After leading by as much as three touchdowns in Saturday’s home opener, it came down to a late interception by the Eagles’ defense to hold on for the first win of the season for the Central Methodist football team.

Coach Dave Brown and the Eagles emerged from the high-scoring shooting ahead by three, 44-41, over Graceland Saturday for the first win of the season.

“I’m happy for those guys. They came out talking about just climbing that mountain. Keep climbing that mountain, taking those steps,” Brown said moments after celebrating the team’s first win of the season before a rowdy home crowd.

Coach Brown enters his fourth season rebuilding the football program. The Eagles won one game in each of his first two seasons but improved to 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the Heart of America last season. Saturday’s win improves CMU to 1-2 overall this season after falling to Lincoln University in a non-conference season opener in Week 1 and a loss to No. 1 Grand View on the road in Week 2.

Brown cited roster turnover over the last three years as adding to the difficulty of rebuilding the program in the portal era. “We knew it was going to take some time, and we got some great kids that came back. They bought in to what we’re doing. They had some chances to leave and decided they wanted to stay here and finish what they started. And that’s exciting to see. It’s humbling as a coach that those guys want to do it for you,” he said.

Central led by as much as 21 points with under six minutes to play in the first half. But Graceland answered with a rushing touchdown to keep the game within reach. The Yellowjackets then scored a pick-six with half a minute left to play in the second quarter to go into halftime separated by just one touchdown.

Graceland then tied the game at 35-35 four minutes into the second half, erasing Central’s early lead.

The Eagles went back in front by seven on a 15-yard rush by Zakai Anderson with 6:02 left in the third. But once again, Graceland answered with 57 seconds left in the period. However, the point-after attempt failed, allowing Central to hold on to a one-point advantage.

Central nearly made it a two-touchdown lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Graceland intercepted Rowe’s pass on the 2-yard line to stop the drive.

The Central defense took advantage of the field position and brought down Yellowjackets quarterback CJ Brooks in the endzone for a two-point safety.

The missed PAT and safety added up to a narrow three-point lead for the Eagles.

But the drama wouldn’t end there. The Eagles defense made a game-saving play in the final minutes. With Graceland threatening to score coming out of the two-minute warning, CMU senior linebacker Treyvion Hourel, Jr. intercepted a pass on the goal line and returned it to the 19-yard line.

“That’s why he’s an all-American. That’s why I’m so glad he’s here. He’s the heart and soul of the team right now,” Coach Brown said about Hourel, Jr. “He is that team leader. He knew he was going to step up for his teammates, and it was awesome to see.”

Yet, even with the ball in hand and a new drive with under two minutes left, the ending was far from certain. Six timeouts, three for each team, remained on the board.

Brown told his offensive line the game was on their shoulders. “They knew we needed one first down to end the game. And once they got it, they knew they weren’t going to be denied,” he said.

Graceland burned all three as the second ticked down. Central kept the ball on the ground and rushed for a crucial first down on an eight-yard carry by Anderson to set up a fresh set of downs and ice the win for Central.

“I wanted it for them more for me,” Coach Brown said about the wild ending. “We made it hard on ourselves. We were having so much success early on, on both sides of the ball. And then there was a little bit of a lull, and we let them come back. We will learn from that.”

Brown said that early 21-point lead allowed some of his players to let off the gas. “There was some mentality where our guys got a little too high. They think they’re in good shape, and you’re playing against a good football team.”

The Eagles jumped on the board early in the first quarter. After each team had a turnover, an interception by Maximus Fonoti-Maikui gave the Eagles the ball in great field position. Facing third-and-10 from the 25-yard line, reshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Rowe scrambled 25 yards for a touchdown. Cristobal Salgado’s extra point made it 7-0.

Rowe is actually the third quarterback on the roster but got the start due to injuries to returning starter Jordan Gile and freshman Brayden Matheney.
Five plays later, Graceland answered with a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.

The Eagles took possession of the ball on the 24-yard line and promptly embarked on a 12-play drive that took 5:25 off the clock, ending with a three-yard score from Anderson. Two big plays from the drive included a 23-yard rush by Rowe and a fourth-and-12 pass from Rowe to Elijah Crutch for 25 yards from Graceland’s 30-yard line to set up Anderson’s rushing touchdown.
After forcing a late three-and-out, Rowe hit Tobias Williams for a 16-yard gain. Shakor George then broke free for 32 yards to the endzone, giving Central a 21-7 edge. The defense once again forced a quick three-and-out to gain possession at the 45-yard line. Two plays later, Dakota Troost hauled in an 18-yard strike from Rowe for a 28-7 lead.

For the game, the Eagles had 29 first downs and ran 82 plays, totaling 525 yards. The team had 340 yards on the ground and controlled the clock by just over 15 minutes. 

Rowe carried the ball 12 times for 135 yards, while Anderson had 99 yards on 17 carries. Shakor George picked up 81 yards on 17 attempts. Rowe completed 14-of-25 for 185 yards and a touchdown.

Rowe completed 14 of 25 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown in his first start but also threw four interceptions.

“Jordan did a great job for us today. But there was also a reason he wasn’t the number one guy going into the year. And you could see some of those young things with him in his first start,” Brown said about his quarterback. “Not that he’s incapable of it. But he made some first-start mistakes, and I probably could’ve helped him a little more with some other plays too. That’s on me.”

Brown said he wasn’t certain who would get the start when the Eagles return to the road Saturday for an evening game at Culver-Stockton, but said he expected some of his injured players to return.

Most of Central’s offensive production was gained on the ground as the Eagles outrushed Graceland 340 to 163. Brown said that was part of the game plan, knowing he had so many players in new roles.

“We had a lot of guys in different places, in different roles than they’ve been. So the simple thing for us was to decide we were going to command the running game,” Brown said. “They were prepared and knew what they were going to see. They went out and executed.”
Defensively, Hourel, Jr., and Fonoti-Maikui each made an interception. Hourel Jr. and Ashton Foweler each had six total tackles. Fowler added three pass break-ups.
Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Culver-Stockton (1-2). The Eagles return home next Saturday to host William Penn (2-1) at 1 p.m. for Family Day.