Bad plays snowballed against the Missouri Southern football team Oct. 8, said Keeth Matheny, acting head football coach.

The Lions lost on the road to Missouri Western State University, 39-6.

Brian Ward, co-defensive coordinator, said the Lions were prepared going into the MWSU game.

“Last week was a tough week from a lot of different angles,” Ward said. “Our guys played hard, but maybe not with the emotion they should have played with.”

Matheny said this week will be a bounce-back week for the Lions.

“The guys need to come back and respond and continue to pull together,” Matheny said.

He said the Lions need to build momentum off each other.

Dustin Bromley, senior wide receiver, scored the only points for the Lions in the second quarter of the MWSU game. The touchdown was off a two-yard pass from Adam Hinspeter, freshman quarterback.

Bromley caught three passes for 53 yards and the one touchdown.

Colin Bado, sophomore wide receiver, led the Lions’ receiving with 10 catches for 168 yards.

Hinspeter completed 17 of 30 passes for 169 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Nathan Emert connected on five passes of 12, earning 75 yards.

Hinspeter was intercepted four times, and Emert was intercepted twice.

On the ground, Dartangan Johnson, junior running back, earned 26 yards on 13 carries.

“Dartangan we believe is a very good back,” Matheny said. “We need to create more space for him. That’s something we’re definitely trying to do to get him going.”

On defense, Matt Crane, senior linebacker, led the Lions in tackles with 11. Dennis Johnson and Joe Bettasso, both senior safeties, earned seven tackles a piece.

Moses Manga, junior cornerback, earned six tackles.

Ward said the defense did not have a sense of urgency it needed for making tackles.

“Last week it was a matter of gaining that extra step that we get in a football game,” he said. “We just didn’t have that extra step that we needed.”

Saturday, Southern travels to Warrensburg to take on Central Missouri State University.

Matheny said the Lions have to be balanced against CMSU.

“We want it to be basically the kind of performance we had against Truman, where all three faces contribute and build off each other,” he said.

Travis Brown, junior wide receiver, said the Lions will have to be patient.

“That’s just the bottom line, we just have to make plays,” Brown said. “We want spoil their Homecoming.”