BOLIVAR, Mo. – Missouri S&T struggled to contain Southwest Baptist quarterback TJ Edwards for much of the afternoon Saturday, as the Bearcats got 363 total yards from their signalcaller in a 45-22 Great Lakes Valley Conference win over the Miners.

Edwards accounted for four SBU touchdowns, including a pair of scoring passes to allow the 25^th-ranked Bearcats to break free of the Miners in the fourth quarter.  He had 143 yards rushing and a pair of scores to go along with 220 yards through the air.

After each team had a three-and-out on their first series, the Miners got on the scoreboard first with a 12-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Swart (Dickinson, TX/Dickinson) to Dustin Schindler (Waterford, WI/Waterford) on a fourth-and-goal play.  During the drive, Swart, who completed six-of-eight passes on the drive, hit Jacque Harris (Jacksonville, FL/Stanton) for 19 yards on a third down play early in the drive, then connected with him for 22 more to get the ball deep into SBU territory to set up the score.

The Bearcats blocked the extra point before taking the lead later in the quarter when Edwards escaped the pocket and dashed 48 yards down the sideline to the end zone to make it 7-6 after Jordan LeClair's extra point.

LeClair, with the wind at his back, kicked a 42-yard field goal late in the first quarter to extend the SBU lead, but after the teams changed ends following the end of the quarter break, Ben Styron knocked home a 45-yard field goal to cut it back to a one-point game.

On the first play from scrimmage after SBU got the ball back, the Bearcats executed a double pass as Edwards threw a later out to Kendrick Payne, who in turn hit an open Chris Robb for a 65-yard touchdown to put the Bearcats up 17-9.

The Miners closed to within one again when Swart was able to get away from the Bearcat rush and connected with Charles Bournes (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) for a 39-yard scoring pass with just nine minutes to play in the first half.

SBU answered back, as following a pair of pair of fourth down conversions, Cory Hanger scored on a 10-yard run to make it 24-16, then the Bearcats scored again on a 71-yard drive that concluded in the final minute of the first half when Edwards got away from the S&T pass rush on a fourth-and-one and scored on a 26-yard run.

S&T cut into the Bearcat lead early in the third quarter with another touchdown on fourth down, when Lamar Wilkes (Maryland Heights, MO/Pattonville) hit Braxton Graham (Seneca, MO/Seneca) for 38 yards and the score.  The Miners missed, however, on a two-point conversion try to leave the score at 31-22.

Later in the period, the Miners got inside the SBU 25-yard line but came away empty when Styron's field goal attempt from 40 yards away went wide to the right.  After the Miners missed that scoring chance, the Bearcats – who were held scoreless in the third quarter and in a period for just the fifth time this season -- came back down the field, set up by a 25-yard pass from Edwards to Cassian Foreman, to get back in the end zone on a 13-yard scoring pass to Payne early in the fourth quarter.

Edwards threw his second touchdown pass to Payne – covering 10 yards -- midway through the fourth quarter to add to the Bearcat lead.

The Bearcats (8-1, 6-1 GLVC), who lead the GLVC in scoring and total offense, finished the contest with 552 yards with a balanced attack, running for 267 and throwing for 285.  S&T ended up with 318 yards on the afternoon, with Swart completing 16-of-26 passes for 146 yards.  Graham had eight receptions for the Miners, but was held to 56 yards on those receptions.

Landon Compton (Lamar, MO/Lamar) and Austin Truvilion had 13 tackles apiece to lead S&T's defense.

The Miners (4-5, 3-3 GLVC) will play their final home game of the 2016 season next Saturday against Indianapolis.  Next week's game, which will begin at 1 p.m. at Allgood-Bailey Stadium, will also be Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day at Missouri S&T.