PITTSBURG --
Luke Niggemann's one-yard touchdown plunge with 29 seconds remaining in regulation lifted the Pittsburg State University football team to a 45-42 victory over Missouri Western State University Saturday (Oct. 17).
Niggemann's score provided the last of seven lead changes in a back and forth contest played in front of 7,381 Homecoming fans at Carnie Smith Stadium. Neither squad led by more than seven points in the game.
The Griffons (3-4, 2-3 MIAA) had leads of 7-0, 14-7 and 21-7 in the first half before the Gorillas (2-5, 2-3 MIAA) put together back-to-back scoring drives for a 28-21 advantage on quarterback
Bobby Bacon's one-yard run with 3:29 to play in the first half. MWSU answered with Isaiah Tate's eight-yard pass to Crew Myers to send the game to the intermission deadlocked at 28-28.
Austin Schmitt helped the Gorillas retake the lead, 31-28, when he connected on a 51-yard field goal with 6:14 to go in the third quarter. Tate found Malik Moore open in the end zone on the final play of the third quarter to push the Griffs back in front, 35-31.
Bacon then tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Luke Coon for a 38-35 Pitt State lead with 11:16 remaining in the contest. Tate added a 24-yard touchdown scamper at the 5:43 mark on the fourth quarter for the Griffons' final 42-38 lead.
Both squads traded punts before the Gorillas got the ball for a final time on their own 32 yard line with 2:46 remaining. Bacon, who passed for a career best 384 yards on the afternoon, converted a critical 30-yard pass play to wide receiver
T.J. Starks on a 4th-and-5 play to keep the drive alive. He then completed passes of 12 and 11 yards to wide receiver
Greyson Holbert to get the ball to the MWSU 10 yard line with 1:22 to play.
Running back
Diego Cearns broke loose for a nine-yard run to the MWSU 1 yard line and Niggemann scored on the next play with 29 ticks left, as the Griffons elected not to use a timeout down the stretch.
The Pitt State defense then came up with a final stop by forcing Tate into one short completion and three misfires on a four-play drive to seal the victory.
Bacon posted the seventh higest single game passing yardage total in school history in the game.
Damien Long II had three catches for a game-high 106 yards, while Starks had six grabs for 99 yards and Holbert made seven receptions for 89 yards to eclipse 100 career receptions and 1,000 career receiving yards. Holbert now has 106 receptions for 1,069 yards.
Running back
P.J. Wallace rushed the ball 16 times for 96 yards in his Pitt State debut appearance. Cearns also has 12 carries for 42 yards.
Jorian Guinn Jr. led the Pitt State defense with 13 tackles (eight solo) and a pass break-up.
Ely Wilcox also made five tackles and an interception.
Pitt State will return to Carnie Smith Stadium to host the University of Central Oklahoma next Saturday (Oct. 24) at 2 p.m.
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