Less than a week after six members of the Central Methodist football team were suspended—two of whom were arrested and facing felony assault charges after beating up a teammate—the shorthanded Eagles lost a 28-13 Heart South Division matchup at Missouri Valley Saturday afternoon in Marshall.

The Eagles are now 2-6 on the season and 0-3 against conference foes. Missouri Valley stands at 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Heart of America action.

CMU trailed 21-0 in the second quarter, but the squad cut into the deficit before halftime. After forcing a punt, the Eagles started the drive on their own 30-yard line. Quarterback Jordan Rowe started things off with a seven-yard strike to Darius Shakor George for seven yards. Shakor George then picked up a first down with a three-yard run. On the ensuing play, Rowe hit Tobias Williams for a 58-yard gain to the two-yard line. Three plays later, Jenner Webb rumbled in for a touchdown with 4:05 to play in the half. Cristobal Salgado's extra point sliced the deficit to 21-7. However, the home squad extended the advantage to 21 with a touchdown with 1:18 to play before intermission.

Neither team was able to gain an advantage in the second half as the defenses were solid.

With 2:19 to play in the fourth quarter, Central forced a one-yard loss on fourth-and-one to take over on their own 3-yard line. Facing first-and-15 after a penalty, Rowe connected with Jace Terry for a 19-yard gain. Webb scampered for eight yards to the Missouri Valley 39-yard line.

On third-and-17, Rowe rushed for 15 yards. A penalty by the home team gave the Eagles a first down. On the ensuing play, a 15-yard pass interference call pushed the ball to the 19-yard line. Rowe added an 11-yard run, putting the ball inside the 10-yard line. Moments later, he found Williams for a touchdown as time expired for the final score.

For the game, Central totaled 19 first downs, seven in the air, and nine rushing. Additionally, the Eagles gained three first downs due to MVC penalties. The squad converted four third downs and was one-for-one on fourth downs. The Eagles totaled 278 yards of offense.

Rowe completed 12 of 25 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. He led the ground game with 62 yards on 13 attempts. Webb had 41 yards on 11 carries with a score. Williams led the receiving attack with four catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. 

Defensively, Myron Page Jr. had a team-high nine stops, with three for losses, including two sacks. Jonathan “Trey” Smith III tallied eight tackles, including seven solo stops. Peyton Hoover accounted for seven tackles, including two sacks. 

The Eagles have a bye next week before hosting Missouri Baptist for Homecoming on Halloween. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Davis Field.