SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – For two and a half quarters, it looked as though the Missouri Baptist University Spartans offense was going to remain in a funk throughout their matchup with Olivet Nazarene University. They woke up in a big way beginning in the third quarter but were unable to complete the improbable comeback, falling 37-30 at Spartan Field.

The game was equal parts frustrating and encouraging. 

The Spartans defense forced the Tigers to punt on their opening drive then proceeded to put together a six-play 76-yard drive culminating in an electrifying 40-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Lionel Banks. It was the first rushing touchdown in Bank's career as he has continued his ascension to the top of the running back depth chart. The Spartans kept the ball on the ground for five of the six plays on the drive. That strategy made sense as the Tigers came into the contest surrendering 188 yards per game to opposing rushers.

Olivet Nazarene returned the favor quickly though. Needing only two minutes and 38 seconds to cover 66 yards in six plays, finished up with a one-yard touchdown plunge from quarterback Cameron Crouch. It was the first of two that Crouch would score on the day. The extra point was no good though so the Spartans were still holding onto a 7-6 lead.

On the ensuing drive, Tigers defensive end Sean Outlaw stepped in front of a screen pass from Spartan quarterback Cooper Brown and returned it to the MBU 20-yard line. MBU's defense limited the damage though by holding ONU to a field goal with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers had a 9-7 lead they would never relinquish.

After a Spartan punt on their next possession, Tigers wide receiver Brian Jenkins introduced himself to the Spartan defense. ONU needed only three plays to cover 54 yards thanks in large part to a 45-yard hookup from Crouch to Jenkins. Jenkins would finish the day with four catches for 124 yards. The Tigers had extended the lead to 16-7.

Both teams exchanged turnovers on the next possessions, with Brown fumbling at the MBU 48 yard line only to have cornerback Demingo Loggins force a fumble that was recovered by Zeppelin Velder two plays later.

What occurred next was the Spartan offense going into hibernation mode. MBU had five consecutive three-and-outs for the remainder of the half, three of which failed to gain even three yards of total offense. Brown finished the first half with just three completions on 14 attempts for 22 yards. 

A Tiger touchdown with 2:44 left in the second quarter would close out the scoring in the first half. Olivet Nazarene took a 23-7 lead to the locker room.

The Spartans came out of the locker room with renewed vigor in the third quarter. They received the kickoff and engineered a nine-play 54-yard drive resulting in the first of two third-quarter field goals. The Spartans might have gotten even more out of the drive were it not for an illegal substitution penalty that cost them a second and one from the ONU 5-yard line.

Olivet Nazarene put together a nice drive to answer that score but curiously elected to go for it on fourth and five from the MBU 17 with a strong wind at their back. The Spartan defense stepped up and turned them over on downs from there. That turned out to be a turning point for the Spartans.

That turning point had a name…a couple actually. Enter quarterback Ashton Strother and his almost immediate connection with wide receiver Josh Munn. Strother stepped on the field for the first time with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter. On his second play from scrimmage, Strother found Munn over the middle and Munn would not go down until he had covered 65 yards to the ONU 17-yard line. That drive stalled out resulting in another Reid field goal, this one from 30 yards, and the Spartans had clawed back to 23-13. And the Spartans had life.

The Tigers settled themselves enough to get another touchdown on the next drive and the momentum gathered from the first two drives of the second half went away as ONU stretched the lead to its largest of the day at 30-13 with under a minute to go in the third.

These Spartans refused to go away though.

The Spartans would go on to score 17 points in the fourth quarter. First at 9:51 running back Darius Morrison pounded his way in from a yard out, to get the Spartans back within 10 at 30-20.

MBU attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by ONU at the MBU 46.  The Tigers made the Spartans pay for the gamble as they scored another touchdown, this one aided by a questionable pass interference penalty, with 6:15 left. ONU led 37-20.

The Spartans continued to fight though. Morrison scored his second TD of the day with 3:39 left. After another defensive stop, the offense engineered a drive resulting in a Reid 32-yard field goal with nine seconds on the clock.  The ensuing onside kick by Jonah Cox was recovered by ONU and they had survived with a 37-30 victory.

The hole was too steep to climb out of and the comeback bid fell short.

On the afternoon, Strother was 15 of 23 for 227 yards after entering in the third quarter. After not securing a catch in the first half, Munn finished with seven catches for 138 yards. Banks was the workhorse on the ground with 18 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown. Morrison ended with seven carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns. The Spartans had 198 rushing yards for the game.

Defensively the Spartans were paced by linebacker Blake Kight who had 13 tackles and one and a half tackles for loss. NAIA-leading sack master Jeremiah Austin was held out of that category in this game. It is only the third game this year he has been held without a sack.

The Spartans drop to 2-6 on the season and 0-4 in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League. The loss is the fifth straight for MBU. With only three games remaining it ensures that MBU will finish with its ninth straight losing record in the nine-year history of the program.  Next week the Trinity International Trojans will supply the opposition for the Homecoming game Saturday at 1 p.m.