ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Football (1-4, 0-3 MIAA) is back on the road this Saturday to play just their second day game of the season.
 
MoWest will face Nebraska-Kearney (4-2, 2-2 MIAA) at Ron and Carol Cope Stadium in Kearney, Nebraska. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen).
 
Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac and Kyle Schmidt of News Press Now will be on the call, with Ryan Menley on the sidelines. The game will also be available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
 
MoWest goes into UNK's Homecoming Saturday, looking to avenge a 24-23 loss to the Lopers in St. Joseph last October, which was during the Griffons' homecoming. Each of the last two meetings with UNK have been decided by a game-winning field goal at the end.
 
MoWest looks to avoid its first four-game slide since 2022, and avoid its first 0-4 start in MIAA play since 1998.
 
About Last Week
MoWest suffered a 50-14 loss to Emporia State on Saturday in the annual Homecoming game at Spratt Stadium.
 
Starting 0-3 in the MIAA for the first time since 2008, MoWest got down 21-0 in the first 6:06 of the game and trailed 35-0 with 10:16 left in the second quarter.
 
Malik Moore was a bright spot offensively, grabbing six passes for 62 yards and two scores. Kody Kirk, who entered at quarterback in the fourth quarter, completed 8-of-11 passes for 78 yards for a touchdown and interception.
 
Gyasi Smith caught a team-best seven passes for 65 yards. Kane Donovan completed 24-of-50 passes for 183 yards with a touchdown and a pick. TreVon Holmes led the MoWest defense with eight total tackles.
 
Stopping the Run
MoWest currently ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 24 in the nation in rush defense, allowing opponents an average of 97.2 rush yards per game. The Griffons are allowing only 3.48 yards per carry (3rd MIAA).
 
The Kane Chronicles
Kane Donovan has taken command of the MoWest offense in 2025, ranking No. 2 in the MIAA in completions (117), No. 4 in passing yards (1226), No. 3 in passing touchdowns (8), No. 4 in passing yards per game (245.2) and No. 6 in total offense (1241).
 
Since transferring in from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2024, Donovan has made nine starts for the Griffons, throwing for 1613 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
Red Zone Rewards
MoWest has found steady success in the red zone this season, scoring on 15-of-17 trips (88.2%). Their red zone success rate ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 30 in the nation. The Griffs have scored eight red zone touchdowns this season and are 7-of-7 on field goal tries in the red zone as well.
 
Long Drive Runnin'
MoWest leads the MIAA and is No. 26 in the country in time of possession, averaging 32:30 per game. The Griffons have had touchdown drives of 89 yards or more in four of the first five games, and have had scoring drives that have gone eight minutes or longer each of the last two weeks.
 
Fourth Down Fortunes
MoWest currently leads the MIAA with seven fourth down conversions on the season, converting on 7-of-13 attempts. MWSU's 53.8% success rate on fourth down ranks No. 2 in the MIAA.
 
Lookin' at the Lopers
Nebraska-Kearney is in year three of the head coach Ryan Held era, and things are starting to look up for the Lopers. After a 3-8 mark in 2023, and a 5-6 record in 2024, Kearney is off to its best start since 2022 with a 4-2 record overall, including a 2-0 record at home.
 
UNK is coming off of a 23-6 loss at No. 17 Pittsburg State last Saturday after consecutive conference wins over Emporia State (34-20) and at Washburn (31-24).
 
UNK has played well defensively, allowing just 22.5 points per game (No. 3 MIAA) and 338.8 yards per game (No. 2 MIAA). They lead the MIAA in sacks (18), which is currently fifth most of any team in NCAA Division II. UNK also leads the league with eight interceptions (6th nation) and 14 total takeaways (5th nation).
 
Defensive end Xavier Morrow has been a force for UNK with an MIAA-leading eight TFLs this season, including three sacks. Meanwhile, cornerback Ife Current has an MIAA-best four interceptions, including a pick-six against Chadron State.
 
Offensively, the Lopers rank No. 3 in the MIAA in rushing yards, averaging 192.5 on the ground per game. A large part of that has been their star running back, second team all-MIAA pick Isaiah Harris, who still leads the MIAA with 698 rushing yards (7th nation) and six rushing scores. He also leads the league with 732 total yards (12th nation).
 
