Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU football team put on a show for the Homecoming crowd Saturday afternoon, rolling past Lincoln University 52-17 inside Plaster Stadium. The Bearcats piled up 561 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers on their way to their second straight GLVC victory. SBU improves to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
The Bearcats wasted little time taking control. Jobe Smith capped a nine-play, 73-yard opening scoring drive with an 11-yard touchdown run before true freshman quarterback Cooper Owens connected with Jaden Mays for a 47-yard score. The pair of touchdowns gave SBU a 14-0 advantage after the opening quarter.
Lincoln opened the second quarter with a field goal, but SBU quickly answered. Jaron Saunders punched it in from one yard out before Owens found Marcus Rhoden for a 36-yard touchdown later in the quarter. The Bearcats carried a commanding 28-3 advantage into halftime.
SBU continued to pour it on after the break. Kaleb James connected on a 36-yard field goal before Saunders added his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon. Tyrone Scyrus opened the fourth quarter with a nine-yard touchdown run, and Saunders later connected with Tevin Christian for a 10-yard score to put the finishing touches on the 52-point performance.
Making his second consecutive start, Owens continued his impressive play under center. The true freshman completed 20-of-24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns, completing better than 83 percent of his attempts without turning the ball over. SBU as a team finished 21-of-25 through the air for 269 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bearcats were equally dangerous on the ground, rushing for 292 yards and four touchdowns. Smith led the way with 94 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while Scyrus added 90 yards and a score. Vic Williams III contributed 60 yards on just eight attempts as SBU averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
The SBU defense complemented the offensive explosion by creating four turnovers. Maxwell Kates recorded an interception and forced a fumble, while the Bearcats also recovered two Lincoln fumbles. SBU added a second interception and two sacks while holding Lincoln to just nine completions. Chucky Sutton led the defense with 10 tackles.
Overall, the Bearcats outgained Lincoln 561-373, picked up 27 first downs and converted nine of their 14 third-down attempts. SBU scored on six of its seven trips to the red zone as the Bearcats followed up last week's dramatic road win over Missouri S&T with their most complete performance of the season.
