Peru, Neb. – The Peru State football team secured a hard-fought 16–8 victory over Missouri Valley on Saturday night at the Oak Bowl, using a balanced attack and stout defense to improve to 2-1 on the season.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Bobcats struck first when kicker Parker Cushing drilled a 28-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Layman added another kick from 32 yards out to push Peru State ahead 6–0. Missouri Valley briefly swung momentum with a safety and a late touchdown pass, taking an 8–6 lead into halftime.

The Bobcats regrouped after the break. Cushing connected again in the third quarter, this time from 22 yards, giving Peru State a 9–8 advantage. The defense held strong, forcing timely stops and recovering a key fumble in the red zone. Early in the fourth quarter, Robert Armes capped a five-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown run, and Layman's extra point extended the lead to 16–8. The defense slammed the door from there, turning Missouri Valley over on downs twice in the final minutes.

Quarterback CJ Dixon directed the offense with 195 passing yards on 15 completions, connecting often with Bryant Thomas, who led the receiving corps with five catches for 78 yards. On the ground, Stacian Livingston paced the Bobcats with 77 rushing yards, while Armes added 54 and the decisive score.

Defensively, Duke McClinton and Nathaniel Ortega each recorded seven tackles, while Kyle Jordan came up with a fumble recovery deep in Bobcat territory to stall a Missouri Valley scoring threat. Colton Cerveny forced that turnover, adding to Peru State's disruptive night defensively.

Cushing was perfect on the evening, going 3-for-3 on field goals (28, 32, 22) and knocking through his lone PAT. He also handled kickoff duties, withsix kicks for 377 yards with two touchbacks.

The Bobcats outgained the Vikings 354–306 in total offense and won the time-of-possession battle by nearly three minutes.