Explosive Second Half Lifts Football Past Peru State
HASTINGS, NE- In its first home night home game since 2013, the Hastings College football team made it one to remember. Hastings fell behind 21-0 at halftime on Saturday, but 25 unanswered points for the Broncos helped complete the biggest comeback dating back to 1984 in its 25-21 victory over the Peru State (NE) Bobcats. Hastings came from 21 points (28-7) down against Concordia to win 35-28. The largest comeback in school history was a 26 point comeback against Ottawa in 1982 where the Broncos erased a 33-7 lead to win 36-33.
Peru State (0-1) started the game on offense, but the drive was short-lived after Keyuntea Kinney (SO/Marietta, TX) forced a fumble on the second play.
On the next drive of the game for the Bobcats, Peru State got on the board with a 34-yard rushing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 9:57 left in the first quarter.
The Broncos (1-0) fell behind 14-0 when Peru State got a 92-yard passing touchdown at the 5:50 minute mark of the second quarter.
Peru State struck again with :06 left in the first half with a short carry to go ahead 21-0 going into halftime.
Even with the momentum going against the Broncos, that did not deter them, as they came out in the second half with a drive that included three plays worth a total of 32 yards for Tahj Willingham (SR/Denver, CO) that ended in an Alex Stogdill (SR/Lincoln, NE) 28-yard field goal, getting the score to 21-3 at the 12:47 mark of the third quarter.
The next drive for the Broncos was another success, starting from the HC 32 yard line and seeing plays such as a 28-yard rush from Willingham and eventually a 2-yard pass from Clark Livingston (SR/San Juan Capistrano, CA) that connected with Tyler Miller (FR/Baytown, TX) to make the score 21-10 with 4:43 left in the third quarter. This was Miller's first collegiate touchdown.
Hastings got the Bobcats to go 3-and-out and the punt that went to Anthony Murray (SR/Aurora, CO) who returned it for 47-yards before being tackled by former Bronco Robbie Sturdivant. The next two plays were a 20-yard pass to Jordan Johnson (SR/Spring Valley, CA) and a 5-yard touchdown carry by Tyree Nesmith (FR/Baltimore, MD). A blocked PAT made it a 21-16 game with 2:30 left in the third quarter. That score was also the first of Nesmith's career.
The Broncos forced a fumble and got the ball back at the Peru State 24 yard line. All 24 yards were covered in three rushing plays by Willingham, with the touchdown play being a 17-yard rush to put the Broncos ahead 22-21 before failing their two-point conversion with 12:01 left in the game.
Hastings got to the 10 yard line in its next drive before having to settle with a 23-yard field goal for a 25-21 score with 5:35 left in the game.
The Bobcats did not go down without a fight, completing two fourth-down conversions before Hastings was able to anchor down and force three bad passes to end the game and complete the Broncos' comeback.
The Broncos were lead offensively by Livingston, Willingham, and Johnson. Livingston threw for 162 yards, 64 of those yards going to Johnson, and handed the ball off for 163 rushing yards, 128 of those yards covered by Willingham who also had a touchdown.
The Broncos will look to keep the momentum going into Goodwell, OK, where they will play the Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.
