September 27, 2007
Contact: Evangel University Athletics 865-2815, Ext. 7282
Game 5
Evangel vs. MidAmerica Nazarene
Sept. 29,
1:30 p.m.
JFK Stadium Springfield, Mo.
“Helping Heroes Football Classic”
Go to the football broadcast page
The football game between Evangel and MidAmerica Nazarene has been dubbed the “Helping Heroes Football Classic.” The Evangel athletic department has been joined by the Assemblies of God Credit Union (AGCU) and Springfield radio station KSGF (104.1FM, 1260AM) to sponsor the event, which will honor all veterans. Every veteran with and ID - and his/her family - will be admitted free of charge to the game.
The game will serve as a fund-raiser for Eagles Summit Ranch, a facility in Colorado that opened on Sept. 11 for severely injured veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The ranch is operated by Dave Roever (pronounced REE-ver), a well-known evangelist and speaker, who was wounded by a phosphorus grenade in Vietnam. Although he was severely burned and hospitalized for 14 months, Roever persevered thru his injuries and disfigurement to start a ministry that reaches youth groups, public schools, military organizations and many other Christian outreach programs around the world. The Eagles Summit Ranch is Roever’s most recent project. It was dedicated to the “worst wounded warriors” from the U.S. military and will provide emotional and spiritual healing.
For more information on the event contact Ed Beach, Evangel athletics director of marketing and broadcasting at (417)865-2815, Ext. 7417.
Special tailgate activities will also be a part of Saturday’s festivities. For $5, fans can enjoy a hamburger and hot dog cookout and listen to Freedomhouse, a local contemporary Christian band. The pre-game activities will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the parking lot at JFK Stadium. In addition, a special fund-raiser event will be held at halftime by Evangel University for Eagles Summit Ranch.
Evangel’s passing game came alive early and quick and the EU defense continued its steady play as the Crusaders won 22-10 at then-ranked No. 8 Missouri Valley on Sept. 22.
Evangel quarterback Derek Rasmussen hooked up with Brenton Roggow for TDs of 8, 60 and 60 yards before the second quarter had hardly begun. Missouri Valley then scored on a safety, following a low snap on an attempted punt, and on a 39-yard TD pass from Chris White to Javion Jones to pull to within 10 points, 19-9, at halftime. EU’s defense then limited Missouri Valley to a 20-yard field goal by James Justus midway through the fourth quarter. EU’s Erik Brown finished the scoring with a field goal of 35 yards.
Rasmussen ended the game with 235 passing yards. He completed 16 of 31 (.516) with three TD passes and no interceptions. Roggow’s three TD catches totaled 140 yards for nearly 60 percent of EU’s passing yards. Shedrick McClenton managed 88 yards on 33 carries (2.7) against a tough Missouri Valley defense and EU would finish the game with just 87 total rushing yards. White passed for 241 Viking yards, completing 23 of 52 passes and the one TD to Jones. Robert Holmes rushed 12 times for 114 yards (9.5), including a 66-yard dash. MV’s leading receiver was Michael Wilder caught six aerials for 44 yards.
As has been the case all year, EU’s tackle chart was sprinkled with several names. Jeff Hedrick led the defense with seven tackles. Chris Bodoin had five stops, two passes breakups and a fumble recovery. Andrew Matrone stopped two Missouri Valley runners for losses of six yards and totaled five tackles. He also had a sack of four yards and blocked a punt. Von Dixon, Keidrick Doby, and Brandon Mires each had four tackles.
The Evangel football team is ranked No. 24 on the Sept. 24 NAIA national poll. The Crusaders won 22-12 at then-ranked No. 8 Missouri Valley last Saturday (Sept. 22) to propel themselves into the national top-25 list. Missouri Valley fell to No. 22 after the loss to Evangel.
Being among the top 25 teams in the NAIA is not new to the Evangel football program. The Crusaders enjoyed a string of 13 straight seasons (1991-2003) with a national ranking prior to the 2004 season, during which the team wasn’t ranked. Evangel was back on the top-25 list in 2005 and finished that campaign at No. 8. In 2006, EU was ranked No. 6 on the preseason poll, but an injury-plagued season saw the Crusaders fall out of the top-25.
Staying on the NAIA top-25 poll won’t be easy for the 2007 Crusaders as three upcoming Heart of America Athletic Conference opponents are also nationally ranked. The first test will come Saturday, Sept. 29, when Evangel hosts No. 11-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University. Game time is 1:30 p.m. in JFK Stadium. The Crusaders also host Lindenwood (No. 9) on Oct. 27 and Graceland (No. 16) on Nov. 10.
