FAYETTE, Iowa — Missouri S&T Football dropped a heartbreaker on the road Saturday, falling to Upper Iowa 39-37 in double overtime in a game that saw the Miners answer repeatedly and hold the Peacocks to 280 yards of total offense.
The Miners' offense set the tone early, going 75 yards in five plays to put six points on the board on the opening drive. Tyler Gioia (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) capped the possession with a 6-yard touchdown run, with a 43-yard completion from Gioia to DJ McPherson (Union City, CA/James Logan) setting up the score.
The defense followed with a three-and-out, giving S&T the ball back at its own 20-yard line. Upper Iowa would tie the game at 7-7 on a 35-yard interception return, but the Miners immediately answered with a 65-yard drive that ended with a 37-yard field goal from Layne Ryals (Louisburg, KS/Louisburg).
The Miners' defense continued to come up with stops, but Upper Iowa took advantage of favorable field position following an S&T turnover and took a 14-10 lead on an 11-yard touchdown run.
S&T responded with another Ryals field goal, this one from 37 yards, to send the game to halftime with Upper Iowa holding a 14-13 advantage.
The Miners nearly tied the game early in the second half after Ian Kelly (St. Peters, MO/Francis Howell North) recovered a muffed kickoff at the Upper Iowa 28-yard line. S&T was unable to convert the short field into points, however, as a 41-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
S&T's defense then forced another three-and-out, setting the offense up with another opportunity in Peacock territory. The Miners drove to the Upper Iowa 36 before the Peacocks stopped S&T on fourth-and-2.
Upper Iowa extended its lead to 21-13 on a 2-yard touchdown run, but the Miners answered again. Ryals connected on a 35-yard field goal on S&T's next scoring drive, cutting the deficit to 21-16 early in the fourth quarter.
The Miners' defense continued to make plays to keep S&T within striking distance. After Upper Iowa drove to the S&T 39, Tyler Gioia (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) blocked a punt, with Josh Baker-Mays (St. Louis, MO/Duchesne) recovering at the Upper Iowa 37.
S&T again faced a fourth down on the ensuing possession, but the Miners' defense quickly gave the offense another opportunity. Jalen Hill (Mayo, FL/Lafayette) recorded a strip-sack and recovered the fumble himself at the Upper Iowa 17.
The Miners capitalized immediately.
On the next play, Sam Ryan (Columbia, MO/Father Tolton) connected with Rylan Kenslow (West Plains, MO/West Plains) for a 17-yard touchdown. AJ Harris (Wentzville, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) then ran for the two-point conversion, putting S&T in front 24-21 with 8:03 remaining.
Upper Iowa answered with a 27-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 24-24 and send it to overtime.
Overtime
The Peacocks opened the first overtime period with a 1-yard touchdown run, but the Miners responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Harris. Ryals added the extra point to tie the game at 31-31 and force a second overtime period.
S&T took the lead in the second overtime when Eli Scott (Louisville, KY/Eastern) found Gioia for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The Miners went for two but were unable to convert, leaving Upper Iowa with an opportunity to answer.
The Peacocks did just that, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Zamar Wise to tie the game. Upper Iowa then converted its two-point attempt on a pass from Wise to Logan Rosauer to secure the 39-37 victory.
Despite the outcome, the Miners put together one of their strongest offensive performances of the season, totaling 428 yards and 24 first downs. S&T ran for 194 net yards, led by Harris with 144 yards on 25 carries.
Harris also scored S&T's first touchdown of overtime, while Gioia accounted for two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving.
McPherson led the Miners with five receptions for 65 yards, while Gioia added five catches for 38 yards and the overtime touchdown.
Defensively, S&T held Upper Iowa to 87 net rushing yards and recorded five sacks. Wes Mayo (Springfield, MO/Kickapoo) led the way with eight tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Hill finished with six tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Ben Werner, Daniel Robinson and Demontay Mack each recorded eight tackles, while Werner also blocked a field goal.
Upper Iowa quarterback Zamar Wise completed 18 of 26 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. The Miners limited him to 39 net rushing yards, well below his season average entering Saturday's game.
What's Next
The Miners will be on the road again next Saturday for a 5 pm (CST) game at Indianapolis.
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