Bacone jumped out to a 20-3 early in the third quarter and then held on to defeat Tabor College, 25-20, in the season opener Saturday night in Muskogee.
Aron McCoy spearheaded a solid ground game for the Warriors. He picked up 66 of his 128 rushing yards on Bacone’s second possession, and capped the drive with a 54-yard touchdown run.
Tabor made up the gap in the second half and tied the contest at 20-20 with just 12 minutes to play. But Jamie Moore proved to be the difference for the Warriors.
Moore connected on a 24-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Following a Bacone fumble recovery, Moore stuck Tabor deep in its own territory with a punt that was downed at the Bluejay 1-yard-line. Bacone’s defense took over forcing a safety with 1:51 remaining and held on for the five-point win.
Moore also made field goals of 48 and 42 yards.
Sophomore Kyle Kuban went 13-25 passing with one TD and two interceptions in his debut as the Warriors’ quarterback.
Bacone (1-0) travels to D-II Arkansas Tech on Saturday, Sept. 1.