Fwd: VIKING FOOTBALL DROPS OVERTIME MATCHUP TO BAKER SATURDAY

 

VIKING FOOTBALL DROPS OVERTIME MATCHUP TO BAKER SATURDAY

 

 

Marshall, Mo. (October 26, 2013)- The No. 6 Missouri Valley College football team welcomed in No. 9 Baker University for a top 10 match in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon. The Vikings trailed at the half, but eventually fell in overtime to the Wildcats.

 

It was a defensive struggle through most of the first half for both teams.  There were a total of 10 punts in the first half and only one drive that lasted for more than 40 yards.  Baker took the first lead of the ball game when they capped a 13-play 72-yard drive with a touchdown late in the first quarter to lead 7-0.

 

The Viking following a series of punts, the Viking defense seemed to make a big play midway through the second quarter.  Senior Linebacker Danny Reyes (Hesperia, Calif.) came up with an interception.  On his return, Reyes was stripped of the ball inside the Baker 10-yard line, and the Wildcats came up with the fumble, ending a possible scoring threat for MVC.

 

At the end of the first half, the Vikings put together a potential scoring drive, getting a big pass completion from Junior Quarterback Bruce Reyes (Beaumont, Texas) to Freshman Wide Receiver Darrian Turk (Silsbee, Texas) for a 54-yard gain.  Eventually the Vikings settled for a 30-yard field goal attempt by Freshman Kicker Lucas Guilfoil (Lake Lotawana, Mo.), but his attempt sailed wide right, and the game went into halftime with MVC trailing by a 7-0 score for the second straight game.

 

The third quarter started like the much of the first half, with both teams combining for only 15 total plays and five punts.  However, midway through the quarter, the Vikings put together their first scoring drive of the afternoon.  It was a methodical drive that went 14-plays and 46 yards.  The Vikings took over six minutes off the clock.  The Vikings converted an early third-down attempt when Reyes found Turk for 12 yards, gaining the first down by one yard.  On a fourth and short, later in the drive, Reyes connected with Junior Wide Receiver Jonathan Bird (Farmington, Mo.) to convert and keep the drive going.  Eventually the Vikings settled for a 35-yard Guilfoil to make it a 7-3 Baker lead with seconds remaining in the third quarter. 

 

MVC forced Baker to punt on its ensuing possession, and the special teams made a big play.  Danny Reyes blocked a Baker punt, which was recovered by Senior Tight End Zach Thomas (Sweet Springs, Mo.) and the Vikings took over at the Baker 28-yard line.  Five plays later Freshman Running Back Malachi Daniels (Branson, Mo.) scored on a six-yard touchdown run, and MVC grabbed a 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

 

Baker answered right back, and drove to the MVC 41-yard line where their drive stalled.  However Kicker Clarence Clark lined up a 59-yard field goal attempt.  His attempt just cleared the cross bar and tied the game at 10-10 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

 

Once the game was tied, the two defenses came up with stops.  Baker could not capitalize on a Viking turnover at midfield and both teams ended the quarter with a number of punts to send the game into overtime tied at 10-10.

 

The Vikings received the first possession of the first overtime period, and a chop block penalty put MVC in a tough spot to score any points.  Going for it on fourth down, Reyes was intercepted, ending MVC's overtime possession and setting up Baker with a chance to win the game with a field goal.

 

Baker eventually faced a third and seven, but a bad snap and a loss of 13 yards put Baker back at the MVC 35-yard line.  Clark again lined up a long field goal attempt, and his 52-yard field goal cleared the cross bar, and gave Baker a 13-10 win.

 

Leading the way for MVC on offense was Reyes who finished 25-40 for 205 yards and one interception.  Daniels had 23 rushing attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown.  Turk finished the game with 11 total receptions for 113 yards to account for over half of MVC's receiving yards in the game.  The Vikings finished with 295 yards of total offense.

 

On defense the Vikings were led by Junior Defensive Back Michael Barnes (Beaumont, Texas) and Junior Linebacker Dominique McDonald (Houston, Texas) who both had eight tackles apiece. Reyes finished with seven tackles, including an interception and 1.5 tackles for loss.  Senior Linebacker Andrew Huhman (Farmington, Mo.) and Senior Defensive Lineman Veylin Stedham (Inglewood, Calif.) shared one sack and Junior Defensive Lineman Ty Phillips (East St. Louis, Ill.) had five total tackles and three tackles for loss.  The Viking defense gave up 162 total yards in the game, 66 on the ground and 96 through the air.

 

On special teams Junior Punter Jason Mayden (Carrollton, Mo.) averaged 40.7 yards per punt on nine punts, including two that were downed inside the 20-yard line.  Guilfoil was 1 for 2 on field goal attempts and converted his only extra point.  Senior Defensive Back Tyler Davis (St. Louis, Mo.) had 52 combined return yards and Junior Wide Receiver Jarrell Davis (Merced, Calif.) had 106 combined return yards.

 

The loss snaps an 18-game win streak for MVC in Heart of America Athletic Conference games dating back to Oct. 15, 2011 when MVC lost to Benedictine 35-19

 

MVC drops to 5-2 overall and 5-1 in HAAC play while Baker improves to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in conference action.  MVC, Baker and Peru State College are tied for second in the HAAC with 5-1 records behind 6-0 Benedictine College

 

The Vikings travel to play No. 12 Peru State next Saturday.  Due to construction at Peru State's Oak Bowl, the game will be played at Nebraska City High School with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.

 

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 40 academic programs, study abroad program, honors program, extracurricular activities, and 13 sports. The most popular majors include education and business, and some new majors are ag-business, nursing, graphic design, and health information systems (associate degree). Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.