Missouri Southern quarterback Dawson Herl threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as the Lions took out Central Oklahoma 40-21 tonight in front of 5,011 fans inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
Southern (2-1, 2-1 MIAA) put up 392 yards of offense (195 rushing, 197 passing) as the Lions held the ball for 32 minutes and limited Central Oklahoma (1-2, 1-2 MIAA) to just 2-for-14 on third down attempts.
Herl went 15-of-24 for 189 yards and three passing touchdowns, while he rushed for 50 yards and a pair of scores. He was one off the school record for touchdowns responsible for in a game (six, Jacob Park 2019 vs. Northeastern State).
Nathan Glades had 105 yards on the ground, while Ezekiel Lang caught three passes, two of which went for touchdowns. Chris Boudreaux had five catches for 56 yards, while Jaedon Stoshak had three catches for 62 yards and a score.
Nick Williams had two field goals from 18 and 40 on the evening, and averaged 37.3 yards in punts, including a long of 43 and three inside the 20.
Defensively, Richard Jordan Jr. and Coleman Booker had nine tackles each with Booker posting a half a sack and two tackles for a loss. Jordan had 2.5 tackles for a loss of five yards, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. Jamie Tago had a sack, while Romel Readus added a half a sack. Ian McSwain had an interception.
Southern had four forced fumbles on defense and nine quarterback hurries on the night. The defense had an interception and a fumble recovery, while the offense didn’t have a single turnover.
Southern started the scoring in the first as Herl hit Lang for the first of two touchdown passes with 12:01 left on the clock. After a touchdown from the Bronchos with nine minutes left, Williams answered with an 18-yard field goal, giving the Lions a 10-7 lead after one.
Lang and Herl hooked up again with just 21 seconds left in the half to make the score 17-7 at the break.
UCO got a touchdown to get within six (20-14) as the third quarter wound down, but the fourth quarter was all Lions. Southern got a five-yard rushing touchdown from Herl, a 42-yard passing touchdown from Herl to Stoshak and another 16-yard score on the ground from Herl in the period. The Bronchos had one touchdown in the fourth but it wasn’t enough.
The Lions will be back at it next week as Southern travels to Fort Hays State. Kickoff from Lewis Field Stadium is set for 7 pm.
