Antonio Williams

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Miners’ venture into a game against NCAA Division I competition didn’t go anywhere near as well as they had hoped.

Missouri State scored on six of its nine first half possessions to build a huge lead and went on to beat UMR 62-17 Thursday night at Plaster Field in the first meeting between the old MIAA rivals since 1980.

The Bears set the tone early, bringing back the opening kickoff to the UMR 44 and scoring just 1:18 into play on a four-yard run by Gerald Davis.

UMR’s Jamel Anderson halted the Bears’ next possession with an interception, but after a three-and-out by the offense, MSU drove back down the field and went up 14-0 on Kingjack Washington’s six-yard scoring run.

Antonio Williams answered that score by bringing the ensuing kickoff back 94 yards for a touchdown, but the Miner defense continued to struggle to slow down MSU. The only other drives the Miners were able to halt over the balance of the first half came on an interception by Kalvin Bishop which was returned to the Bear seven and the final possession which ended when time ran out.

The Miners were unable to convert the Bishop interception or a later drive inside the Bear 10 into points, however, as both possessions ended with missed field goals.

MSU piled up 439 yards to the Miners’ 98 in the first 30 minutes of play to build the 41-7 lead.

After the Bears extended their lead midway through the second half on a long touchdown run by Davis, Williams got the Miner fans excited again by bringing the kickoff back out his own end zone back to the Bears’ 10. Tim Valencia got UMR back on the scoreboard again with a 22-yard field goal.

UMR got into the end zone again with 2:19 to play when Brad Guidry threw a four-yard scoring pass to Nathan Binder, extending a streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 30.

Guidry threw for 104 yards on the night, while Williams led the Miners on the ground with 40 yards and had 250 all-purpose yards thanks to 210 yards in kickoff returns.

The Miners (0-2) return to action Sept. 8 at home against Wisconsin-Stout. Game time will be 6:30 p.m. on Fort Leonard Wood Appreciation Night at UMR.