Box Score | Season Stats
KIRKSVILLE - - In a game that resembled more of a basketball contest than a football game, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks scored a go ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left and held on for a thrilling 62-61 victory over Truman State University in the season finale for both teams.
More than 600 yards of offensive were accumulated in the first half between the two squads, as each team scored four touchdowns through both air and ground. After the Mavs went three-and-out on their first possession, Truman marched down with an eight-play, 48-yard drive capped off with a Davis two yard TD run for a 6-0 Bulldog lead. The extra point was blocked.
But UNO (5-6; 5-4 MIAA) bounced right back, getting a nine yard run by Justin Coleman and a point after less than a minute and a half later to start the seesawing that would carry for the rest of the first half.
The squads alternated scores the rest of the half, with Truman (4-7; 2-7 MIAA) getting a 31 yard TD pass from Davis to Anthony Brown, a 42 yard pass from Davis to Dallas Grier and a seven yard run by Donald Harvey to account for its 26 points. The only difference between the squads in the first 30 minutes came in the special teams point after game, as the Mavs went 4-for-4 in extra points while Truman was 0-for-1 in kicks and 1-for-3 in 2-pt conversion attempts.
Davis and UNO quarterback John Teigland combined to go 17-for-20 and 364 yards along with four touchdown passes, with Truman's big numbers coming in the passing game (Grier, 3 catches for 65 yards; Brown, 2 catches for 47 yards) and UNO's coming through the ground in the form of Levi Terrell's nine carries and 127 yards. All three found the end zone.
But the Bulldogs used halftime to build some momentum, and Tremaine Millender took the opening kickoff 97 yards to pay-dirt and a 33-28 Bulldog lead. Then, for the second straight possession, the Bulldog defense forced a turnover, and, five plays later, Harvey scampered into the end zone for the second time and a 40-28 advantage.
A second Terrell touchdown cut Truman's lead to 40-35 with 9:23 to play in the third quarter, but Truman marched right back downfield and capped a nine-play, 64-yard, 4:54 drive with Davis' fourth touchdown of the day and second on the ground, as the senior ran through a hole from two yards out to put the 'Dogs ahead by 12 again at 47-35, with 4:54 left in the third quarter.
A 16-yard touchdown pass from Teigland to Austin Wells on a two-minute, 27-second drive cut the Bulldog lead to 47-41, but UNO then missed its first extra point of the game off the left upright to keep the 'Dogs ahead by six.
Then, keyed by a 66 yard QB keeper by Davis got the Bulldogs down to UNO's 19-yard line, Harvey scored his third TD of the day by getting into the end zone from 12 yards out three plays later, and, with the third quarter nearing a close, Truman held a 54-41 advantage.
But the natural progression of the game continued, and Teigland threw his fourth TD pass of the game, hitting Wells again from 11 yards out and cutting the gap to 54-48 with 10:17 on the clock.
Another huge Bulldog play opened up the offense for the 'Dogs again, as Harvey rattled off a 44 yard run, juking by two UNO defenders in the process to get down to the Maverick 11 yard line. Two plays later, Davis connected again with Grier, hitting the freshman on a 4-yard TD pass to give the 'Dogs a 13-point cushion again at 61-48.
Following a 1-yard touchdown run by Terrell and subsequent extra point that cut Truman's lead to 61-55, the Bulldogs couldn't convert on a 4th-and-3 from the UNO 35-yard line, giving the Mavs the ball back with 1:57 to play and no timeouts. Truman went for the big play on fourth down as Davis went deep to Anthony Brown but the junior receiver could hang on to the ball while diving in the endzone.
Teigland led UNO down the field, getting to Truman's 20-yard line, but, with 37.9 seconds on the clock, it was the Mavs' turn to face a fourth down, looking at 4th-and-10. Teigland's pass went incomplete, but the 'Dogs were flagged for pass interference, giving UNO a first down to set up a touchdown pass from Teigland to Higgins from five yards out, giving the Mavs a 62-61 lead with 30.4 seconds to play.
Truman took over on its final drive from its own 35-yard line, but back-to-back incompletions ran the clock to 19.1 and third down for the Bulldogs. Davis then hit Paul Taylor over the middle with 12.6 to play and a first down at the 49-yard line. After two more incomplete passes, a final heave fell incomplete, allowing UNO to escape with a 62-61 season-ending victory.
Terrell had 226 yards on the ground rushing on 23 attempts while Teigland completed 20 of 31 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns.
The Bulldogs set season highs in all offensive catagories in the final game with Davis and Harvey both going over 100 yards on the ground. Davis finished with 151 and two touchdowns while Harvey scored three times and gained 131 yards rushing. Davis completed 12 of 20 passes for 218 yards and three touchdown passes.
Truman was an astonishing 10 of 14 on third down conversions and both teams were a perfect 13 of 13 in redzone chances with all being touchdowns.
The two schools accounted for 1167 total yards.
