OLATHE, Kan. – Two late scores and an interception allowed the NAIA's No. 5-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene to run away from Azusa Pacific and post 27-21 victory in a first round
 of the NAIA Football Championship Series Saturday afternoon.
 
The loss ends Azusa Pacific's season with a 6-4 record while MidAmerica Nazarene, which improves to 11-1 on the campaign, advances to next week's quarterfinals.
 
Azusa Pacific, which has produced so many fourth-quarter theatrics over the past 3 seasons, appeared to be headed toward another.  Trailing 17-12 to start the final frame, the Cougars recovered a Pioneer fumble at the midfield stripe. 
 
Eight plays they were knocking on the door inside the Pioneer 10-yard. However, they were unable to punch the ball in for a go-ahead TD and had to settle for a 21-yard Matt Ryburn FG to pull to within 17-15 with 12:24 left in the game. 
 
The Cougar defense, which has played well in the second half of so many games this season, did so again and continued to stand its ground, forcing MidAmerica to stall out on its seventh straight offensive possession.    As a result, Azusa Pacific regained possession off a Pioneer
punt with 10 minutes left to play and 69 yards away from a go-ahead score. 
 
However, on the second play of the drive, Pioneer DB Jeff Frase picked off his second pass of the day, and 10 plays later MNU's Jake Houchin booted a 27-yard FG to push the Pioneer lead to 20-15 with 6:34 left in the game.
 
On the ensuring drive, the Cougars managed just 7 yards on 3 plays and were forced to punt from their own 35-yard  line with 4:54 left in the game.
 
A tired Cougar defense that had already been on the field  over 30 minutes of the game had little resistance left,  allowing the Pioneers to go 68 yards on 4 consecutive running plays, the final 43 on a TD scamper by Marvin Morris (his only rush of the game) that put MidAmerica up 27-15 with 2:54 to play.
 
Not dead in the water yet, Azusa Pacific pushed itself back down field, going 88-yards on 16 plays, capped by QB Luke  Winslow's 1-yard dive with 32 seconds left.
 
The Cougars' attempt at an onside kick sailed out-of-bounds, giving MNU the ball and the game.
 
Statistically, there was little difference between the 2 teams.  MNU had 21 first downs to the Cougars' 18.  MNU netted 364 yards in total offense to the Cougars' 349.
 
The Cougars had 2 turnovers as did MNU, including a fumble at the Azusa Pacific 28-yard line midway through the third quarter.
 
Sophomore Jesse Aust rushed for 107 yards on 21 carries.  Winslow completed 20-of-38 passes for 245 yards and 2 TDs, both to Kevin Carlsen, who finished with 7 catches for 112 yards.  Carlsen and Winslow first hooked up for a 28-yard scoring strike on the Cougars' second possession of the game to give Azusa Pacific a 6-3 lead (PAT blocked).  Two possessions later, Winslow found Carlsen for a 9-yard TD pass the gave the Cougars their last lead of the game at 12-10 with less than 5 minutes into the second quarter.
 
Senior LB Joel Sanchez finished his 4-year Cougar career with 12 tackles.  Sophomore LB Darren Thompson added a career-high 11 tackles.  Junior CB Mike Cory, playing in his eighth NAIA playoff game the most by any Cougar ever, had 4 pass deflections.
 
MidAmerica's high-powered ground game produced 298 yards, including 126 churned out by Greg Simpson, whose 4-yard  TD run with 6:02 left in the first half secured MNU's 17-12 halftime lead.