With the Heart of America Athletic Conference’s best offensive team and the league’s top defensive team on the field at the same time, you’d expect a struggle and it was just that last Saturday, Sept. 22. MidAmerica Nazarene’s potent offense overcame five turnovers to defeat visiting William Jewell, 31-27. MNU scored twice in the first and fourth quarters with a second-quarter field goal to gain the win. William Jewell was down 17-13 at the half and neither team could score in the third period. William Jewell, however, mounted a comeback in the fourth period and took the first lead. William Jewell regained the lead only to watch MNU’s Matt Schneider drive his team to the 1-yard line with just over two minutes remaining. Schneider scored from 1-yard out to give the Pioneers the hard-earned, four-point win. Schneider passed for 207 yards, completing 15 of 27 and suffering three interceptions. James Perry was the favorite target. He caught six passes for 98 yards. Patrick Ealy was the top rusher for MNU, with 93 yards on 19 carries (4.9) and two TDs. The total yardage was close with MNU getting 376 (169 rush, 207 pass) and William Jewell totaling 367 (201 rush, 166 pass).
Evangel traveled to Olathe, Kans., for a Sept. 9 game with MidAmerica Nazarene last year and ended up on the short end of a well-fought game, 30-27.
MNU struck first, but Evangel answered and the entire game was played with one team scoring, then the other. On EU’s final scoring drive, Derek Rasmussen connected with Ryan Polite for a 69-yard TD and Trevor Gies’ kick gave Evangel a 27-23 lead with 2:51 left in the game.
MidAmerica Nazarene’s Dan Essex then ran the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the MNU 45. Almost immediately the air was filled with footballs. Matt Schneider completed his first three passes to James Perry for a total of 26 yards. Then, after three incompletions, he hit Josh Herron with a 12-yarder and Clay Pritchard with an 11-yard strike to move the ball to the EU6. Schneider then found Perry for the winning score and Franz Smith booted the kick for the final points of the game with 40 seconds remaining.
Evangel’s Polite returned MNU’s kickoff to the EU30. Rasmussen then zipped passes to Edward Sands for 13 yards and to Steve Trulove for 17 yards. Rasmussen and Sands were then unable, however, to hook up on a pass and Rasmussen was intercepted by Desmond Edwards on the next play, ending EU’s hopes of coming back one more time.
Rasmussen completed 13 of 21 passes (.619) for 243 yards. He had two TD passes and two interceptions. Shedrick McClenton ran for 177 yards with no losses on 20 carries (8.9) and scored one TD. Sands caught a half dozen passes for 115 yards and a pair of TDs.
MNU managed only 100 yards on the ground with DeS Goldsmith getting 51 yards on nine carries. The Pioneers’ aerial assault, however, accounted for 340 yards. Schneider completed 22 of 38 (.579) passes with one interception and the two TDs. Perry finished the game with 10 catches for 110 yards and a TD.
Nathan Thomas led Evangel’s defense with seven stops. Sacks were credited to Deontae Blackmon, Andrew Matrone, Brandon Mires, and Justin Reppert. Jeff Hedrick had an interception return for 12 yards.
MNU’s Andrew Shaw was credited with 13 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Sacks were registered by Mike Devours and Travis Huseman. EU’s two interceptions were made by Andre Shaw and Desmon Jamison for 14 yards.
Evangel leads the series with MidAmerica Nazarene 10-8-1, however, the Pioneers have won the last four meetings. Last season Evangel dropped a three-point decision at MidAmerica Nazarene, 30-27. In JFK, MidAmerica leads the series 5-2 and has won the last two meetings. The Crusaders have never lost by more than seven points to MNU in JFK. EU has met MidAmerica Nazarene three times on Missouri State’s Plaster field and won all three contests.
