Rolla, Mo. – The SBU football team picked up a thrilling road victory Saturday evening, defeating Missouri S&T 31-28 on a walk-off field goal from Kaleb James. The Bearcats erased an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit while the defense came up with multiple crucial fourth-down stops to secure SBU's first GLVC victory of the season. The win moves the Bearcats to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
True freshman quarterback Cooper Owens impressed in his first career start, wasting little time making an impact. On SBU's opening possession, Owens connected with Keivon Flint, who lateraled to Vic Williams III for a 77-yard touchdown that put the Bearcats ahead just over a minute into the game. Owens finished the night completing 20-of-30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
After the Miners took a 14-7 lead, James kept the Bearcats within striking distance. The sophomore connected on field goals of 22 and 39 yards in the second quarter, pulling SBU within one before Missouri S&T scored late in the half to take a 21-13 advantage into the locker room.
The Bearcat defense made its presence felt coming out of halftime. Missouri S&T drove deep into SBU territory on the opening possession of the third quarter, but the defense came up with a fourth-down stop at the SBU 29-yard line. The offense immediately capitalized as Jobe Smith broke loose for a 26-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-20. Smith turned in his best rushing performance of the season, finishing with 153 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.
Missouri S&T answered to take a 28-20 lead, but SBU continued to fight. With 8:49 remaining, Owens found Flint for a seven-yard touchdown before connecting with Peyton Rasmussen on the two-point conversion to tie the game at 28.
The Miners responded with a long drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and moved the ball to the SBU 14-yard line. Once again, the Bearcat defense delivered when it mattered most. SBU stopped Missouri S&T on fourth down with 1:53 remaining, giving Owens and the offense one final opportunity. The Miners finished just 1-for-3 on fourth down as the Bearcats repeatedly came through in critical situations.
Starting from their own 14, the Bearcats marched 68 yards in just under two minutes to set up James. With the game on the line, James drilled a 35-yard field goal as time expired, completing the comeback and sending SBU home with the 31-28 victory. James was perfect on the night, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points, accounting for 11 points.
SBU finished with 490 yards of total offense, averaging 7.8 yards per play. The Bearcats produced 271 yards through the air and 219 on the ground. Defensively, SBU held the Miners to just 89 passing yards. Ricky Woodhouse led the defense with 14 tackles, while Hayden Wolfe and Joel Beshore each added 11. Ja'ven Johnson also recorded an interception.
The victory gives the Bearcats momentum as they return home for Homecoming weekend. In a weeks' time SBU will get to play in front of many alumni against Lincoln University on Saturday, October 3rd at 1:00 p.m.
