Truman State sent its seniors out in style Saturday afternoon, jumping ahead early and maintaining control throughout a 35–17 victory over William Jewell at Stokes Stadium. The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on five of their first six drives, using a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive effort to close out the regular-season home slate with a win.

After both teams traded early punts, Truman struck first midway through the opening quarter. Quarterback Dylan Hair capped a 48-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 7–0. William Jewell responded with a 28-yard field goal, but the Bulldogs answered immediately when Elijah Stevens broke loose for a 10-yard touchdown run less than a minute later to push the lead to 14–3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs kept their momentum rolling into the second frame. On the first play of the quarter, Markiese Jones intercepted a pass and returned it to the Cardinals' 28-yard line, setting up a short field. Three plays later, Hair connected with Nathan Ryan on a 10-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 21–3. After the defense forced another stop, Truman put together one of its most impressive drives of the season, a 12-play, 87-yard march capped by Denim Cook's 13-yard scoring run. William Jewell added a late touchdown before halftime, but Truman still held a commanding 28–10 advantage at the break.

Hair and the Bulldogs struck again midway through the third quarter. After a fumble recovery by the defense, Truman drove 74 yards in seven plays, with Stevens scoring his second touchdown of the afternoon from 14 yards out to push the margin to 35–10. William Jewell tacked on a touchdown early in the fourth, but Truman's defense slammed the door from there, forcing a turnover on downs inside the red zone to preserve the final score.

The Bulldogs controlled the line of scrimmage all afternoon, rushing for 251 yards on 36 carries while holding the Cardinals to just 86 yards on the ground. Truman's defense also recorded an interception, a sack, and forced a fumble, while the offense never turned the ball over.

Key Stats

• QB Dylan Hair: 13-of-20 passing, 147 yards, 1 TD; 8 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD

• RB Denim Cook: 21 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 30 yards

• RB Elijah Stevens: 6 carries, 41 yards, 2 TDs

• WR Nathan Ryan: 3 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 44 yards

• WR Adam Hall: 2 receptions, 29 yards

• Defense: 1 interception (Markiese Jones), 1 sack (Jacob Carmack), 1 fumble recovery (Alex Medina); Jack Weltha led with 14 tackles

• Team Totals: 398 yards (251 rush / 147 pass); 32:21 time of possession; 5-for-5 in red zone scoring

Up Next:
The Bulldogs continue to make their case to qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs. This win improves the squad to 7-3 (6-1 GLVC) with the regular season finale this coming Saturday against McKendree at 3:00 PM. The Bulldogs will look to avenge their 28-21 loss to the Bearcats last year that snapped a six game winning streak against the foes from Lebannon, Ill.

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