OLATHE, Kan. – Missouri Baptist University football battled to the end but came up just short on the road Saturday afternoon, falling 41-39 to No. 23 MidAmerica Nazarene University at the Olathe District Activity Center.
The Spartans (1-3, 0-1 Heart) piled up a season-high 539 yards of total offense and scored 29 points in the second half, but a late touchdown drive by the Pioneers (4-1, 1-0 Heart) sealed the narrow defeat.
Quarterback Jacob Jones accounted for 414 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, throwing for 333 yards and two scores while rushing for 81 yards and two more touchdowns, including a 61-yard burst to tie the game late in the third quarter.
Zae Jones led all receivers with 100 yards on five catches and hauled in a 63-yard touchdown to pull MBU within two with 3:31 left in the fourth. Gavin Claud added three receptions for 62 yards and a 12-yard score in the final minutes.
Calvin Griffin paced the ground attack with 96 yards and a touchdown, also converting a two-point play to cut the deficit to 34-32 in the fourth quarter. Elmoni Vance caught four passes for 42 yards and Jared Steward added 73 yards receiving on three catches.
On defense, Evan DeWilde and Justin Lehn shared the team lead with nine tackles apiece, while Cortlen Johnson came up with a key interception in the red zone to end a Pioneer scoring threat late in the first half. Jaylon Williams broke up five passes as the Spartans limited MNU to zero points in the third quarter.
First Quarter
MidAmerica Nazarene opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal by Luke Hardman with 5:10 left.
Second Quarter
MBU grabbed a 7-3 lead on Griffin's 5-yard touchdown run, but the Pioneers responded with 21 unanswered points, including an 84-yard kickoff return TD from Devin Andrews and a 50-yard touchdown pass from Drew Miller to Samuel Gonzalez. Ian Zohner drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired to make it 24-10 at the break.
Third Quarter
Jones took over in the third quarter, punching in a 3-yard touchdown run and later breaking free for a 61-yard score to tie the game at 24-24 heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Hardman's 27-yard field goal and a 23-yard TD pass from Miller to Zane Hall put MNU back in front, but Jones connected with Zae Jones for a 63-yard strike and Griffin added the two-point conversion to pull within 34-32. Andrews' second touchdown of the day restored the lead to 41-32, and Claud's 12-yard TD catch with 1:17 remaining set the final margin after Zohner's PAT.
Up Next
Missouri Baptist returns home next Saturday to face No. 3 Benedictine College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Spartan Field.
