By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

Confusion marked the end of the first half of Missouri Southern’s 23-0 loss to Washburn at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

The Ichabods, leading 7-0, reached the MSSU 28-yard line with 13 seconds left in the half. Quarterback Jake Iverson fired a 20-yard completion — his longest of the day — to tight end Ryan Mertz, and eight seconds were on the clock when it was stopped to move the chains.

Washburn lined up quickly at the line of scrimmage to get off another play, but the Ichabods snapped the ball before it was signaled ready for play by the officials, a delay of game penalty.

After the five-yard stepoff, the ball was marked ready for play, but the clock wasn’t started.

“It’s my understanding that they took a timeout,” Lions head coach Bart Tatum said.

However, no timeout was ever signaled or announced by the referee.

Running back Justin Cooper went off the left side and gained seven yards to the 6, and the final seconds ticked off the clock. However Washburn was granted a timeout — announced as its second of the half (the first came one minute earlier — and two seconds were put on the clock. Garrett Cummings came on and kicked a 23-yard field goal to end the half.

“The official said the timeout happened when an official recognizes the signal,” Tatum said. “It’s not necessarily when they call for time with their hands or blow the whistle. It is when they recognized that a timeout was signaled.

“They said their officials — multiple officials — saw a timeout being signaled by the offense with two seconds to go on the clock.”

In the final two minutes of the game, the kickoff after Washburn’s last score saw a seldom-seen rule enforced.

Cummings’ kickoff into a 14 mph went sailed skyward, and the Ichabods’ Terry Grimmett wound up with the ball. However, the Ichabods were penalized for illegal touching because they touched the ball before it hit the ground, and the Lions were awarded possession.

Say what?

The play that Missouri Southern sports information director Justin Maskus wanted to see — and especially hear — occurred early in the third quarter and again midway through the fourth quarter.

Washburn running back Justin Cooper took the handoff and was tackled by Missouri Southern defensive back Justin Cowper. Since both last names are pronounced the same, public address announcer Bruce Vonder Haar’s description had Justin COOP-er tackled by Justin COOP-er.

Shutouts

Saturday’s game marked the first time the Lions were shut out at home since a 49-0 loss to Pittsburg State in 2003.

The last time the Lions failed to score was a 10-0 decision two years ago at Fort Hays State. Ironically, the Lions’ next game is Saturday afternoon at Fort Hays State.

“It hurts, losing homecoming,” Lions wide receiver Johnny Johnson said. “Now it’s go back to work. ... The season is not over, and it’s not going to get any easier. Every game we have to come ready to play.”

Stunner

Truman State celebrated homecoming with a 26-20 double-overtime victory over No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday.

The Bulldogs tied the game 17-17 on Mickey Masucci’s 42-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation. Masucci then nailed a career-long 49-yarder in the first overtime, but UNO’s Greg Zuerlein tied it with a 21-yarder.

The Mavericks had first possession in the second overtime, and after a quarterback sack on first down and a holding penalty against UNO on second down, Demetrius Lavant returned a Zach Miller interception 57 yards for the game-winning score.

UNO (3-2, 2-2 MIAA), which lost the previous week 42-0 to Northwest Missouri State, has lost two straight for the first time since the 2002 season began with setbacks to Nebraska-Kearney 35-17 and Northwest Missouri 23-10.

Truman State (3-2, 2-2) plays Saturday afternoon at Pittsburg State. The Bulldogs haven’t beaten PSU since a 17-14 decision in the 1980 Moila Shrine Classic in St. Joseph, and the Bulldogs haven’t won in Pittsburg since 1969 (14-13). Ironically, the teams did not meet in the 10 years between those two Bulldog wins.