VIKING FOOTBALL COMES BACK TO BEAT EVANGEL ON HOMECOMING

VIKING FOOTBALL COMES BACK TO BEAT EVANGEL ON HOMECOMING

 

 

Marshall, Mo. (October 19, 2013)- The No. 6 Missouri Valley College football team used 31-second half points to come from behind and defeat Evangel on Homecoming at Gregg-Mitchell Field Saturday afternoon 31-14.

 

Both teams struggled to get anything positive on offense through the first half.  The Vikings and Crusaders traded punts throughout most of the first quarter, until MVC's third possession of the game.  The Vikings put together an eight play drive that took them from their own 46-yard line down to inside the Evangel 20-yard line.  However the Evangel defense stiffened and a penalty on the Viking offense stalled the drive and set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Freshman Kicker Lucas Guilfoil (Lake Lotawana, Mo.) which fell just short of the uprights.

 

With the score tied at 0-0 late in the first quarter the Vikings looked to grab control of the lead when Senior Tight End Zach Thomas (Sweet Springs, Mo.) blocked an Evangel punt, with the ball going out of bounds at the Evangel four yard line.  However, on the third play of the drive, Sophomore Quarterback Zack Dorton (St. Louis, Mo.) threw an interception in the end zone, bringing an end to the Viking scoring threat.

 

After the Viking defense forced another punt, the Vikings took over at their own 20-yard line, but a fumble by Freshman Running Back Malachi Daniels (Branson, Mo.) gave Evangel the ball right back at the Viking 30-yard line.  The Crusaders wasted little time after the turnover and scored one play later on a 30-yard pass to take the lead at 7-0 with 11-minutes remaining in the first half.

 

The Viking offense moved the ball to midfield on its ensuing possession, but was forced to punt.  Junior Punter Jason Mayden (Carrollton, Mo.) was able to pin Evangel back, thanks to a 46-yard punt that was downed at the three-yard line after Senior Defensive Back Tyler Davis (St. Louis, Mo.) saved the ball from going into the end zone.  The Vikings had two more possessions in the second quarter before halftime, each possession entering Evangel territory, but MVC failed to get points on the board, and Evangel held the halftime lead 7-0.

 

Things changed in the third quarter for the Viking offense as they got the ball to start the second half.  The Vikings drove down the field on Evangel on an 11-play 67-yard drive that ended in a 20-yard field goal by Guilfoil.  The Vikings cut into the Evangel lead at 7-3 with just over nine-minutes remaining in the third quarter.  The biggest play on the drive was when Dorton hooked up with Daniels on a 16-yard pass play to put MVC inside the Evangel red-zone.

 

The Viking defense responded and held Evangel to a three-and-out, and a 45-yard punt return by Junior Wide Receiver Jarrell Davis (Merced, Calif.) set the Vikings up at midfield on their next drive.  Again, the Viking offense drove on the Crusaders, this time being led by Junior Quarterback Bruce Reyes (Beaumont, Texas).  The Vikings never faced a third down, and capped off a seven-play 54-yard drive with a nine-yard Junior Running Back James Tillman (Kansas City, Mo.) touchdown run with just over six-minutes remaining in the third quarter.  Guilfoil connected on the extra-point and the Vikings took the 10-7 lead.

 

Evangel was limited to just three plays, and only one yard gained, on its ensuing drive, and the Vikings again took over at midfield after an Evangel punt.  The Vikings made it three straight scoring drives as Daniels scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to give MVC a 17-7 lead after a Guilfoil extra-point with just over one minute remaining in the third quarter.  The Vikings went seven-plays and 54-yards on the drive, getting a 23-yard gain on a Reyes pass play to Sophomore Wide Receiver Mikquel Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.) to set up the touchdown run.

 

The Crusaders responded on their next drive, starting the fourth quarter with a touchdown that cut the Viking lead to 17-14 on a 46-yard pass play.  The Vikings took their next possession and drove again on the Crusader defense.  This time the Vikings needed to convert two third-down plays to keep the drive going, and eventually faced a fourth-and-two situation at the Evangel 21-yard line.  Reyes' pass to Sophomore Fullback Del'Von Franklin (Hawk Point, Mo.) was broken up, and the Vikings turned the ball over to Evangel at the Crusader's 21-yard line with 10-minutes left in the fourth quarter.

 

The Viking defense made another stop, and the Vikings looked to put the game away on their next drive.  With just under seven-minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Vikings drove 70-yards on seven plays, including an 18-yard Reyes pass to Junior Wide Receiver Trey Rich (Memphis, Tenn.), a 22-yard Reyes pass to Johnson, and a 12-yard pass to Tillman.  Eventually the Vikings scored on a four-yard touchdown run by Tillman and the Vikings extend the lead to 24-14 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.

 

The ensuing Evangel possession saw the Viking defense come up with two sacks, one by Senior Defensive Lineman Leon Jackson (Merced, Calif.) and Senior Linebacker Rahfee McClee (Orlando, Fla.) and one by Freshman Defensive Lineman Brad Wolf (Bolivar, Mo.) on a fourth-down attempt by the Crusaders.  However, the Viking offense could not get points on the board after taking over at the Evangel 30-yard line, turning the ball back over to Evangel after failing to convert a fourth down attempt.

 

After taking over on the failed fourth down attempt by MVC, the Crusaders attempted to make a late come back.  That attempt was wiped out when Junior Linebacker Brad Avila (Merced, Calif.) sacked the Crusader quarterback, causing a fumble.  The fumble was recovered by Jackson who sprinted 30-yards for a touchdown, the first of this Viking career, to cap the game with a final score of 31-14.

 

Leading the way offensively for MVC was Reyes who finished 18 of 29 passing for 173 yards.  Dorton played for Reyes in the second and early third quarters.  He finished eight of 15 passing for 116 yards and one interception.  Daniels led the Vikings on the ground with 19 carries for 89 yards and one touchdown, with Tillman adding two rushing touchdowns.  Daniels also added five receptions for 60 yards while Johnson had four receptions for 87 yards.  On offense the Vikings 411 total yards.

 

On defense the Vikings were led by Senior Defensive Back Phillip Fowler (San Diego, Calif.) and Jackson who each had five tackles.  Jackson also added the fumble return for a touchdown, half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.  Also with sacks in the game were Junior Defensive Lineman Ty Phillips (East St. Louis, Ill.) who had 1.5 sacks, Senior Linebacker Andrew Huhman (Farmington, Mo.) who had one sack, McClee who had half a sack, Avila who had one sack, Wolf who had one sack, and Sophomore Defensive Lineman Taylor Moore (Springfield, Mo.) who had half a sack.  The Viking defense limited Evangel to 171 yards of total offense.

 

On special teams Mayden finished with an average of 38.4 yards per punt on five punts.  Guilfoil hit all four of his extra points and was one of two on field goals.  Tyler Davis finished with 24 yards in returns while Jarrell Davis had 57 return yards.

 

The Vikings now have won 18-straight Heart of America Athletic Conference games, and 23 out of their last 24 HAAC matchups.

 

The win improves MVC to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in HAAC play while Evangel falls to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in HAAC play

 

The Vikings have another home game next week as they host Baker University at Gregg-Mitchell Field.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

 

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.