Missouri Western looks to end skid Saturday at Nebraska-Kearney
Oct. 8—Missouri Western has plenty of reason for motivation in its Week 6 trip to Nebraska-Kearney.
Coming off a blown 21-point lead late in the third quarter last week to Fort Hays State in their first loss of the year, so do the Lopers.
"They're gonna be hacked off. They're gonna be ready to go, coming out swinging," Western coach Matt Williamson said. "So are we, too. Our kids are ready to go. We talked about a lot of stuff on Sunday."
The Griffons (2-3) will travel to face the No. 22 Lopers (4-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ron and Carol Cope Stadium in Kearney, Nebraska. It brings a chance at rebounding off back-to-back losses in a major way against the team that ended Western's playoff hopes in 2019.
The Griffons lost the 2019 home finale 49-21 when the Lopers rushed for 528 yards, held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and punished Western from start to finish. The Lopers had three touchdowns of more than 50 yards.
The Lopers still have one of the best offenses in Division II and will face a Griffon defense that has struggled throughout the year, giving up 77 points the last two weeks. Quarterback T.J. Davis was the MIAA Freshman of the Year and is college football's top rushing QB with 643 yards. He also ranks seventh in D-II in passing efficiency.
"They've got a little bit of an option attack there. They've got a really talented quarterback that can run. He's a great, great athlete," Williamson said. "He gets around the corner quick. He couldn't throw the ball at all in 2019. He's completing passes, his form and accuracy is way better. They've added that to their game a little bit."
The Western offense was limited to just 101 yards against Northwest and saw quarterback Anthony Vespo leave the game with an apparent shoulder injury one week after connecting for more than 100 yards with Traveon James and Hezekiah Trotter.
UNK is second in the MIAA in opponent completion percentage at 56% and has allowed just five rushing TDs. After allowing 17 points in the second half of their first four games, Fort Hays tallied six consecutive scoring drives in the second half last week.
"It's very similar to Washburn, just really hard-nosed and physical," Williamson said. "There are some opportunities we can take advantage of in the run game and pass game."
Brandon Zenner can be reached at brandon.zenner@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowZenner.
