ROLLA, Mo.  --  The Miners host the Southwest Baptist Bearcats at 6pm this Saturday for the annual Hall of Fame game where the newest HOF inductees will be recognized at halftime. Additionally, Saturday's game is part of S&T Blackout doubleheader with Women's Volleyball, all fans are encouraged to wear black and SAAC Blackout T-Shirts will be available for purchase at Men's Soccer on Friday night, as well as both games on Saturday.
 
Series History
The Miners trail in the all-time series against Southwest Baptist 13-18-1, but have won six of the last seven. The last time that the these two teams played in Rolla was November of 2022 in a game that Southwest Baptist won 24-17.
 
Since the Bearcats joined the GLVC in 2014 the Miners have dominated this matchup, holding a 7-3 record. They Miners have a +104 point scoring margin against the Bearcats in the GLVC era, largely due to 62-0 victory for the Miners in 2019.
 
Two of the last three matchups between SBU and S&T have been decided by one possession, including 2021's 42-41 win for the Miners.
 
About the Bearcats
Southwest Baptist is currently 1-1 in the GLVC, losing to Upper Iowa 21-7 two weeks ago before rebounding with a 17-13 victory over Lincoln (MO).
Southwest Baptist's offense is led by Junior, NJCAA transfer Drew Boxwell. Boxwell came from North Dakota State College of Science, where he had led the Wildcats to an 8-3 record and a MCAC Championship appearance last season. Boxwell averaged 146.4 passing yards per game during the 2023 campaign with the Wildcats and has improved upon that with the Bearcats this season with 195 yards per game in his first three starts, including a career-high 262 yards against Upper Iowa on September 21st.
 
The Bearcats' field goal unit has struggled this year, going 1-5 on field goal attempts with misses from 39, 42, 49, and one blocked at 56.
 
SBU has the #1 defense in the conference currently, holding opponents to league lows in average yards per game (265.0), total pass yards allowed (658), and average yards per play at 4.4. Their run defense has been weaker, but is still the third best in the conference, giving up 402 yards total this season.
 
About the Miners
S&T is 1-3 this season and lost their first GLVC game of the season last week in a 21-14 loss to Quincy. They look to draw even to 1-1 in conference play with a win against SBU.
 
Tyler Gioia's (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) dual threat ability has him fifth in the conference for total offensive yards per game, averaging 208.0. Gioia has the second most rush yards of all QBs in the GLVC, with only Truman State's Dylan Hair recording more.
 
While the Miners' offense has seen varied success this season, the defense has struggled greatly, ranking 8th out of nine teams in the conference for total defense and 7th in points per game allowed. Southwest Baptist's offense has had its struggles though and is ranked second to last in both average points per game and average offensive yards per game.
 
What's Next

The Miners will play their first road game in over a month next week when they travel to Kirksville, Missouri to face Truman State.

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