Lopers take fourth-quarter lead but fall to 12th-ranked Central Missouri, 36-35
WARRENSBURG, Mo.
Reigning Harlon Hill Trophy winner Zach Zebrowski threw for 526 yards and five touchdowns, including one with 5 minuts, 49 seconds to lift 12th-ranked Central Missouri past the University of Nebraska at Kearney, 36-35, Saturday in Warrensburg, Missouri.
In a game with more twists and turns the mountain road, Zebrowski finished 45 of 69.
Sacked twice and picked off twice, he made several key scrambles throughout the afternoon and ended with 35 yards on nine carries.
Central Missouri finished the game running 97 plays, gaining 633 yards, while UNK ran 48 plays and gained 367 yards.
The differential led to a 17-minute advantage in time of possession.
The Lopers were down 27-7 at haftime as UCM tallied 20 points over the final 6:34 of the second quarter.
The explosion featured a 68-yard pass from Zebrowski to senior receiver Zach Paterson and a six-yard scoring toss to senior receiver Jake Lippe with seven seconds left in the half.
"The first half was not good.
We didn't play well at all and put ourselves in a bad spot, UNK coach Ryan Held said.
"I just told them at half time 'I don't care about the score.
I just want to go out and play football.' I didn't feel like we were playing football especially offensively.
We finally decided to start playing and looked pretty dog-gone good," UNK head coach Ryan Held said.
UNK got off the deck in the second half, scoring 28 of the next 31 points to take a 35-30 lead.
The Loper stampeded featured an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior cornerback Kendal Brewer, a 78-yard scoring strike from quarterback Reagan Jones to senior tight end Tuni Fifita and the first collegiate touchdowns for junior running back Isaiah Harris and junior receiver Tristan Hervey.
"We just worried about one drive at a time and it's amazing we took the lead.
But we still have those plays that, if you're going to beat a team like that, you must execute at the moment of truth.
Whether it's getting more yardage for the field goal or the spy on the quarterback, Held said.
Brewer's third pick of the year gave UNK it's first lead of the day with 11:05 left to go.
The Mules followed with a 12-play, 65-yard drive with 6-6 junior receiver Michael Fitzgerald capping things with a 10-yard touchdown grab.
On UNK's next drive, a 21-yard pass from Jones to Fifita moved the ball to the Mules 37.
However, the Lopers gained just five more yards and a 49-yard field goal attempt by redshirt freshman Trey Prichard with2:17 left was short.
The Mules got good penetration on the play and the ball banged off an offensive linemen's helmet.
UCM went three-and-out on its next drive, however, UNK was flagged for roughing the kicker on the ensuing punt and the Mules ran out the clock.
Jones finished 14 of 23 for 238 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
He also rushed eight times for 74 yards including a game-best 44-yard run.
Junior back Jadarrius Thomas ripped off a 35-yard run to help set up UNK's first touchdown of the game, a 35-yard pass from Jones to senior receiver Reggie Anderson.
Defensively, UNK limited UCM to 8 of 18 on third down and had two red zone stops in the first half.
Safety Jamere Jones had 18 tackles, the most by a Loper since linebacker Tyke Kozeal had 23 in a 2015 game vs.
Missouri Western.
Linebacker David Lilly added 11 stops and returned an interception 27 yards.
Senior end Quillan Felton had two tackles for loss including a 12-yard sack.
"This team fought today and there were moments where you can say we can be really good.
There are not moral victories but, at the end of the day, the Lopers fought and had a chance to win after getting behind big at halftime, Held said.
"And let's be honest; that quarterback is special." UNK heads to Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.
The Mustangs fell to 0-4 after a 62-0 loss to Minnesota-Duluth.
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