Harris did not play against Pittsburg State the week prior due to injury. Still, UNK has been a rush-heavy offense this season with 1311 yards on the ground to just 889 through the air.
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 35th all-time meeting with Nebraska-Kearney and the 12th as MIAA rivals. UNK leads the all-time series 21-13, including an 11-6 record at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium. The Lopers are also 7-4 vs. MWSU since joining the MIAA in 2012.
 
The Lopers have taken four of the last five meetings since 2019, with three of those four wins coming by at least 21 points. The last two meetings, though, have been air tight with MoWest escaping on a walk-off field goal in Kearney on October 21, 2023, 20-17.
 
Kearney returned the favor a year later, spoiling MWSU's homecoming 24-23 on a field goal by Kyle Failing as time expired, erasing a nine-point fourth quarter deficit. This series has been decided by three points or less eight times since it began in 1970.
 
Special Teams Standouts
Junior kicker Spencer Sprenger has been an impressive 8-of-9 on field goals so far this season with a long of 41. Not only is he tied for most field goals made in the MIAA thus far, but his average of 1.6 made field goals per game ranks No. 1 amongst all kickers in NCAA Division II football.
 
Meanwhile on kickoff, Mason Grove has been impressive again in 2025 with an MIAA-best 19 touchbacks on 26 attempts. Grove, as a freshman in 2024, was No. 2 in the MIAA with 31 touchbacks, putting him up to 50 in his career.
 
In the return game, MoWest ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 332 kick return yards. The Griffons are still the only team in the MIAA with a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2025, thanks to Jaelon Dixon's 98-yard run to the house vs. Central Missouri on September 20.
 
Halling the Load
Two-time all-MIAA running back Brandon Hall is back for a fifth and final season after a promising 2024 was cut short with an ankle injury in week four. Even though he missed seven games last year, Hall was the team's lead rusher in 2024 with 557 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 139.25 rush yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry, while also hauling in 11 passes for 66 yards and a score.

Hall currently ranks No. 6 in program history with 2486 career rushing yards, having surpassed Mike Connaker for 6th most all-time this season. Hall's career average of 5.9 yards per carry is currently No. 5 in the program record books, and his 422 career carries now ranks eighth all-time, having just surpassed Travis Partridge's total (412).

Personnel Pieces
Missouri Western welcomes back a plethora of talent in 2025 with 21 total starters back, including 11 players on the offensive side who started four games or more in 2024.
 
The Griffons also made some key additions in the offseason, signing 30 freshmen and 10 transfers. The position of choice in this class was defensive backs with 14 DBs joining the team.
 
MoWest also signed seven new receivers, as each of the top four pass catchers from 2024 graduated. The Griffs did, however, bring back each of their top five rushers from 2024, returning 97.4% of their 1800 net rushing yards from last season.
 
Game of Inches
Since the start of the 2023 season, MoWest has played in 28 games - 16 of them have been decided by a single possession. The Griffons are 6-10 in those contests. Dating back to November 2022, 11 of the last 16 losses for MWSU have come by eight points or less.

Tune Into the Griffons
The Griffon Sports Network will once again provide live and free coverage all season long for all home and away games.
 
Tommy Rezac is back as 'Voice of the Griffons' for a fifth season. All games can be heard for free on the Varsity Network App and at GoGriffons.com/listen. To listen on the Varsity Network App, simply search "Missouri Western" once you have downloaded the app on your mobile device. Pregame coverage for each radio broadcast starts 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
 
Game of the Week
The MIAA has announced its partnership with Scripps Media and their independent television station, KMCI (38 The Spot), will broadcast an MIAA Football 'Game of the Week' again in 2025.
 
MoWest will play in the 'Game of the Week' twice in 2025 - first at Missouri Southern on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. and then at home the following week vs. Washburn on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. The 'Game of the Week' can be viewed in St. Joseph on Optimum Channel 17. Every game, as usual, will be available to stream on the MIAA Network as well.
 
What's Next
MoWest returns home to take on No. 15 Pittsburg State. Kickoff from Spratt Stadium on Saturday, October 18, is set for 6 p.m. That will also be the annual Rogers Pharmacy Hall of Fame Game.