Lions claw Tigers

MSSU football victorious at Ouachita Baptist Box Score ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Hinspeter completed 16-of-18 passes and junior running back Dartangan Johnson ran for 105 yards as Missouri Southern won its season opener, 38-21 Saturday (Aug. 27) at Ouachita Baptist. Hinspeter, from Centralia, Mo., did not throw an incompletion until the fourth quarter and connected on his first 11 passes. He finished with 170 passing yards and one touchdown. Hinspeter directed the Lions first touchdown drive late in the first quarter. He completed 4-of-4 pass attempts for 40 yards on a drive that was capped by the first of two scores on the night by sophomore wide receiver Colin Bado, who scored on a nine-yard rush. Junior Wentric Williams rushed for 27 yards on the MSSU school record-tying 98-yard drive. Southern made it 10-0 in the second quarter on a 23-yard field goal by freshman Shane McBride after Hinspeter completed 5-of-5 for 57 yards on the drive. The Tigers drove to the MSSU 16 and looked to make it a one-score game heading into the half, but junior cornerback Moses Manga picked off a Taylor Carter pass and raced 75 yards before being caught at the OBU 12. Taking over with 10 seconds left in the half, the Lions needed just one play, as sophomore quarterback Nathan Emert, the Lions` starter, connected with Travis Brown for a 12-yard TD. OBU fumbled away its first possession of the second half and the Lions again cashed in on a miscue. Emert completed 6-of-7 passes for 53 yards on the drive, before Johnson, one of two collegiate 1,000-yard rushers on the Lion roster, scored on a three-yard rumble. For the game, OBU committed four turnovers, three interceptions and two fumbles. The Lions did not commit a turnover. A 44-yard punt return to the Southern 9 by OBU`s Curtis Clark all but broke up the shutout. Tiger running back Joshua Holcomb scored on a 7-yard run to trim the margin to 24-7 with 5:13 left in the third quarter. Hinspeter`s first pass of the fourth quarter, intended for Tedaryl Mason, fell incomplete. However, Hinspeter rebounded, completing five of his next six attempts, including strikes for 17, 20 and 21 yards, the last of which went to Bado for his second TD on just four touches. Hinspeter also had a nine-yard rush on the drive. Southern yielded a couple of big plays late in the fourth quarter, as OBU scored on TD passes of 69 and 59 yards in the game`s final eight minutes. Sandwiched in between the OBU long scoring plays was a 4-yard TD run by Emert. That capped Southern`s final scoring drive, which featured seven plays, all rushes, for 65 yards, including 26 by Johnson. MSSU`s balanced passing game featured four receivers with four-plus receptions, led by senior Dustin Bromley, who had five grabs for 55 yards. In Southern`s QB rotation, Hinspeter threw for 170 yards; Emert, who was 8-of-13, had 70 passing yards. Manga led the MSSU defense with nine tackles. Junior Jordan Chapman recorded two interceptions, including OBU QB Taylor Carter`s final pass of the game at the Southern 7, which he returned 35 yards to the Lion 42. Atiba Bradley added eight tackles. The Lions complete their non-conference schedule next week, returning to Arkansas, this time to Searcy, Ark. for a visit to Harding University, which won 32-27 last year in Joplin. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. against the Bisons, who beat Southwest Baptist 47-14 Saturday in Bolivar.