BOLIVAR, Mo. – Roosevelt needed every one of its school-record 59 points Saturday as the Lakers survived a 59-56 shootout against Southwest Baptist in Missouri.
For the first 57 minutes of the contest, it looked like the Lakers (3-0) were going to cruise to a third straight road win to start the season. Roosevelt drove the ball down the field in 11 plays on its opening drive for a one-yard Carl Bew touchdown run. Even after the Bearcats responded, the Lakers marched right back down the field in 10 plays for a Steven Moore three-yard touchdown plunge.
For the third straight week, Roosevelt had a 100-yard rusher and once again it was a different running back than the first two weeks. Moore joined the party against Southwest Baptist with 174 yards and three scores while averaging more than six yards per carry on his 28 attempts. The Lakers ran for 292 yards combined, the most Roosevelt has had on the ground since setting the school record in 2022.
Sean Sample put the Lakers up 17-7 to end the first quarter, capitalizing on Jeffrey James' forced fumble on the kickoff following Moore's first touchdown run. Bew ran for his second touchdown of the day in the middle of the second quarter, rushing for a five-yard score to restore the two-possession lead.
Southwest Baptist felt like it might cut the deficit to three at halftime after scoring with 27 seconds left in the half. Bew had other ideas, though, and connected with DJ Simmons Jr. for a 74-yard touchdown throw to give the Lakers a 31-21 lead at the break.
Roosevelt dominated the third quarter and seemingly put the game to rest in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Khalil Nichols hauled in an interception on the opening drive of the half and returned it 34 yards inside the Bearcats 15-yard line. Moore converted for a touchdown a few plays later, and he didn't have much time to rest afterwards.
Just four plays into the next Southwest Baptist drive, Stacey Terry pried the ball loose and Luke Morris recovered it. The Lakers converted six plays later with Julius May scoring his first career touchdown to make it 45-21 Roosevelt barely seven minutes into the half.
The Lakers defense didn't create a turnover on the next drive, settling instead for a 3-and-out that gave Roosevelt the ball back. Bew threw his second touchdown pass of the day to end this drive, firing a 14-yard strike to Joseph Spaulding to complete the six-play, 66-yard possession.
Terry ended Southwest Baptist's ensuing drive with an interception, but a pair of costly penalties ultimately stalled Roosevelt's possession. The Bearcats proceeded to score 35 points over the final seven minutes of the game, recovering three onside kicks along the way. The one time Southwest Baptist didn't recover the kick, the Lakers turned the drive into a touchdown on a 21-yard run from Moore.
Bew became the first player in Roosevelt history to throw two touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in the same game. Moore's three touchdowns are the most since Tyler Tenner ran for three in October 2023. Meanwhile, the three players who ran for a score Saturday is the same number of players who had a rushing touchdown in all of 2025.
UP NEXT: The Lakers finally open their home slate next week when they welcome UW Stout to Morris Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The game also serves as the team's annual Senior Day and festivities will take place prior to the game.
