The Missouri Valley Vikings saw an early three-touchdown lead evaporate on the road, but the offense was able to put together a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to leave Canton with a 48-41 win over Culver-Stockton College on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Valley claimed the lead with the first play from scrimmage, with Adonis Whitley hauling in a 75-yard pass play to paydirt. The Vikings struck again from their own 25, this time on the Wildcats’ first drive, when Kingston Cramer picked off Liam Thornton and returned it for a touchdown. However, the extra point was no good. Culver-Stockton would fumble the kickoff, allowing the Vikings to enjoy a short field for their next drive. Two plays later, the score would be 20-0 after a eight-yard scamper by Silas Morton.
Culver-Stockton got on the board with their next drive, grinding out 13 plays in eight minutes before a Jermonte Alexan eight-yard run. The two would continue exchanging rushing touchdowns, with Bryce Jackson and Silas Morton scoring on Valley’s next two drives, with responses from Culver-Stockton’s Tajh Washington and Shamon Coleman. Jesse Johnson extended the Vikings lead with 12 seconds left in the half when he returned a kickoff 93 yards. The Vikings attempted to go for two but the pass fell incomplete, making the score 40-21 at the half.
The second half was nearly all Culver-Stockton, as the Wildcats scored 20 straight points to take the lead. Washington posted another touchdown run of four yards, only for the two-point conversion to fail. A Vikings fumble early in the fourth quarter set up the first of two touchdown passes from Thornton to Kyle Dixon. The second pass to the house was for 18 yards, and Matt Morton’s point-after with just under five minutes remaining gave the Wildcats the 41-40 lead.
That set the stage for the Vikings’ 10-play, 75 yard drive that culminated in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Tomele Stevens to Kahlil White. Adonis Whitley caught the two-point conversion pass to make it a seven-point lead. Culver-Stockton had one last chance to score, but went four-and-out to allow the Vikings to run out the clock.
Staples went 14-for-21 for 239 yards and a score, with Whitley having the most receiving yards with 81. Silas Morton carried the ball 18 times for 95 yards. Culver-Stockton outgained Missouri Valley 506 yards to 352, as the Wildcats went five-for-six in the red zone and claimed 33 first downs, to 21 for the Vikings. Defenses struggled through most of the game, as neither side recorded a sack.
Missouri Valley advances to 2-1 on the season, and will return home next Saturday to host Baker. Kickoff for Family Weekend will be 1 p.m.
Other Heart of America scores Saturday include:
Peru State 64, at Central Methodist 43
Grand View 24, at Baker 7
Benedictine 45, at Clarke 10
Graceland 41, at Missouri Baptist 14
at Saint Ambrose 82, William Woods 5
Missouri State bounce back with home win over FCS foe
Jacob Clark threw three touchdowns and ran in two more to lead Missouri State to a 42-10 drubbing of Tennessee-Martin on Saturday night at Plaster Stadium in Springfield.
Clark went 20-for-28 with 271 yards in the air, along with 22 yards on the ground, as the Bears got back to .500 while avenging their 2021 FCS playoff loss to the Skyhawks. The Bears will host their first-ever Conference USA contest Saturday evening when they welcome the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Other scores involving Missouri colleges Saturday include:
at Lindenwood 30, Stony Brook 27
Southern Illinois 59, at SE Missouri 31
Central Missouri 34, at Missouri Western 26
Quincy 24, at Lincoln 21
Truman State 49, at Missouri S&T 20
Northwest Missouri 21, at Missouri Southern 14
Southwest Baptist 29, at William Jewell 19