Box Score
Sept. 4, 2010
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Two big plays in less than a minute during the fourth quarter helped the Truman Football team to a 33-30 victory over Southwest Baptist University in front of 3,400 in the home opener at Stokes Stadium on Saturday night.
Sophomore Dennis Walls made a sensational interception in the endzone to kill a Southwest Baptist scoring threat with the Bulldogs up 26-23 with 12:04 left in the game that was followed by senior Anton Bernard's 76 yard touchdown run to put Truman up by 10 at the 11:15 mark.
Bernard's run was the longest scamper by a Bulldog since Jake Cunningham's 74-yard run in 2006 against the University of Central Missouri.
The Bearcats responded after the big play by the Bulldogs by capping off a seven play, 79-yard drive with quarterback Steve Gachette's 35-yard touchdown pass to D.A. Allen with 9:02 left.
It then became a defensive battle as the Bearcats forced the Bulldogs to punt on their next series with sophomore Eric Phillips pinning SBU at their own one yard line with Walls making the play at the goal line.
A 22-yard run on the first play by Thad Everson gave SBU some life but sophomores Patrick Blackwell and Richie Schumacher made key stops to force a Bearcat punt with 3:45 left.
Truman killed time off the clock but couldn't get the first down and were forced to give the ball back to SBU with 2:06 left at the Bearcat 35.
Gachette used his playmaking ability to push the ball into Truman territory by scampering 22 yards on a fourth and 17 with 1:18 left to play. Then the Bulldog defensive line pressured Gachette into a pair of incomplete passes and an intentional grounding to bring up a third and 20 at the Bulldog 48.
Schumacher and sophomore M.J. Kang capped off the win with two quarterback hurries to force two more incomplete passes and seal the victory for Truman.
Senior quarterback Phil Davis had an inauspicious start as he was picked off on his first pass of the game by Anthony Wiggins that set up the first touchdown of the game.
The Bulldogs got on the board with a 23-yard field goal by freshman Derek Koon in the first quarter.
SBU had a chance to go up by more but junior Michael Elliott forced a fumble at the goal line that was recovered by sophomore Terrence Byrd to end the scoring threat.
The Bearcats scored on a 23-yard pass from Gachette to Charles Johnson and got a 39-yard field goal by Andrew Kocurek to take a 16-10 before Truman ended the first half with a six yard touchdown pass from Davis to junior Donald Harvey.
Truman took the lead for good on Ayora's one-yard plunge on the first possession in the second half.
The Bulldogs totaled 277 yards on the ground with Bernard going over the century mark with 102 on 12 carries.
Davis added 95 yards on the ground and another 168 yards through the air with senior Kendrick Blue being his top target with six catches for 97 yards.
Junior Harnish Ayora had two more touchdowns runs of less than two yards en route to 74 yards on the ground and a team-high 17 carries.
Gachette finished with 299 yards passing on 28 completions in 44 attempts while being sacked three times. Charles Johnson caught eight passes for 88 yards and Thad Everson led the rushing attack with 78 yards on 13 carries.
The Bulldogs will be off next Saturday before opening conference play against Fort Hays State on Sept. 18th on the road. The Tigers will enter the game at 2-0 as well after their victory over East Central on Saturday night.
