When Missouri Valley College handed the football back to cool-hand Mack Brown and the Wildcats – down three points with 91 seconds to go – one thing became overwhelmingly clear: “They left us plenty of time,” senior Tyrell Spain said.
Sure, the ‘Cats had to drive 83 yards on the No. 7 team in the nation in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, but head coach Mike Grossner’s football team was undeterred.
“As long as we had over a minute, I felt pretty comfortable,” Grossner said. “We’ve been there before this year and the guys are pretty confident. We practice it every day.”
Their confidence was justified as the Wildcats methodically marched down the field toward what would prove to be a thrilling 26-22 victory Saturday at Liston Stadium.
The game-winning drive was highlighted by three Richie Bryant screen pass receptions totaling 49 yards. Brown worked quickly and efficiently dumping the ball to his running back when Missouri Valley turned up the heat on defense.
The Wildcats patiently executed their offense, making their way down to the Missouri Valley 23-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. It was then that Grossner and his offense had a decision to make – play it safe and kick the short, game-tying field goal or go for the throat.
Suffice it to say, Grossner chose the latter.
“(Missouri Valley) called a timeout, which gave us a chance to talk in the huddle,” Grossner said. “I felt like our defense was tired, and we have great athletes on the outside and a good quarterback. We had a chance to win the game.”
After the first failed attempt at a throw to Spain in the end zone, Grossner’s offense took a mulligan and called the sawas obvious.
“We had discussed throwing a pass to (junior) Brad Fawcett on the hash if they had a linebacker on him,” Brown said. “But then when I saw the safety stayed home and Tyrell had man coverage, I pretty much knew it was over.”
One leaping grab from Spain, two Brown fist pumps and eight seconds later the ‘Cats officially had upset the Vikings, improving their record to 7-2 on the season.
“I think that win was vital,” Spain said. “It was very helpful for our confidence. We know we can play with the best teams in the (Heart of America Athletic Conference).”
The offense put up staggering numbers considering the Vikings entered the contest ranked No. 1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference for team defense. Brown and Spain were a dynamic duo, hooking up for 102 yards and three touchdowns. Brown finished the day passing for 299 yards on 26 of 39 completions.
“Mack was just awesome,” Spain said. “He stayed calm and was very patient. He let the receivers’ routes develop, and the line did a phenomenal job in protection.”
Grossner said he was pleased with the defense’s performance as well, even though the unit allowed Viking running back Robert Holmes to rush for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was one tough game for (the defense),” he said. “(Missouri Valley) knows how to run the football. “We gave up a lot of yards but not a lot of points. When we had to make the stops in the fourth quarter, we made the stops.”
The Wildcats will get the chance to knock off another National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Top 10 team in MidAmerica Nazarene University Saturday in Olathe. The Pioneers currently are the frontrunners in the conference at 8-0 and No. 5 in the national polls.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Brown said. “We’re excited at the chance to play for the conference championship.”
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