The Basics
Score: Central Methodist 27, Evangel 20
Records: Evangel (2-5, 1-3), Central Methodist (4-4, 2-2)
Location: Tiger Stadium

Box Score

OZARK, Mo. – Despite a stout defense that turned in one of its best performances of the season, the Evangel football team dropped a 27-20 decision to Central Methodist Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.

The Crusader defense limited the visiting Eagles to just 255 yards of total offense and only 76 rushing yards on 30 attempts. But the CMU defense produced four key takeaways, while its special teams blocked a pair of punts and a Crusader PAT to swing the momentum in the direction of the Eagles.

The two defenses controlled the opening half, as EU held the Eagles to 66 yards of offense and just four first downs to take a 6-3 lead into intermission. CMU drew first blood after Will Miles blocked an Andrew Holden punt—the first of his two blocked kicks on the day—to set the Eagles up at the EU 42 yard line.

Paxton Delaurent completed 4-of-6 passes for 22 yards to set up a Samuel Petrin 32-yard field goal that gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 4:38 to play in the opening quarter.

The CMU defense came up with the first of two fumble recoveries deep in EU territory after Mar'Quess Daniels stripped a Crusader ball-carrier and Miles scooped up the loose football at the Evangel 14.

But EU's secondary came up with a big play of its own, as Koel Orchard picked off Delaurent on the first play of the ensuing CMU drive to not only thwart the Eagles' scoring chance, but also spark what would turn into a 96-yard scoring drive for the Crusaders.

The Crusaders gashed the Eagle defense on the ground, racking up 81 rushing yards on 11 carries—including seven-straight rushes at one point—before Dyllan Decker connected with Demareus Little on a one-yard scoring strike to put EU on top, 6-3.

Both offenses picked up steam in the third quarter, with CMU knotting the score on a Petrin 20-yard field goal with 9:22 left in the period.

That drive initiated a four-and-a-half-minute stretch that would see the Eagles score 17 points to seize a 20-7 advantage. After CMU forced another Crusader punt on a three-and-out possession, Delaurent found Katavious Taylor for a 39-yard touchdown toss on a third-and-10 play call.

Evangel turned the ball over once more on its next play from scrimmage, with Miles coming up with a second fumble recovery off of a Daniels force. Taylor nearly scored another touchdown on a seven-yard pass, and Delaurent carried it in from a yard out to give the Eagles a 13-point edge with 5:51 left in the period.

EU bounced back with an 83-yard scoring drive that was punctuated by Sammy Robinson's two-yard run, but a second failed PAT attempt left the Crusaders still trailing by eight points.

Delaurent connected with Kooper Wilson on a 30-yard TD pass early in the fourth to make it a 27-12 contest, only to see EU answer with an RJ Wakley-to-Joshua Tips 22-yard scoring strike with just under nine minutes left in the contest.

The Evangel defense held its ground in the late stages of the game, giving the Crusader offense one final chance. Wakley hit Haaken Friend for a 16-yard gain to the CMU 12 with just under a minute left on the clock, and appeared to have found Tips in the corner of the end zone for a potential game-tying touchdown. But Anthony Hernandez picked off the deflected pass for the game-clinching interception instead.

Robinson led EU's offense with a career-best 78 rushing yards on 18 carries, while Darrius Lee added 46 yards. Tips grabbed three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown to lead the EU aerial attack.

Ryder Grantham logged a game-high 10 tackles, including half a sack, and Will Anoa'i registered 2.5 sacks and 5 total tackles. Orchard picked off a pair of passes and broke up another one.

Delaurent completed 17-of-31 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns for CMU, with Taylor accounting for eight of those completions and 109 receiving yards.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EUAthletics), or visit EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the new Evangel Crusaders GamedayApp through Google Play. 

—EvangelAthletics.com—