In what has been an emotional week for the Lyon College football team after a video posted on the team’s Twitter account of some of the players performing an act of solidarity for offensive coordinator Kris Sweet and his battle with cancer went viral, the Scots ended the week with the perfect finishing touch. Trailing 10-0 in the closing seconds of the third quarter, the Scots scored 14 unanswered points and earned a 14-10 come-from-behind victory over Missouri Baptist in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night at Pioneer Stadium.
After a scoreless first half by both teams, Missouri Baptist took a 3-0 lead over the Scots in their second possession of the third quarter. The Spartans extended their lead to 10 in their next possession of the quarter. A 57-yard carry by Chris Baldwin opened up the drive as MBU continued to work its way down the field on the ground. The Spartans capped off the drive with a 15-yard pass from John Lux to Sergio Lopez for a touchdown that gave MBU a 10-0 lead.
Heading into the closing seconds of the third quarter, the Scots were looking for a spark to change the momentum in the game. They got exactly that as the defense forced the Spartans to punt after just three plays in their final drive of the quarter. Randy Satterfield hauled in the punt and found an opening as he was able to return the punt 42 yards for a score and brought the Scots back within three at 10-7.
A missed field-goal attempt by the Spartans to open up the fourth quarter kept the momentum in the Scots’ favor as Lyon began to work the ball down the field on its ensuing possession. Isaiah Bradford connected with Satterfield and Lane Hickey for a pair of short gains before Bradford connected once again with Hickey for a 43-yard pass. With the Scots just outside the red zone, Bradford hit Satterfield for a quick five-yard gain that put Lyon at the MBU 21-yard line. Two plays later, Bradford found Hickey wide open down the sideline for a 21-yard touchdown that turned into the game-winning score.
Bradford completed 13-of-25 passes for 153 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Hickey caught four passes for 70 yards and the one score. Chris Reese led the Scots defensively with nine tackles, including one tackle-for-loss. Lux completed 13-of-30 passes for 141 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Spartans.
The Lyon College football team will make the short trip to Conway for a non-conference game at Hendrix College on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. in the ‘Battle for Scotzilla.’
Image and info via Matt Jagodzinski, assistant athletic director for media and communications, Lyon College
