ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Behind an impressive rushing attack the Missouri Baptist Spartans capped off Homecoming Week in style by dominating the Trinity International University Trojans by a score of 24-10.

Coming into the game, TIU was surrendering just over 200 yards of rushing per game. The Spartans obviously took notice of that as they ended the day with 196 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

On a day that was also set aside to honor the nine seniors who were playing their final home game of their career, it was only fitting that graduate student Ronald Allen got the start and sparked the Spartans to their initial touchdown of the game on the opening drive. The Spartans offense took the opening kickoff and ate up almost seven minutes of the first quarter before Allen finished off an 11-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run.  Allen had his only eight carries of the game for 33 yards on the drive. 

Freshman running back Lionel Banks extended the Spartan lead to 14-0 in the second quarter. Banks capped a seven-play drive with an 18-yard scamper at 12:59 of the second quarter. Five of the seven plays on the drive were handoffs to the Florissant, Mo. native.

TIU was able to put together a 17-play drive covering 71 yards on three minutes and 52 seconds late in the half to get a 31-yard field goal from placekicker Cameron Outlaw to trim the MBU advantage to 14-3. That is the lead the Spartans had at the half.

The Spartans got a 38-yard field goal from Odaine Reid on their first possession of the second half to extend the lead to 17-3. It was the first drive of the game that featured running back Darius Morrison and he made up for lost time quickly. His first touch of the game was a 31-yard rush. In fact, he gained 66 yards on the ground on that drive alone. He would finish the game with 13 carries for 106 yards.

A Joe King interception set the Spartans up for their next score.  Late in the third quarter, he stepped in from of another pass from Trojans quarterback Liam Mickles and returned it to the TIU 38-yard line.  Banks did most of the work from there as he scored his second touchdown, this one from 17 yards away to give the Spartans a 21-point cushion. With 12:39 left the Spartans were up 24-3.

Trinity International was able to find the endzone for the first time with 2:12 left in the game, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Spartans and they were able to run out the clock.

The MBU defense was stout in this game, giving up only 41 yards of rushing. Of particular note was senior Joe King with two interceptions and a couple of bone-jarring hits in his final game at Spartan Field. Sophomore defensive tackle Giovanoi Sanes was credited with one sack but supplied consistent quarterback pressure throughout.

It was a much-needed win for the Spartans, capping a very special Homecoming week on campus. It snapped a five-game losing streak and gives MBU a chance to eclipse their all-time single-season win total of four. To do that, they would need wins over Judson University and Saint Ambrose University to finish the season. It was also the first conference win for the Spartans in their final year in the Mid-States Football Association.  They will move to the Heart of America Conference in 2023.

The Spartans are now 3-6 on the season. They will travel to Elgin, Ill. next Saturday to take on Judson. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.