| Year | Site | Result | EU-MA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Olathe, Kans. | Lost | 27-30 |
| 2005 | Home-JFK | Lost | 28-33 |
| 2004 | Olathe, Kans. | Lost | 7-34 |
| 2003 | Home-JFK | Lost | 35-42 |
| 2002 | Home-JFK | Won | 41-33 |
| 2001 | Olathe, Kans. | Won | 35-22 |
| 2000 | Home-JFK | Lost, OT | 13-16 |
| 1999 | Olathe, Kans. | Won | 35-14 |
| 1998 | Home-JFK | Lost* | 17-24 |
| 1997 | Olathe, Kans. | Won | 19-7 |
| 1996 | Home-Plaster | Won | 22-21 |
| 1995 | Olathe, Kans. | Won | 36-13 |
| 1994 | Home-JFK | Lost* | 14-19 |
| 1993 | Olathe, Kans. | Won | 36-13 |
| 1992 | Home-JFK | Won* | 31-12 |
| 1991 | Home-Plaster | Won | 28-26 |
| 1990 | Olathe, Kans. | Won | 38-13 |
| 1989 | Home-Plaster | Won* | 43-14 |
| 1988 | Olathe, Kans. | Lost (f) | 28-13 |
(f) lost by forfeit
| Rank | Team | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindenwood | 4-0 | 4-0 |
| 2 | Graceland | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| MidAmerica Nazarene | 3-1 | 3-1 | |
| 4 | Evangel | 2-1 | 3-1 |
| Baker | 2-1 | 2-2 | |
| 6 | Missouri Valley | 2-2 | 2-2 |
| William Jewell | 2-2 | 2-2 | |
| 8 | Avila | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Benedictine | 1-3 | 1-3 | |
| 10 | Culver-Stockton | 0-3 | 0-4 |
| Central Methodist | 0-3 | 0-3 |
| Date | Opponent | Atts. | Yds. | TDs | Yds/Att. | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/8/2007 | Langston | 28 | 147 | 0 | 5.3 | 23 |
| 9/30/2006 | Culver-Stockton | 23 | 116 | 1 | 5 | 22 |
| 9/23/2006 | Baker | 23 | 212 | 2 | 9.2 | 72 |
| 9/16/2006 | Avila | 20 | 132 | 1 | 6.6 | 38 |
| 9/9/2006 | MidAmerica Nazarene | 20 | 177 | 1 | 8.9 | 23 |
| 9/22/2007 | Missouri Valley | 33 | 88 | 0 | 2.7 | 15 |
| 10/29/2005 | William Jewell | 15 | 81 | 2 | 5.4 | 14 |
| 10/8/2005 | Lindenwood | 8 | 83 | 0 | 10.4 | 39 |
| 10/1/2005 | Culver-Stockton | 6 | 78 | 0 | 13 | 41 |
| Date | Opponent | Atts. | Yds. | TDs | Yds/Att. | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/29/2005 | William Jewell | 13 | 145 | 2 | 11.2 | 80 |
| 9/25/2004 | Benedictine | 12 | 124 | 1 | 10.3 | 50 |
| 10/9/2004 | William Jewell | 14 | 124 | 1 | 8.9 | 39 |
| 10/23/2004 | Central Methodist | 20 | 104 | 1 | 5.2 | 34 |
| 11/12/2005 | Central Methodist | 9 | 91 | 1 | 10.1 | 46 |
| 11/13/2004 | Avila | 11 | 87 | 1 | 7.9 | 44 |
| 9/4/2004 | Baker | 7 | 83 | 0 | 11.9 | 36 |
| 9/17/2005 | Avila | 9 | 77 | 1 | 8.6 | 52 |
| Date | Opponent | Comp-Att-Int | Yds. | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/10/2005 | MidAmerica Nazarene | 25-53-2 | 393 | 3 | 70 |
| 9/3/2005 | Missouri Valley | 13-20-0 | 349 | 5 | 90 |
| 9/30/2006 | Culver-Stockton | 17-30-0 | 342 | 3 | 89 |
| 9/15/2007 | Central Methodist | 21-29-1 | 302 | 2 | 58 |
| 10/15/2005 | Benedictine | 20-38-0 | 286 | 2 | 60 |
| 10/1/2005 | Culver-Stockton | 19-32-2 | 259 | 2 | 83 |
| 9/9/2006 | MidAmerica Nazarene | 13-21-2 | 243 | 3 | 69 |
| 9/24/2005 | Baker | 20-31-0 | 238 | 2 | 44 |
| 9/22/2007 | Missouri Valley | 16-31-0 | 235 | 3 | 60 (2) |
| 11/19/2005 | McKendree | 14-19-0 | 223 | 3 | 51 |
| 10/2/2004 | Graceland | 8/11/2000 | 212 | 3 | 75 |
| 9/17/2005 | Avila | 13-29-1 | 207 | 0 | 48 |
EU: 3-1, 3-1 (No. 24)
MNU: 4-1, 3-1 (No. 11)
ESPN Radio 1400 AM www.allinbroadcasting.com
Ed Beach: play-by-play
Joel Girdner: color
Evangel leads 10-8-1, MNU has won the last four meetings
2006, in Olathe, MNU won 30-27
EU: Scott Metcalf (6th year, 34-23 overall)
MNU: Jed Stugart (2nd year, 11-4 overall)
EU won at Missouri Valley, 22-12
MNU won at home vs. William Jewell, 31-27
EU is at Avila, 1 p.m.
MNU hosts Central Methodist, 1 p.m.