ST. JOSEPH – After a 31-point second half comeback by Griffon Football (1-2) and 1,206 yards of offense, a 23-yard field goal was the difference between Missouri Western and No. 21 Central Missouri (3-0). Chris Diddle's chip shot field goal in overtime gave Central Missouri a 48-45 win at Spratt Stadium, Saturday night.
 
MWSU got the ball to start overtime. The Girffons got the ball to the UCM 21 where Sam Aviles attempted a 38-yard field goal on fourth down that was wide right. UCM answered with a seven-play, 20-yard drive that ended with Diddle's game winner.  
 
The Griffons forced overtime by scoring 45 second half points, 29 in the fourth quarter. UCM led 31-0 with 6:39 left in the third and 38-8 after MWSU's first touchdown of the game with 6:08 left in the third quarter. Trey Vaval sparked the comeback with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the first by a Griffon since 2013 and the first of his career. Deron Thompson made it 38-16 on a seven-yard run that capped a 10-play 67-yard drive by MWSU.
 
The Griffons got within two TDs with 8:54 left in the game when Wyatt Steigerwald hit Cooper Burton for a 30-yard touchdown strike. UCM answered with a 68-yard touchdown pass on a two-play drive. Then MWSU rattled off 21 unanswered, tying the game with 1:02 left on a 25-yard pass to Devon Holmes. Aided by two defensive penalties, Central Missouri drove to the MWSU 8-yard line with less than a minute in regulation, but the game got to overtime after the Mules rushed to the MWSU 4-yard line and couldn't get off a field goal attempt in regulation.
 
NOTABLES

• It was MWSU's first overtime game since the first round of the 2012 NCAA DII playoffs, a 57-55 triple overtime win over Minnesota Duluth.
• UCM took a 24-0 lead to halftime, after outgaining the Griffons 368 yards to 123 in the half.
• MWSU totaled 381 yards of offense in the second half.
• The Griffons were 8-of-10 on third down in the second half after going 0-for-7 in the first half.
• There were no turnovers in the game, though a fumbled punt return recovered by the Griffs early in the second quarter was negated by an interference penalty on MWSU.
• Steigerwald was 22-44 for 336 yards and three TDs after finishing the first half 4-of-11 for 41 yards. He became the first Griffon QB to throw for more than 300 yards since Skyler Windmiller threw for 392 against Pittsburg State in 2016.
• Devon Holmes became MWSU's first 100-yard receiver since 2017, finishing seven catches for 117 yards and the game-tying TD.
• Anthony Williams led the Griffon defense with 15 total tackles. Evan Chohon had 12 and Kobe Cummings finished with 11 tackles.
• The Griffons have now come back from 21-point (Northwest Missouri) and 31-point deficits against ranked opponents this season.
• UCM totaled 702 yards of offense to win its fifth-straight game over MWSU and took a 18-17-1 lead in the all-time series.

 
UP NEXT

• Missouri Western plays the first of two straight road games when the Griffs travel to Northeastern State (0-3) next week.
• Kickoff in Tahlequah, Oklahoma is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 28.
• NSU lost 58-3 at Pittsburg State on Saturday and has been outscored 179-24 this season.