Cougar comeback spoils Iowa Wesleyan homecoming

MT. PLEASANT - It was wild, wacky and unpredictable - everything you'd want from a homecoming game - except for one thing, a Tiger victory.

IW led by 14 points at two different points in the second half, but a pesky Minnesota-Morris squad clawed back to tie the game late in the fourth, and then won it on a 20-yard fumble recovery by linebacker Drew Shipley.

The big play came with just under three minutes to go in the game. The score was knotted up 28-28 after Minnesota-Morris tied it on a trick play to an offensive lineman earlier in the period.

IW had the ball at the 20-yard line after a Cougar punt. The Tigers attempted a reverse play to Austin McBeth, who was IW's biggest offensive threat all game, but the Cougar defense snuffed it out and forced a fumble that landed right in Shipley's hands.

'We screwed up the blocking of it,” head coach Michael Richtman said after the game. 'Because we screwed up the blocking, he had to cut it back the other way. When a play starts to go that way, that's when bad things start to happen.”

IW scored the only two touchdowns of the first half. McBeth got behind the defense for a 65-yard touchdown reception from Leo Alvarez in the first quarter, and Austin Ferguson scored on a 29-yard pick-six.

UMM cut the lead in half with an 11-yard passing touchdown. Alvarez found Jacob Santos on a four-yard touchdown pass two minutes later to stretch the lead back to 21-7.

UMM came right back two minutes after that with another 11-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 21-14. The only two scores of the second half came from a Cougar offensive linemen and a Cougar linebacker.

'We just made so many mistakes today, and they didn't,” Coach Richtman said. 'They should win the football game if they make fewer mistakes than us.”

Alvarez went 22-33 for 228 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. McBeth ended the game with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Be Thomas caught four passes for 66 yards. Santos caught 10 passes for 57 yard and a score. Akeynon Bagley had 45 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving.

Jose McCullough led the Tiger defense with 10 tackles. Comal Phillips had nine. Ferguson and Jaheem Hampton each had an interception, and Chase Tennant recovered one fumble.

The Tigers fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play. They'll hit the road to play Crown College on Saturday, Oct. 5.