ROLLA, Mo. – Azusa Pacific fell behind early and was unable to get back in the game, as the Cougars lost by a 51-17 final to Missouri S&T on Saturday. The Miners dominated the entire first half of play, as they outscored Azusa Pacific 13-0 in the first quarter, and then built on the lead with a 24-3 advantage in the second that sent the home team into the halftime locker room up 37-3.
 
Azusa Pacific's only points in the first half came on a 27-yard field goal by freshman kicker Ramzee Jaridly with 13:00 minutes left in the 2^nd quarter.
 
Early in the third quarter, Azusa Pacific found some offensive rhythm as the Cougars scored two touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half. The first touchdown was scored through the air, as junior quarterback Tyrone Williams Jr. found junior wide receiver Brandon Jackson for an 11 yard touchdown pass with 11:58 remaining in the third quarter. Azusa Pacific found the endzone for the second time of the game when Williams Jr. capped off a three-play, 75 yard drive with a rushing touchdown from five yards out. Their back-to-back touchdowns cut the Miners' lead down to 37-17.
 
Missouri S&T would grab momentum back two drives later, as the Miners scored a touchdown with 4:22 left in the third quarter to push the lead back up to 44-17. The Miners would score once more in the game, as Staton King threw a 97 yard touchdown pass to Breon Michel to put an exclamation point on the game with a little over seven minutes remaining in the game..
 
Offensively for the Cougars, Williams Jr. finished 13-for-24, as he threw for 263 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Junior quarterback Anthony Catalano also saw action for the Cougars, as he finished 9-for-13, for 80 yards and one interception. Jasiah Richard-Lewis led Azusa Pacific in receiving, as he tallied 123 yards on just four receptions. Jackson was also a huge part of the Cougars' passing game, as he had seven receptions for 91 yards to go along with his touchdown catch.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, junior Lucas Oligiati led Azusa Pacific with 14 total tackles, including two tackles for loss and five solo tackles. Junior cornerback Josh Olave forced the only turnover of the game for the Azusa Pacific defense, as he snagged his first interception of the season with 10:55 left in the game.
 
 For the second straight week, the Cougars received reliable production from Jaridly, as he made a 27-yard field goal that put the first points on the board for Azusa Pacific, and improved his career record to 4-for-4 on field goals thus far.
 
Quotable: "We had some chances throughout the game, but we were unable to capitalize on any of them. Over the long run, it led to us being outplayed," head coach Victor Santa Cruz said.
 
Up Next: The Cougars, who have already travelled about 4,500 miles in the first two weeks of the season, will welcome GNAC foe Western Oregon to Citrus Stadium for Azusa Pacific's home opener. The 2019 home opener will be kicked-off at 6:30 p.m.