ROLLA, Mo. -- The Miners grabbed their first win of the season last night, dominating Lincoln of California 45-6 in their home opener.
The Miners pulled ahead early, taking a 25-0 lead in the opening quarter. The Oaklanders got first possession of the ball in the game, going three-and-out and having to punt from their own 28. S&T capitalized on the opportunity with
Josh Sanders (Maize, KS/Maize) blocking the punt and
Kyle Wuebbeling (Wentzville, MO/Holt) scooping it up and scoring the Miners' first touchdown of the game.
Another quick three-and-out by Lincoln would bring the Miner offense onto the field for the first time all game, with a short punt and Oaklander penalty setting them up at the opposing 42 to begin the drive. The first offensive set for the Miners was all A.J. Harris, as the Iowa State transfer carried the ball 4 times for 37 yards during the drive, capping it off with a 23 yard rushing touchdown for his third TD of the season.
The Miner offense was only off the field for a little under 2 minutes due to another forced three-and-out by the defense. The Miners set up at their own 30 to begin the drive. A sack on first down by the Oaklanders put the Miners behind the sticks, but a 41-yard connection from
Tyler Gioia (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) to
Gideon Niboh (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell) made up for that and more on the next play as the Miners moved into Lincoln territory. A couple of big rushing gains from
Josh Sanders (Maize, KS/Maize) helped setup an 8-yard touchdown pass from Gioia to
Garrison Burns (Pearland, TX/Shadow Creek) as S&T scored their third TD of the quarter, converting the two-point conversion next play on a wildcat play that saw
Justis Braden (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) take the ball into the endzone off a direct snap.
Despite the 22-0 lead, the Miners did not ease up on the Lincoln offense, with
Seneca Bradley (Clarksville, TN/Rossview) forcing and recovering an Oaklander fumble next drive that would lead to a 37-yard S&T field goal.
The second quarter was much quieter than the first, with 6 punts on the first six drives. Niboh brought some energy back into the stadium on his return of the 6th punt of the quarter though, weaving his way through white jerseys for a 38-yard punt return touchdown, his fourth return touchdown of his career.
S&T went into the locker room up 31-0 and maintained that lead for the first 10 minutes of the 3rd quarter until
Chrishon Crenshaw (Pike Road, AL/Pike Road) took a pass from
Austin Havens (Bixby, OK/Bixby) 94 yards for S&T's fifth touchdown of the game, their longest play of the season, and the third longest passing play in S&T history.
A solid drive from Lincoln that began on their own 24 gave the Oaklanders their first points of the day, scoring a touchdown but failing on the two-point conversion to make the score 38-6.
The Oaklanders' next drive would not go so well for them, as a desperation pass from inside their own end zone by QB Jack Clavel led to a tipped ball and an interception by
Christian Kemp (Madison, AL/Bob Jones) at the 1-yardline that would subsequently be returned for a touchdown, putting the Miners up by a score of 45-6 that they would hold until time expired.
Harris led the team in rushing for the second week in a row, seeing significantly reduced playing time due to game script but still putting up 69 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
Chrishon Crenshaw's (Pike Road, AL/Pike Road) 94-yard play and two receptions made him the reception leader of the night. Meanwhile, backup QB Havens led the team in passing, going 4-for-8 for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Seneca Bradley (Clarksville, TN/Rossview) had a career night on the defensive side of the ball recording 6 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, all of which led the team this game and were personal bests for Bradley. Additionally, both Kemp and
Marshall Storm (Branson, MO/Branson) recorded interceptions.
What's Next
The Miners will host their second game in a row, playing Quincy University on Saturday at 6pm for their conference opener.
