FULTON, Mo. — Missouri Baptist University football (3–6, 2–3 Heart) travels to Fulton, Missouri, on Saturday to close out the 2025 season against William Woods University (1–9, 1–4 Heart) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division matchup at 1 p.m. inside the North Campus Athletic Complex.
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The Matchup
The Spartans enter the season finale on the heels of a 21–9 Homecoming and Senior Night victory over Central Methodist University, where they delivered a complete team performance on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Jacob Jones threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns, while senior receiver Gavin Claud hauled in seven passes for 113 yards and a score. Running back Lionel Banks added a rushing touchdown to tie the MBU program record with 23 career rushing scores.
Defensively, MBU forced four turnovers and limited CMU to just 132 total yards. Javon Huff, Jaylon Williamson, and Evan DeWilde each recorded interceptions, and Cortlen Johnson forced a fumble as the Spartans held CMU scoreless in three of four quarters.
MBU will look to close the year with back-to-back victories and its second road win since of the season. The Spartans are averaging 350.1 yards of total offense per game, including 214.22 through the air and 135.9 on the ground.
William Woods enters the contest 1–9 overall and 1–4 in Heart play, coming off a narrow 27–23 loss to Clarke last week. The Owls' lone win came in a 36–35 thriller over Missouri Valley. Offensively, WWU is led by receiver Bryson Nealy, who has 765 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and quarterback Dontae Rhodes, who has thrown for 921 yards and six touchdowns across eight games.
By the Numbers
- Jacob Jones has thrown for 1,931 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, while adding eight rushing scores. He is 294 yards away from tying MBU's single-season passing record and just 87 yards away from becoming the second quarterback in school history to surpass 2,000 passing yards in a season.
- Gavin Claud is having a historic season, needing eight receptions to break the single-season record (currently 51) and just 31 yards to reach 2,000 career receiving yards — only the second Spartan ever to achieve that milestone.
- Lionel Banks sits one touchdown away from owning the MBU career rushing touchdown record outright (currently tied at 23).
- Jaylon Williamson set a new single-season record for pass breakups with 14, surpassing the previous mark of 13 held by Zeppelin Velder.
- Evan DeWilde enters the finale with 78 tackles and needs six more to move into third place on MBU's all-time single-season tackles list.
On the season, MBU averages 21.0 points per game and allows 37.1, while the defense has forced 12 turnovers (nine interceptions, three fumble recoveries) and limited opponents to a 49.5% conversion rate on third down.
William Woods averages 337.1 yards of offense per game, relying heavily on the pass (258.0 ypg) while averaging just 79.1 rushing yards per contest. The Owls have struggled defensively, allowing 478.6 yards and 53.8 points per game.
The Series
Saturday marks the second meeting all-time between Missouri Baptist and William Woods. The Spartans won last year's contest 66–7 in St. Louis, racking up over 500 yards of offense behind quarterback Jordan Simpson and receiver Shane Becker, who caught three touchdowns in the win.
Kickoff Information
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the North Campus Athletic Complex in Fulton, Mo. The game will stream live on the Urban Edge Network, with live stats available at mbuspartans.com.
