spartan possessions began inside USF territory on the day, but only one of them resulted in points.  The successful drive was the direct result of an interception by Spartans senior defensive back Demingo Loggins. The turnover allowed the Spartans to take over on the Fighting Saints 15-yard line midway through the fourth quarter.  Three plays later senior Josh Munn hauled in a pass from Strother with 5:03 left.  The extra point tied the game at 21 and set up the late-game heroics from King and Johnson of USF.

Strother had his first shaky performance of the season, throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, but also tossing three interceptions. Freshman running back Lionel Banks was the lead back with nine carries for 44 yards.  Sophomore wideout Gavin Claud hauled in 8 passes for 65 yards.

St. Francis looked strong at the start as they received the opening kickoff and orchestrated a 13-play, 55-yard drive culminating in a three-yard touchdown run by USF's Sam Tumilty. It was one of three rushing touchdowns on the afternoon for the sophomore quarterback.
 
It took the Spartans until early in the 2^nd quarter to even things up. Sophomore Jacob Harness made the most of his only catch of the game by hauling in a 40-yard touchdown from Strother with 9:33 left in the half.

St Francis answered right back though with a 10-play drive and the second Tumilty touchdown of the game, this one from the 4-yard line, at 5:03 of the 2^nd quarter.

The Spartans had a chance to inch closer before the break but a 37-yard field goal try by placekicker Jonah Cox sailed wide right as time expired in the first half.

It appeared the Spartans came out of the half-time locker room with renewed focus. Much like what St. Francis did to begin the game, the Spartans took the kickoff and put together their best offensive drive of the game.  It took nine plays and covered 63 yards, finished off with freshman tight end Courtney Cox hauling in his second touchdown catch of the season from Strother. The extra point tied the game with 9:23 to go in the third.

The Fighting Saints were forced to punt on the ensuing drive but when the Spartans took over at their own 38-yard line, USF defensive back Jalen Cooper stepped in front of a Strother pass and returned it to the MBU 14-yard line. Tumlity finished the drive off with his last touchdown of the day with a 6-yard scamper with 6:26 remaining in the third. For the afternoon, Tumilty finished with 61 yards rushing and three touchdowns. His passing numbers were pedestrian at three completions on 15 attempts for 19 yards.

Still, the Fight Saints won in the only category that really mattered…points on the scoreboard.  USF made four turnovers and 154 yards of total offense add up to 28 points and a stinging defeat for MBU.

The Spartans will look to pick themselves up and regroup quickly.  Waiting for them next Saturday is a trip north to take on #18 Roosevelt. Kickoff for that game is 7:00 p.m. in Chicago, Ill.