(Peru, Neb.) – It was a traditional, hard-fought game between the Eagles of Avila University and the Peru State Bobcat football teams in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday.  This time, the Bobcats came out on top 24-17 to win their second game of the season.
 
With the win, Peru State improves to 2-6 on the season and won their first Heart of America Athletic Conference game, improving to 1-5.  Avila fell to 1-5 in conference play and is now 3-5 overall, having lost five games in a row after starting the season 3-0.
 
First Half Action
 
After the teams traded three and outs, Peru State started their second drive at midfield.  Marccus Spearman (Platte City, Mo.) ran for four yards and Aaron Smith (Houma, La.) carried for another four yards to set up a third down and two.  Quarterback Marshall Klontz (Auburn, Wash.) kept the ball and went 35 yards down to Avila's seven-yard line.  Smith took the next snap into the end zone and after Greg Conry's PAT was good, the Bobcats led 7-0 with 10:37 left on the clock.

 
Conry got a touchback on the kickoff and the Eagles took over on their 25-yard line.  With a combination of rush and pass plays, Avila moved the ball down the field, but the Bobcat defense forced a field goal attempt which was good.  With 6:09 left in the first quarter, Peru State led 7-3.
 
The Bobcats started on their 24-yard line as Logan Paben (Columbus) took the kick-off back from his goal line.  Peru State moved the ball down the field, but their drive was stymied at the Avila 33-yard line. 
 
The Eagles took over and were moving the ball down the field, but, on the fifth play of their drive, Darvel Collins (St. Louis, Mo.) intercepted an Avila pass on the Bobcats' 14-yard line as the quarter ended.
 
Tommy Wilson (Wildomar, Calif.) came in at quarterback and took the ball for 24 yards on first down.  Wilson gained another six yards, but eventually Peru State was forced to punt.

 
Avila took over on their 13-yard line and after one first down, was forced to punt.  The Bobcats, on a series of passing and rushing plays moved to the Eagles' 23-yard line where Conry tried a 40-yard field goal which missed wide right at 7:39 left in the second quarter.
 
After the missed field goal, the Eagles managed to go six plays and scored with a 40-yard touchdown pass.  After the PAT was good, Avila led 10-7 with 5:37 left in the quarter.
 
Peru State took over on their 19-yard line after the kickoff return.  After two unsuccessful plays, the 'Cats were aided by a pass interference call and moved the ball out to the 34-yard line.  The Bobcats continued to move the ball and were facing a fourth and two on Avila's 44-yard line.  Peru State came up with three yards and kept the drive alive.  The Bobcats kept moving the ball and were taking time off the clock and eventually moved the ball to Avila's 28-yard line where they called a timeout to set up a 45-yard field goal attempt.  Conry came through this time and with no time left on the clock; Peru State tied Avila at halftime at 10-10.
 
Second Half Action
 
Peru State held Avila to a three and out and took over in Eagle territory at the 47-yard line.  Spearman rushed for four yards and then Smith scampered for 25 yards down to Avila's 18-yard line.  Wilson took the ball for three yards and then on second and 7, Wilson found Smith for a 15-yard touchdown.  Conry's kick was good and Peru State led 17-10 with 11:25 to go in the third quarter.
 
The teams traded possessions and then Avila took over on their eight-yard line following Peru State's punt.  The Eagles moved the ball down the field, primarily via the pass and with 5:40 left in the third, Avila scored on a six-yard touchdown run.  The Eagle PAT was good and the score was tied at 17-17.
 
For the rest of the third quarter and most of the fourth quarter, the teams kept trading possessions.  Neither team had much success moving the ball until with about six minutes left, the Bobcats had a drive stall on the Avila 35-yard line.
 
After nearly 15 minutes of action, after Collins gave Peru State the ball after intercepting an Eagle pass, the Bobcats started at the midfield stripe as Collins returned it for eight yards. 
 
A first down rushing of 12 yards by Smith was negated by a personal foul penalty, moving the ball back into Peru State territory at the 47-yard line.  Klontz carried for six yards and after no gain made it third and four, Smith carried for six yards to Avila's 41-yard line.  Another personal foul was called on the 'Cats and it moved them back to their 44-yard line.  Then an offside was called on the Eagles making it first and five.  Klontz then found Malik Pittman for 50 yards as Pittman was pushed out at the Eagles' one-yard line.  After a timeout, Klontz took the ball into the end zone.  Conry's kick was good and Peru State led 24-17 with 2:51 left in the game.
 
Avila took over after the kick on their 24-yard line.  A Peru State pass interference moved the ball out to their 39-yard line.  Four plays later, the Eagles moved to the Bobcats' ten-yard line on a 24-yard rush play.  After a one-yard gain, Avila was called for a holding moving the ball back to their 20-yard line.  On the next play, Jordan Steffen (Murdock) grabbed an interception at the goal line and moved it out to the nine-yard line.  Avila called a timeout after the first Peru State kneel down, but after the next kneel down, time ran out and the Bobcats prevailed 24-17.

AVILA BOX SCORE
 
Team Statistics
 
While Peru State won the game on the scoreboard, Avila actually had more first downs and more total yardage than the Bobcats.  The Eagles had 24 first downs while Peru State had 20.  Total yardage went to the Eagles as they had 409 yards and Peru State finished with 399. 
 
The Bobcats gained 265 yards on the ground on 52 carries.  Through the air, the 'Cats were ten of 19 for 134 yards and no interceptions.  Peru State did win the turnover battle as neither team fumbled, but the Bobcats picked off four Eagle passes.
 
The 'Cats dominated the time of possession as they had the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
 
Offensive Statistics
 
Smith became the first Bobcat this season to carry for more than 100 yards as he finished with 121 yards on 17 carries and had one touchdown.  Klontz added 47 yards and the one-yard touchdown run. 
 
Klontz finished the game completing 7 of 12 passes for 95 yards with a long of 50 yards.  Wilson finished three of seven for 39 yards and one touchdown.
 
Smith caught four passes for 53 yards and had one touchdown to finish the game with 174 yards of total offense.  Pittman grabbed two passes for 56 yards.
 
Special Team Statistics
 
Conry punted seven times averaging 39.1 yards with two touchbacks and putting four within the 20-yard line.  In addition, Conry made one of two field goals, hitting a season-long 45-yarder at the end of the first half.  He added four kickoffs averaging 65 yards and had one touchback.
 
Paben had three kickoff returns for 88 yards with a long of 32 yards.  He also had one punt return for 21 yards.  Pittman also had one kickoff for 18 yards while James Sluka (Milligan) had one punt return for six yards.
 
Defensive Statistics
 
Steffen and Elijah Hawkins (Omaha) each finished with seven tackles as Steffen had four solo and Hawkins three.  Steffen also had the game-ending interception which he returned for nine yards and was credited with three pass break-ups.  Hawkins was credited with one-half of a sack for 1.5 yards.

 
Briar Burr (Wood River) finished with six tackles while Paben, Shane Lloyd (Ridge Crest, Calif.), and Ben Watkins (Omaha) all finished with five total tackles.  Both Burr and Paben had five solo tackles.  Paben added a tackle for a loss of four yards while Lloyd had an interception and a pass break-up.
 
Collins finished with four tackles, two interceptions, and one pass break-up.
 
Upcoming Game
 
The Bobcats will be back in the Oak Bowl on the first day of November when they host MidAmerica Nazarene University.  Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.  The Pioneers, who were ranked 20^th this past week in the NAIA Coaches' poll, are now 6-1 on the season as they came from behind to upset the second-ranked Baker University Wildcats 34-27 on Saturday.