Cardinals Enjoy Halftime Lead But Can’t Sustain Momentum against Missouri Valley
Contact: Paul Worstell, 816-415-5959
October 11, 2009
The William Jewell College Cardinals enjoyed some success against nationally ranked Missouri Valley during their homecoming football game on October 10, but couldn’t hold a halftime lead as the #11 Vikings exploded for 17 points in both the third and fourth quarters to win 44-11.
Missouri Valley came to Jewell on a cold, windy day and jumped out to a 10-0 lead with less than seven minutes left in the half before the Cardinals came alive, jumping on two big Viking mistakes to roar to a halftime lead. First, a bad snap over the head of Viking quarterback Chris White, compounded by White’s fumble as he tried to throw the ball after chasing it back near the end zone, resulted in a safety that got the Cardinals on the board.
After getting the ball back, Jewell marched down the field and scored a touchdown to pull within two points of Missouri Valley. With :59 seconds left in the half, senior wideout Daniel Johnson pulled in a pass from junior quarterback Drew Witman as Witman rolled away from the Viking pass rush, stopped, and found Johnson two yards into the end zone along the sideline. The two point conversion was no good, and the Cardinals trailed by two.
On Valley’s next drive, junior Dave Deiner hit a Viking receiver after a short completion, knocking the ball loose and allowing junior Nate Valentine to recover the ball; the Cardinals freshman kicker J.R. Reynolds drilled a 31 yard field goal with six seconds left in the half, giving the Cardinals an 11-10 lead at the half.
The lead did not last long into the second half. After an unsuccessful Jewell onside kick try to open the half, Missouri Valley scored the next 34 points, highlighted by three White touchdown passes, two field goals, and two blocked punts; Missouri Valley did not punt during the game.
Valley rolled up 429 total yards in offense during the contest, with Jewell gaining only 95. Defensively, freshman Damon Shepard was credited with eight tackles; junior Zach Traphagen forced two fumbles.
The Cardinals drop to 0-5 overall and in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, while Missouri Valley improves to 5-1.
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