(Courtesy of Justin Mackus of Missouri Southern)

The Missouri Southern football team scored 14 unanswered points in the second half and came from behind to win 17-16 at Southwest Baptist on Saturday.

Southern (3-1, 1-1 MIAA) came into the game ranked as the number one offense in the MIAA and the third best rushing offense in Division II, but could only manage 71 yards in the first quarter, including just 13 on the ground.

The Lions scored first as Brian Malette nailed a 22 yard field goal just four minutes in. SBU (0-4, 0-2 MIAA) answered back with a 29-yard Jeremy Ware field goal with seven minutes left in the quarter.

The Bearcats’ defensive back Lorenzo Head put SBU on top in the second quarter when he picked off an Adam Hinspeter pass and went 24 yards to paydirt for the touchdown, giving SBU a 10-7 lead at the half. 

SBU led Southern 162-150 in total offense in the first half, while the Lions managed just 16 yards on the ground.

The second half Missouri Southern re-gained the game momentum. After an SBU touchdown to give the Bearcats a 16-3 lead, Southern rolled off 14 straight points, led by Hinspeter touchdown passes to Anthon Aiono and Colin Bado.

SBU would put one last drive together as quarterback Steve Gaschette threw three different passes for over 20 yards to set up a 32 yard field goal attempt from Ware with no time remaining, but a low snap led to a bad kick and the Lions escaped with the win.

Alley Broussard rushed for 67 yards on 14 rushes, all in the fourth quarter. Renard Johnson had 65 yards on 17 carries. Hinspeter threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns on 26-40 with two interceptions.

Jared Brawner had eight tackles, including an interception for 46 yards. Elbert Johnson had five tackles and two sacks, while Zach McFerren added his first sack of his career.

Southern rebounded to record 349 yards of total offense, including 101 yards on the ground