Northwest Missouri State’s La Ron Council, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound senior from Kansas City, Mo., matched career highs for rushing yards and touchdowns as the seventh-ranked Bearcats handed No. 6 Pittsburg State a 35-10 setback in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Saturday (Oct. 4).
He had 144 rushing yards on 24 carries with four touchdowns, as the Bearcats collected 193 yards on the ground (the most allowed by the Gorillas in ’08).
His 6.0 average per carry was his best in a game this season, as Council raised his Division II-best touchdown total to 17 with the four vs. PSU. His longest run of the day was 25 yards.
Council is a graduate of Center High School.
Free safety Demetrius Lavant, a 5-11, 180-pound junior from Truman State., scored the game-winning touchdown on an interception return as the Bulldogs upset No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha, 26-20.
He deflected a pass which was intercepted by Derek Rodriguez and led to Truman’s first score, and forced the fumble which Rodriguez scooped up and returned 93 yards for a TD.
After logging a tackle for loss (one of seven total — three solo) in overtime, Lavant picked off a pass at the Truman 43 and went the distance to end the game — the first OT effort to end with a defensive score in MIAA history.
Lavant is a graduate of Phoenix Christian High School, and transferred to Truman from Phoenix (Ariz.) College.
Also from Truman, kicker Mickey Masucci, a 6-foot-0, 196-pound junior from Wildwood, Mo., hit two field goals — one to send the game to overtime, the other to give Truman the lead in the first extra session — as the Bulldogs upset No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha, 26-20, Saturday (Oct. 4).
After missing a field goal in the first half, Masucci came through in the clutch with a 42-yard kick as time expired in regulation — in spite of UNO calling back-to-back timeouts in attempts to ice him.
He then followed with a career-long 49-yard field goal when the Bulldogs lost eight yards on their first overtime possession to give Truman a 20-17 lead.
Masucci, who also was 2-for-2 on point-after kicks, is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Catholic High School.