Box Score

OWENSBORO, Ky. – A huge performance by Missouri S&T's ground game – which including a record-tying seven rushing touchdowns  – paced the Miners to a 52-28 victory Saturday over Kentucky Wesleyan.

The Miners ran for 356 yards on the afternoon, the most in a game in three seasons, and scored all seven of their touchdowns on the ground as they wore down the winless Panthers throughout the course of the afternoon.  Meanwhile, S&T's defense intercepted four passes in the first half of the contest and kickstarted the offensive unit after it got off to a slow start.

KWC had the first scoring chance of the game after the Miners fumbled on the first play from scrimmage.  However, the Panthers had to abort a field goal attempt after a low snap and Joey Kramer had a pass intercepted by Billy Foster (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) at the S&T 10-yard line.

Sean Martin (South Holland, Ill./Seton Academy) stopped the Panthers' next drive with an interception, then KWC's third possession also ended with an interception as Eddie Rascon (Canutillo, Texas/Canutillo) picked off a pass after Panther quarterback Chris Owen was hit by Billy Foster (Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley) as he released the ball.

Six plays later, Curterris Golden (Chicago, Ill./John Hope) crashed over from the two to put the Miners into the lead.

Midway through the second quarter, after the Panthers missed a field goal attempt, S&T quickly moved into KWC territory.  Josh Firm (Lancaster, Calif./Quartz Hill) completed a pass for 27 yards to Smook Thomas (Quincy, Fla./East Gadsden) to get to the Miners' 46-yard line, which was followed by an 19-yard run by Golden.  On the next play, Ryan Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) broke a pair of tackles just inside the 25 and raced into the end zone to extend the Miner lead to 14-0.

Later in the quarter, the Miners got their fourth interception courtesy of Horn and after a 29-yard pass from Firm to tight end Ian Kreher (Warrensburg, Mo./Warrensburg), Golden broke loose for runs of 13 and 22 yards to make it 21-0 late in the first half.

The Panthers got on the scoreboard with just under a minute remaining before halftime on Owen's four-yard scoring pass to Jake Pepper, but a short kickoff that followed was returned to midfield by Jordan Pulou (Magna, Utah/Cyprus) and set up a 45-yard field goal by Adam Peden (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) with five seconds left in the half to give the Miners a 24-7 halftime advantage.

Taylor scored his second touchdown of the day on a three-yard run early in the third quarter, but KWC cut into the lead when Owen threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Mooney.  S&T answered back at the start of the fourth quarter as Golden scored on a fourth down play from the one-yard line.

The Panthers continued to play see-saw with the Miners on the scoreboard, cutting the lead to 38-21 on Owen's quarterback sneak from the one, but the Miners had an immediate response on their next play from scrimmage, as Taylor raced 73 yards for a score to put the margin back at 24.

S&T got on the board one more time later in the fourth quarter on a five-yard run by Mike Wilson (Valrico, Fla./King).  The Panthers added an additional touchdown of their own in the final minutes on Orrin Peterman's five-yard run with 1:19 remaining.

The Miners finished the afternoon with 475 yards of total offense, including the 356 which came on the ground.  Taylor ran for a career-high 151 yards and Golden finished with 112 to pace the rushing attack, while Firm completed 10-of-16 passes for 119 yards.

The seven touchdowns on the ground tied the mark established on Oct. 25, 1986 against Lincoln.  Meanwhile, Taylor and Golden became the first pair of Miner backs since 2007 and seventh since 1965 to eclipse the 100-yard mark on the ground in the same contest.

Kentucky Wesleyan gained 258 of its 279 yards through the air, as Owen completed 26-of-51 passes for 231 yards, but also had the four interceptions.  Owen had thrown just five interceptions on the season prior to Saturday.

The Miners, who improved to 4-3 with the victory, will host William Jewell (1-5) next Saturday on Fort Leonard Wood Appreciation Day at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.  Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.