WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The No. 14 UIndy football team opened the 2019 NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg, Mo., falling 37-27 to host and 15th-ranked Central Missouri. The Greyhounds end the season at 9-2, while the fourth-seeded Mules move on to the second round to face the region's top seed, the Bulldogs of Ferris State.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hounds got on the board early and led through the first quarter and a half. Ryan Topper hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass from TJ Edwards on the game's opening drive, while Paul Buisman connected on a 21-yard field goal later in the period.
 
The Mules managed 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, however, to earn a 20-10 advantage at the break.
 
UIndy bounced back in its first possession of the third quarter with one of its best drives of the day. After the defense forced a UCM punt to start the half, the Hounds drove 70 yards on 10 plays, punctuated by a 17-yard touchdown run by junior Al McKeller.
 
Early in the fourth, Buisman split the uprights from 30 yards out to cut it to 23-19, but UCM answered with a pair of touchdowns drives to pull away.

Edwards capped the game's scoring with a TD pass to Aaron Matio and a successful two-point rush with two-plus minutes left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- UIndy racked up 172 rushing yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. McKeller led all players with 84 yards and a TD.
- Edwards compiled an even 200 yards passing and two scores. His first-quarter TD pass to Topper was good for the 100th of his career, hitting a mark that only 30 other DII players have ever attained.
- Senior captain Alex Parsons finished his final collegiate contest with a game-high 11 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss.
- Though they did not commit one themselves, this was the first game all season that the Hounds did not force a turnover.
 
MORE NOTES
Saturday saw the first-ever meeting between UIndy and UCM. It also marked the second straight season the Hounds hooked up with an MIAA co-champion in the first round; UIndy downed Fort Hays State at Key Stadium, 38-27, last November … UCM came into the game with the top-ranked offense in Division II. UIndy held them to 110 yards under their average.