No.12 Mustangs take down Briar Cliff in regular season finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Morningside (8-2) | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 34 |
|
Briar Cliff (IA) (4-6) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 12 Mustangs concluded their regular season slate across town at Memorial Field, where they defeated Briar Cliff 34-8 to end the season at 9-2 overall and 8-2 in the GPAC.
IT was a tightly contested battle in the first half, as Morningside led 14-8 at the break. The first score of the game came late in the first quarter when Ryan Cole broke free on a 51-yard scamper to the endzone. The Mustangs tacked on a second score of the half when back-up quarterback Zach Chevalier connected on a 10-yard pitch and catch for a touchdown.
The Chargers lone score of the game came on the next possession of the game and a two-point conversion made it a six-point Mustang lead at the half.
The second half was all Mustangs, scoring 20 unanswered points to run away with the victory. Chevalier to Norton for a second score opened the floodgates, as Chevalier would rush for a touchdown later in the quarter and Jaylen Burch had a one-yard score of his own in the fourth quarter to extend the lead.
The Mustangs had three interceptions in the second half, two by Landry Phipps and a third, which was a Dijion Walls pick returned to set up the final score of the game.
Chevalier tossed for 147 yards and two scores and added a one-yard rushing score to his stat line. Lennx Brown went 5-for-6 for 84 yards passing and rushed for 32 yards on 10 carries. Ryan COle totaled eight rushes for 60 yards and a score. Jaylen Burch had 11 carries for 50 yards.
Receiving, Joshua Simmons had five grabs for 101 yards and Norton had six catches for 78 yards. Defensively, Malik Hampton, Jamal Jones, and Isaac Pingel had eight tackles apiece. As a team, the Mustangs had six sacks and seven tackles for loss.
The Mustangs are firmly in the playoff conversation, and they await Sunday's NAIA Selection announcement to determine whether or not they will have a first round bye, and if not, who and where they will play in the first round. The NAIA Football Championship Series field will be announced at 6 p.m. Sunday.
