ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Football (3-2) stayed perfect on Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium with an impressive 38-7 win over Washburn (2-3) on Saturday night.
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Missouri Western broke away from a pack of seven MIAA teams that entered the weekend 2-2, snapped a three-game losing streak to the Ichabods and improved to 3-0 in home games this season with the win.
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NOTABLES
- The Griffon offense was impressive for a second-straight week, totaling 544 yards of offense with five touchdowns
- Missouri Western punted just two times in the game, one was a third quarter pooch punt by quarterback Dom Marino that pinned Washburn at its own on 1-yard line
- The defense did its part, picking off four Mitch Schurig passes to move into a three-way tie for the most in the MIAA this season (8)
- Kobe Cummings had the first interception of his Griffon career in the first quarter. The pick in the end zone ended a nine-play, 58-yard Washburn drive that got to the MWSU 18 and preserved a 7-0 Griffon lead
- Missouri Western possessed the ball for nine more minutes than Washburn
- The Griffons scored on all four trips to the red zone and on three of their first four drives of the game
- It was MWSU's first win over Washburn since 2014 (40-14 in Topeka)
- The win vaulted the Griffons into a three-way tie for third in the MIAA standings with Central Missouri and Nebraska Kearney
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STATS AND LEADERS
- Dom Marino finished 17-of-23 passing for 249 yards and four touchdowns. He did not throw an interception in the game and also rushed 11 times for 65 yards and a score.
- James Bailey Jr. rushed 17 times for 139 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per carry for his second consecutive 100-yard game
- Keylan Mack had seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown
- Donnell Hawkins caught two touchdowns out of the backfield, one a 51-yard catch and run off a screen pass from Marino
- True Freshman Kobe Cummings led the team with 14 tackles and had the interception
- Brandin Dandridge had two interceptions to take the MIAA lead with four
- Jabbar Miles had another interception to bring his season total to three, tied for second most in the MIAA
- The Griffons rushed for 295 yards as a team and are now averaging 213 rushing yards per game
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UP NEXT
- The Griffons travel to Missouri Southern (0-4) for a 2 p.m. kick in Joplin on Saturday, Oct. 6
- Missouri Southern lost 61-7 at Central Missouri, Saturday, and has been outscored 275-40 on the season