After trailing rival Missouri Valley by just three points at halftime, the Central Methodist University Eagles were outscored 21-14 in the second half to lose their seventh game in a row Saturday afternoon on Homecoming.

The Eagles now sit at 1-8 overall with two games left on the season.

Valley struck first on Saturday, scoring the opening touchdown on a 13-yard pass to Dorian Miles from Tionne Harris. The point-after kick from Justin Keller was good, giving the Vikings a one-touchdown lead with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Central came right back, tying the game on a five-yard run by senior quarterback Joe Cambridge to cap off a seven-play, 75-yard drive. The kick by Oscar Simon evened the score at seven apiece with three minutes on the clock in the opening period. 

The Vikings would take the lead for good on another passing touchdown in the opening minute of the second quarter. Valley drove 65 yards on six plays, finishing with a scoring pass from Harris to Markus Stepanof from 11 yards. The kick was good, making the score 14-7.

The Eagles fell short of a touchdown on their next drive but managed to stay in the game, thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Simon. The kick split the uprights to keep Central within four points.

The Eagles’ defense nearly came away with seven points on MVC’s next drive, scooping up a fumble and walking in for the score. But a penalty flag canceled the play and restored possession for Missouri Valley.

On their next play, the Vikings nearly lost ground, but Harris got free and found Khaleel Dampier on a busted play that turned into an 83-yard pass and run play that went all way to the endzone.

The point-after attempt bounced wide of the left upright, widening the score by 10 points in favor of Mo. Valley. 

The Eagles scored once more in the first half when Chase Rankin busted through the line for a two-yard rushing touchdown with 3:12 left to play in the second quarter. The kick from Simon sailed through the goalposts, cutting Valley’s lead to three points.

The score was set up by an interception by CMU’s Nyjahl Vaughnto to start the Eagles’ drive just 37 yards from the endzone. The junior defensive back made two aerial takeaways on the day.

The third quarter would prove to be the difference in the game. Valley scored twice. The first touchdown came on a 37-yard run on the Vikings’ opening drive of the half. The second came on a 19-yard pass from Harris to Stepanof to put MVC ahead 34-17.

The Vikings scored once more, in the first minute of the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Chase Buford, to take a commanding 41-17 lead.

Undaunted, the Eagles mounted a comeback in the bottom half of the fourth quarter. With 7:24 left to play, tight end Quinn Whitley caught a 30-yard pass from Cambridge for CMU’s first score of the second half. 

CMU’s final score came on a two-yard pass from Cambridge to senior wide receiver Arron Edwards with under two minutes to play. 

The kick from Simon was good, but Central would come no closer than 10 points.

Despite a close first half, the disparity in rushing yards stood out. Valley ran the ball 33 times for 173 yards. Central, however, picked up just 58 yards on 22 carries. Twenty-one of those yards were gained by quarterback Joe Cambridge. Kam Cole picked up 37 yards on nine carries.

Despite the anemic rushing game, Central ruled the airways. Cambridge had a stellar day, passing for 348 yards and three touchdowns. The senior completed 29 of 44 attempts without an interception.

Cambridge threw touchdown passes to three different players. Leading the receiving corps was Whitley. The junior tight end made seven catches for a team-high 124 yards with a touchdown. Edwards made seven grabs for 53 yards and a touchdown. Rankin, a senior wide receiver, had three grabs for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Also finishing past the century mark was junior wide receiver Drake Dudley, with six receptions for 109 yards.

Fayette native and junior tight end Zane Rice caught one pass in the Eagles’ opening drive for a two-yard gain.

Oscar Simon had an outstanding day for the kicking team. He aced one 37-yard field goal and finished with a perfect 4-for-4 in point-after attempts.

The Eagles will look for their first home win of the season on Saturday when they host rival Baker (6-1) at 1 p.m. at Davis Field. The Wildcats fell last week at home to Benedictine, 30-6.

First-year head coach Dave Brown has two games left to best CMU’s record of 1-10 from last year’s disastrous season.

But despite the record, Brown and the Eagles are in the early stages of a rebuilding effort. Central is clearly heading in the right direction. Last year, the Eagles were shut out six times, including the first three games of the season. Under Brown, CMU has been held scoreless just once, and that was against a nationally ranked opponent. The 2023 Eagles will finish with a losing record but have fielded a far more respectable team this year.

The Eagles will finish the season at Missouri Baptist (1-7) in St. Louis at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 11.