Fifth-ranked Nebraska-Omaha led 30-7 at halftime, and despite the Missouri Southern Lions scoring on their first two possessions of the second half, rolled to a 40-21 victory tonight at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
Southern (2-2, 0-2 MIAA) saw senior quarterback Adam Hinspeter become the MIAA’s all-time leader in completions tonight, as his 17 put him at 735 for his career, passing former Missouri Western quarterback Kasey Watterman (730).
UNO (3-0, 2-0 MIAA) remains undefeated and posted the highest number of total yards (528) and rushing offense (388) against a Southern defense since 2005 when Washburn put up 382 on the ground and 583 total.
The Mavericks got on the board first when kicker Greg Zuerlein booted a 42-yarder on UNO’s first possession to give them a 3-0 lead. UNO added four more touchdowns in the second quarter, including three from quarterback Zach Miller on the ground.
The Lions got their first score when Hinspeter hooked up with Mark Henderson on a two-yard pass which cut the score to 10-7, with four minutes left in the second quarter. The Lions would go into the locker room, however, trailing 30-7.
A different team emerged for the third quarter as on the opening kickoff, the Lions recovered a fumble deep in UNO territory and promptly scored on a one-yard run from Adam Hinspeter, making the score 30-14. A five-yard run from Henderson on Southern’s next possession cut the Maverick lead to nine (30-21), but that would be the closest the Lions would get.
The Mavericks added a 30-yard field goal from Zuerlein in the fourth, as well as a 30-yard pass from Miller to Kelvin Nesbit.
Southern came into the game averaging 229 yards per game on the ground, but the defense from UNO limited the Lions to just 80 yards rushing on the night. The Mavericks also had two touchdowns called back because of penalties.
Hinspeter was 17-38 for 135 yards, a touchdown and an interception on the night. He also ran for a score. Henderson caught a TD and ran for another. Jared Brawner led the Lions’ defense with 11 tackles, eight solo, and a forced fumble. Corderial Collier had nine tackles, while Sklyler Vandiver, Ishmael Underdown and Zach McFerren all had fumble recoveries.
The Lions will be back in action next Saturday, September 27 as they travel to Emporia, Kansas to take on the Hornets of Emporia State. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 pm.
Story courtesy of Justin Maskus
