Marshall, MO - William Woods University (1-9) traveled to Marshall for another Heart of American Conference South Division match up against Missouri Valley College (4-5) for the second to last game of the Owls' inaugural football season. Despite a first half shutout, the Owls lost to the Vikings 35-3.
WWU came out of the locker room excited for another evening to play football. The Owls received the opening kickoff, which was fair caught by
Jalen Becerra at the Woods' 34 yard line. On second and ten,
Troy Oliver got William Woods going with an 11 yard reception from quarterback
Gabe Serri. Becerra followed the chain-moving play with one of his own, a rush that also gained 11 yards. The very next play appeared to halt any Owl momentum, as Serri was sacked for a loss of 14, bringing up a daunting second down and 24. Despite the long distance, Serri stepped in and threw a ten yard completion to Becerra. The Owls were aided by back to back offside penalties on the Vikings, creating a manageable third and four. Back on the downhill portion of the roller coaster, Serri was unable to complete the third down conversion. Yet, the Woods was unwilling to give up on the opening drive, and on fourth down,
Arin Spears caught a six yard pass to move the sticks. The Owls would move the ball down to Missouri Valley's 19 yard line before bringing
Justin Sharkey on to knock one through the uprights. After their opening drive, William Woods held a 3-0 lead.
The rest of the first half was a defensive display by both teams. William Woods forced two punts and
Clarence Jackson intercepted the Vikings' quarterback with 12:20 in the second quarter. Missouri Valley forced a punt, blocked a field goal, had an interception and a fumble recovery. No other points were scored in the first half for either team.
Despite the promising start for the Owls, the Vikings found momentum quickly after the break. They capped off an eight-play opening drive of the second half with a 24 yard rushing touchdown. William Woods' offense was never quite able to punch back. Missouri Valley took their momentum and ran with it, putting up 28 more unanswered points before the final horn, finalizing the score at 35-3.
On offense for the Owls,
Gabe Serri went 14-32 with 107 yards and three interceptions.
Jalen Proctor was the leading rusher with 30 yards on five attempts.
Jalen Becerra and
Troy Oliver each recorded three receptions, going for 50 and 32 yards respectively.
On defense,
Clarence Jackson tallied ten tackles, as well as the only sack and turnover for the Owls with the interception in the second quarter.
Carter Holloway followed close behind with eight tackles of his own.
Justin Sharkey knocked down one of three field goal attempts and sent five punts for 201 yards, and average of 40.2 and a long of 73.
William Woods University Football will be back in action at the North Campus Athletic Complex in Fulton on Saturday, November 16th to take on #12 Benedictine College in the final game of what has been a historic season.
