ST. LOUIS – The Roosevelt University football team defeated Missouri Baptist University by the score of 34-17 in a Mid-States Football Association Midwest League game on Saturday, October 9 at Spartan Field.  The win raised the Lakers overall record to 2-3 and evened their MSFA Midwest League record at 1-1.

After a three-week layoff due to COVID safety precautions, which saw the team forfeit two games, the Lakers hit the ground running on their first possession with Ke'von Johnson breaking free for a 47-yard touchdown run just under three minutes into the game, which was the only score in the first quarter.

The Lakers pushed their lead to 14-0 just over three minutes into the second quarter when Jack Sheehan connected with Blaize Griffin on a 13-yard touchdown pass to cap off a six-play, 56-yard drive.  However, the Spartans got on the board with 5:06 to play in the half on a two-yard TD run from Darius Morris and the score remained 14-7 at the half.

Missouri Baptist started the second half with the ball, but the Lakers Julian Bell forced a Spartan fumble and Myles Davis recovered the loose ball.  Roosevelt then marched down the field on a seven-play, 53-yard scoring drive with Sheehan hitting Chris Shannon on a 29-yard TD pass to up the RU lead 20 21-7 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.  The Spartans tacked on a 48-yard field goal to close out the quarter to close the Laker lead to 21-10 heading into the final 15 minutes of the game.

A quick three and out by the Lakers gave the ball immediately back to the Spartans, and the home team's Demingo Loggins returned the ensuing punt 67 yards to cut the Lakers lead to 21-17 with 14:40 left to play.

After both teams could not score on their next possessions, Ke'von Johnson broke an 89-yard run to the Missouri Baptist six-yard line, and then capped off the drive with a two-yard scoring run to give RU a 27-17 lead after a failed extra point attempt.

The RU defense stymied the Spartans offense on the next two possessions and then Johnson struck again.  This time, the running back scored on a 55-yard touchdown run to seal the Lakers 34-17 victory.

GAME DETAILS

Score:   Roosevelt                            7              7              7              13           34
                Missouri Baptist                0              7              3              7              17

Records: Roosevelt 2-3, 1-1 (MSFA) // Missouri Baptist 3-4, 0-3 (MSFA)

Location: Spartan Field | St. Louis, Mo.

KEY STATS

• Ke'von Johnson rushed for a career-high 302 yards on 33 carries for a 9.2 yards/carry average & 3 TD's
• Jack Sheehan was 9-for-20 for 127 yards and 2 TD's
• Blaize Griffin had 72 yards receiving with a TD
• Ernest Potts had a team-high 8 tackles
• Julian Bell had a forced fumble & an interception
• The Lakers had 416 yards of total offense to the Spartans 312 yards
• RU had a slight 30:38 to 29:22 time of possession advantage

NEWS & NOTES

• This was the Lakers first game since September 18 due to COVID safety precautions
• This was the first ever meeting between the two teams in football & RU now owns a 2-0 record in the series after Missouri Baptist forfeited last season's contest
• Ke'von Johnson leads the NAIA in yards per game at 180.0
• Click here to view the current MSFA Midwest League standings

NEXT UP

The Lakers continue MSFA Midwest League action on Saturday, October 16 when they travel to Deerfield, Ill. to take on Trinity International University.  Kick-off is scheduled for 1pm at Leslie Frazier Field.