November 7th, 2026 3:10pm
JOPLIN, Mo. —Missouri Southern football used a strong defensive performance and a balanced offensive attack to defeat Central Oklahoma, 23-14, Saturday afternoon at Fred G. Hughes Stadium on Senior Day. The Lions forced three turnovers and turned the takeaways into 14 points.
The win improved Missouri Southern to 4-6 overall and 3-5 in MIAA play, giving the Lions their third consecutive conference victory. Central Oklahoma fell to 4-6 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Missouri Southern jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the opening quarter, scoring on its first two offensive possessions before adding a defensive touchdown.
The Lions' opening drive covered 66 yards in 16 plays and lasted 7:22. Tillman Martin connected with Isaiah Padello on key completions to move the chains before Asher Huffman capped the drive with a 27-yard field goal at 7:31.
Less than a minute later, the MSSU defense created another scoring opportunity. Keylan Mitchell broke up a pass before Riley Hammons sacked Central Oklahoma quarterback Jett Huff for a 10-yard loss, forcing a fumble that Mitchell recovered and returned 20 yards for a touchdown. Huffman's extra point made it 10-0.
The Lions forced another UCO punt on the Bronchos' next possession, and Isaiah Green's 72-yard return gave Southern the ball at the UCO 17. Huffman converted the field position into points with a 20-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Khelton Reed broke up a pass on Central Oklahoma's final possession of the quarter as the Lions carried a 13-0 advantage into the second.
MSSU added to its lead on its first possession of the second quarter, putting together a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Huffman's 31-yard field goal at 9:39.
Martin kept the drive moving with third-down completions to Green for 12 yards and David Bethune for 38 yards, helping the Lions reach the UCO 13 before settling for three points and a 16-0 lead.