MSU WINS SHOOTOUT 42-38FOOTBALL • Sep 22, 2007
Freshman wide receiver Willie Landers
SPRINGFIELD, Mo _ Saturday night's offensive shootout between two sets of Bears came down to the final frenzied possession, with host Missouri State pulling out a nail-biting 42-38 victory over the University of Central Arkansas at Plaster Stadium.
The MSU Bears (3-1) answered UCA's go-ahead touchdown with a 2-yard run by quarterback Cody Kirby with just 21 seconds left to get the victory. UCA's touchdown, a beautiful 30-yard fade pass from junior Nathan Brown to senior Cedric Logan in the left corner of the end zone had followed a 4-yard touchdown run by MSU's Gerald Davis.
The last three scores all came in the final 3:11, with the last one giving the home Bears the victory and helping them avenge UCA's 16-14 win a year ago at Estes Stadium.
"We just made too many mistakes down the stretch,' said UCA head coach Clint Conque. "And our young defense just couldn't make a stop when we needed it. We just didn't have enough poise the last three minutes or so.'
UCA totaled a season-high of 562 yards of total offense, with Brown connecting on 26 of 41 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage total was the second-best of his career. Landers, a redshirt freshman from El Dorado, caught a career-high five passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. MSU's Kirby, a true freshman from Rogers, completed 22 of 38 passes for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running back Gerald Davis ran 16 times for 121 yards against UCA's banged-up defensive unit.
As much as the first half was dominated by the offenses, most of the second half was a defensive battle until the final five minutes. UCA, trailing 28-21 at halftime, opened the second half with a defensive stop but MSU's punt was downed at the UCA 1. After quickly working their way out of the hole, Brown connected with Landers on a short tunnel screen that he carried 66 yards down the right sideline for his second touchdown of the game, tying it at 28-28.
The only other score until the late heroics was a 38-yard field goal by senior James Paul that gave the Bears the lead at 31-28 with 9:41 left to play.
But the fireworks returned when UCA freshman Markell Carter intercepted MSU's pass at the MSU 26. UCA was forced to punt and gave the MSU Bears the ball back at midfield. Running back Gerald Davis put it in the end zone on a 4-yard run with 3:11 left on the clock, which would prove to be too much time.
UCA's kickoff return was nullified by a penalty, forcing the Bears to start at their own 10. Brown, a junior from Russellville, completed 5 of 7 passes on the workmanlike drive, including a key 25-yarder to Preston Echols that set up the touchdown toss to Logan. But again, 1:20 remained on the clock, and it proved to be too much.
Waylon Richardet returned UCA's short kick into UCA territory at the 39. After a pair of first downs, Kirby's pass to Tamarcus McElvane was tipped by UCA linebacker Stephen DeGrate and then caught by a diving McElvane at the 1 with 24.4 seconds left. Kirby then went in untouched on a quarterback keeper around the left end with 21.7 on the clock. UCA got off two plays before time expired.
"We did make some big plays on offense,' Conque said. "We felt like we could move the football and we did. When you score 38 points, you feel like you should win.'
The UCA Bears found the end zone first for the fourth consecutive game, with senior running back Ross Brown going in from th e 1 with 7:08 left in the first quarter. The MSU Bears answered with a 5-yard pass from freshman quarterback Cody Kirby to Clay Harbor with 3:05 remaining in the first period.
Kirby then scored twice from the 1 _ the latter after UCA went for it on fourth-and-1 from the MSU 39 _ to give MSU a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter. The fireworks were just starting, however, as the teams combined for three more touchdowns in the final 4:30 of the half.
UCA got what looked like a long kickoff return from freshman Quinton Morris, but his knee touched as he fielded the punt at the UCA 12. But the Bears still drove 88 yards in eight plays, capped by a long 53-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline from Nathan Brown to redshirt freshman receiver Willie Landers. James Paul's point after cut the lead to 21-14 with 4:30 remaining.
The MSU Bears turned around and drove 66 yards in six plays, capped by Kirby's 9-yard touchdown pass to McElvane that made it 28-14 with 2:55 remaining. UCA took over on its own 44 with 2:49 left and promptly drove the length of the field, mixing passes to Preston Echols, Curtis Marks and Darrius McNeal with runs by Brown and Grimes.
A throwback pass from Brown to Marks covered 11 yards and to the 4, and Marks then went 3 yards to the 1. Grimes finished it off with a 1-yard dive over the top to pull the UCA Bears to within 28-21 at halftime.
Brown connected on 11 of 17 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while Kirby hit 12 of 16 for 153 yards and 2 scores.
