Sioux City, Iowa- On a snowy day with wind dictating play, No. 20 Arizona Christian came up short against No. 1 Morningside.  The Firestorm were down 21-18 at the end of the third quarter as all points for the game were scored in the east endzone with the wind at the back of the scoring team.

Maurice Rockette was the star of the offense as he hauled in 132 of 199 yards passing by Tyler Duncan.  Rockette grabbed one touchdown and Bryce Washington secured the other Duncan TD pass.

Defensively, Jalyn Mitchell scored on a pick six interception.  Stephaun Peters made 10 tackles.  Jake Farrell and Moses Smith wreaked havoc with nine tackles each.

Game Info

• Game score: Morningside- 35, Arizona Christian - 18
• Records: Arizona Christian- 8-3, Morningside - 11-0
• NAIA Top 25 Rank: Arizona Christian - 20, Morningside - 1
• Location:  Elwood Olsen Stadium, Morningside University, Sioux City, IA

Offensive Stars

• Duncan - 199 passing yards, 2 TDs
• Rockette - 132 receiving yards, TD
• Washington - 39 yards receiving, TD
• Sean Bailey, Jr. - 10 punts

Defensive Stars

• Peters- 10 tackles, half sack
• Farrell - 9 tackles, half sack
• Smith - 9 tackles
• Mitchell - 8 tackles, INT TD
• Travis Combs - 8 tackles
• Antonio Horrison - 6 tackles

Inside The Numbers

• The first quarter was all Morningside as they put up 21 points
• Quarter two was scoreless for both teams
• After the break, the Firestorm took advantage of the wind at their back
• Mitchell started the scoring with his pick six from six yards out dragging a "defender" across the goal line
• The next offensive series for the Firestorm resulted in Duncan connecting with Rockette right down the middle of the field
• One series later, Washington won the jump ball in the corner of the endzone for his touchdown as ACU crept within three
• Morningside scored two insurance TDs with the wind at their back
• Defensively, ACU held MU to 22 points under their scoring average

Thoughts from Coach Bowen

"I could not be more proud of our guys.  Show great heart and character against the number one team in the country. We went toe-to-toe with the best team and that showed we were one of the best teams in the country.  It was a great experience.  Just came up a little short."

Up Next

The Firestorm season comes to an end.