FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2006

Lions move to 3-0 with 42-21 win at home over Southwest Baptist
Box Score

Joplin, MO -- Sophomore tailback Ronnell Newman rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns and the Missouri Southern football team kept perfect, defeating visiting Southwest Baptist, 42-21 tonight in front of nearly 5000 fans at Hughes Stadium.

Both teams took their time with the ball in the first quarter as the only two drives of the quarter, both scoring, took up the entire 15-minute period. The Lions (3-0, 1-0 MIAA) got the opening kickoff and after a start at their own 20-yard line, the team chipped away at the Bearcat defense and scored on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Adam Hinspeter to Colin Bado.

Southwest (0-3, 0-1 MIAA) moved the ball at will in their drive, with no play longer than eight yards, but a pass interference call on Southern's Ben Augustin would put the ball on the Lion six-yard line and Bearcat quarterback Robert Clardy ran the ball in to tie the game at seven.

Southern jumped ahead in the second quarter as Newman ran in the first of his three touchdowns on the night. He had runs of 11, five and two yards on the drive, before he took it in from the one to give the Lions a quick seven point lead, and that's where it stood at halftime with Southern leading 14-7.

SBU scored on its first drive of the second half, with Clardy rushing for his second touchdown of the game. Tailback Jeff Finnell had runs of 31 and nine yards on the drive, while Nick Smart added a carry of 37, as well.

Southern answered back with a TD run from Colin Bado on an end around to give the Lions a 21-14 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. Bado's catch capped off a drive that went 80 yards on six plays.

Hinspeter picked up his second touchdown of the game when he hit Isaac Norman on the run for a 56 yard scramble to put Southern up 28-14. The game looked to have taken a turn in the Lions direction, however SBU answered right back and after a 49 yard kickoff return from Finnell, they scored on a 31 yard pass from John McCoy to Smart.

Southern got two more touchdowns from Newman to put the game away, including a long rush of 18 yards.

The Lions held the high-powered offense of SBU to just 330 total yards on the night. SBU came into the game averaging over 440 yards per game as a team. Southern picked up 430 yards of total offense, with the bulk of the load coming from Newman's 155 on the ground and 254 from Hinspeter in the air. Hinspeter threw for two TD's. Norman led the Lions with 106 rushing yards in five receptions, including a touchdown. Punter Brandon Hawkins again shined averaging 42 yards in two punts, with a long of 50. Both were inside the Bearcat 20.

Moses Manga had eight tackles, an interception and a key fumble pickup in the end zone that stopped an SBU drive that had gone to the Southern one yard line. Elbert Johnson and Devin Rutledge both picked up a sack in the game.

Southern will head to Pittsburg, Kansas next week to take part in the annual US Cellular Miner's Bowl with Pittsburg State. PSU lost on the road tonight at Missouri Western, 48-35. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.