Jackrabbits race past Missouri State in showdown of ranked FCS teams in Springfield

Saturday afternoon’s home game against South Dakota State had all the makings of one of the best days in program history for fourth-ranked Missouri State.

All the makings ... but not the ending.

The No. 3-ranked Jackrabbits made sure of that at Plaster Stadium, beating the Bears 28-14 on Family Day behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Mark Gronowski. The South Dakota State signal-caller was 22 of 29 for 319 yards and no interceptions.

The Bears (2-2), who gave Arkansas all it could handle before losing in Fayetteville, Ark. last weekend, trailed 7-0 at halftime in this one.

But the Jackrabbits (3-1) hit the jets in the second half, and two touchdowns — one by Jacardia Wright on the ground, the other from Jason Shelley to Raylen Sharpe through the air — were all the hosts could muster.

Shelley finished 19 of 29 for 185 yards, the TD and two picks.

In other games ...

Central Oklahoma 23, Northwest Missouri State 14: The Division II No. 2-ranked Bearcats (3-1) suffered a surprising first loss of the season at Edmond, Okla. The 1-2 Bronchos improved to 2-2 in large part by forcing four Bearcats turnovers, which Central Oklahoma was able to convert into points.

Nebraska Kearney 38, Central Missouri 6: Nineteenth-ranked Nebraska Kearney (3-1) was too much for the winless Mules in Kearney, Neb. Central Missouri (0-4) trailed 21-3 after one quarter and 28-6 at halftime. Reigning MIAA Player of the Year T.J. Davis, Kearney’s QB, rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns.

William Jewell 24, Kentucky Wesleyan 17: The Cardinals collected their first victory of the season, winning at home Saturday. Taylor Eggers scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards for Jewell (1-3), which led 14-0 before a Kentucky Wesleyan rally made it a 14-all game at halftime. Eggers’ second TD, with 2:48 left in the game, completed the Cardinals’ decisive 10-point final period.

Pittsburg State 14, Emporia State 13: The 14th-ranked Gorillas kept the Hornets scoreless in the second half to edge their hosts by a point. Caleb Lewis rushed for a game-high 117 yards for Pitt State (4-0), which controlled the final 8-plus minutes of clock to salt away the victory

Northeastern State 38, Lincoln 10: At Talequah, Okla., the host RiverHawks beat Lincoln soundly on homecoming. Northeastern QB Darius Salters hooked up with Dashawn Williams for a pair of touchdowns through the air and finished with three TDs overall. Williams added another touchdown rushing.

Washburn 38, Missouri Western 31, OT: At St. Joseph, Mo., the Ichabods (3-1) prevailed in overtime on Taylon Peters’ 25-yard touchdown run. The host Griffons (2-2) had a chance to answer in the extra session but couldn’t put the ball in the end zone. James Letcher Jr. and QB Kellen Simoncic were the stars for Washburn, with the latter going 25 of 43 for 311 yards and two TDs, both to Letcher, who finished with 12 catches for 180 yards.

Missouri Southern 25, Fort Hayes State 24: At Hays, Kan., the host FHSU Tigers couldn’t send their fans home with a Hall of Fame Game victory. Missouri Southern (3-1) won the showdown at Lewis Field Stadium with a late drive that marched the length of the field. With their victory, the Lions snapped an eight-game losing streak to Fort Hayes State (1-3).