KENNESAW, Ga. – Missouri S&T hung in with Kennesaw State – a team from the NCAA Division I  FCS ranks – for three quarters Saturday afternoon, but the Owls broke free from the Miners over the final 15 minutes to record a 49-16 win Saturday afternoon.

The Miners trailed 28-16 through three quarters of play, but three fourth quarter touchdowns by the Owls allowed them to pull away.  One of the scores came after Kennesaw State blocked a field goal attempt and another came following a Miner fumble that the Owls recovered on S&T's two-yard line.

It was S&T that drew first blood in the contest, as it jumped on top on the third play of the game when Tyler Swart (Dickinson, TX/Dickinson) connected with Braxton Graham (Seneca, MO/Seneca) for a 73-yard scoring pass with only 1:13 off the clock.  However, the Owls answered back immediately with a nine-play, 60-yard drive that culminated with a five-yard scoring run by quarterback Chandler Burks to tie the contest.

S&T drove back into Kennesaw State territory on its next possession, but Dante Blackmon picked off a pass from Swart and returned it close to midfield.  The Owls scored 10 plays later when Chaston Bennett ran eight yards for a touchdown.

Burks scored again for the Owls early in the second quarter to make it 21-7 and Kennesaw State was threatening again after getting the ball at the S&T 33 following a Miner punt.  But on the Owls' first play after getting possession, Isaiah Hardy (San Jose, CA/Sobrato) knocked the ball away from Burks and took it back 65 yards for a touchdown to bring the Miners back to within eight.

Before the first half ended, Ben Styron kicked a career-best 44-yard field goal to make it 21-16.

Kennesaw State, however, got a big play – a 52-yard scoring pass from Burks to Xavier Harper – to add to its lead on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.

In the fourth quarter, Burks scored on a fourth down play from inside the one to extend the KSU lead, then after the Owls blocked a 45-yard field goal attempt by Styron, they got a 29-yard completion from reserve quarterback Daniel David to Harper to set up Bennett's second touchdown run of the day from a yard out.

On S&T's ensuing possession, the Owls forced a fumble on the first play that they recovered at the Miner two; David scored on the next play to complete the scoring.

The Miners were outgained by the Owls (4-1) by a 471-248 margin, as the sixth-best rushing team in FCS heading into the game accumulated 369 yards on the ground.   Austin Truvillion (Kansas City, MO/Park Hill) led S&T with 11 tackles Saturday while Landon Compton (Lamar, MO/Lamar) recorded 10.

Graham had only two receptions Saturday – a week after making 15 catches in a win over William Jewell – but had 104 yards on the two catches and finished the day with 167 all-purpose yards.  Swart threw for 139 yards and Charles Bournes (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) led S&T's ground game with 54 yards on seven carries.

The Miners, now 3-3 on the year, return home for their Homecoming game next Saturday as they host Lincoln at 1 p.m. at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.