An interception inside the 10-yard line with 48 seconds left in the game allowed Mount Marty University to hold off the Culver-Stockton College football team for a 28-23 season-opening victory at Crane-Youngworth Stadium Saturday night in Yankton, S.D.

Trailing 23-21, the Lancers scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard run by Isaiah Thompson with 2:30 left in the game. The touchdown culminated an 11-play, 75-yard drive by the hosts.

The Wildcats started what they hoped to be the game-winning drive on their own 25-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff.

With backup quarterback Houston Swan under center after starter Brock Nellor was ejected from the game earlier in the fourth quarter, due to his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the game, the Wildcats started their final drive from their own 25-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff.

After a rush by Tyler Danzey for no gain and two incomplete passes, Swan kept the C-SC hopes alive with 13-yard pass completion to Isaiah Eppinger on fourth down.

A 14-yard completion to Byron Fisher and a 13-yard scramble by Swan put the Wildcats at the MMU 35-yard line with 56 seconds to play.

On the first play after a Lancer timeout, Swan's pass to Bobby Ezzard in the endzone fell incomplete. On the next play, MMU's Josiah Gaitani intercepted Swan's pass at the five-yard line to end any chance for a C-SC victory.

The loss is the third straight season-opening loss for the Wildcats, who last won a season opener in 2020 when they defeated Evangel (Mo.) 34-17 at home. The last time C-SC won a season-opener on the road was in 2018 when the Wildcats upended Trinity Christian (N.D.) 56-0.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Wildcats quickly made a statement in the second period, jumping out to a 14-0 lead midway through the quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Nellor found Fisher for a six-yard touchdown that ended a 14-play, 81-yard drive.

On the ensuing possession, Zeshaun Adams forced and recovered a Lancer fumble to give the ball back to the offense.

Nellor and Fisher hooked up again for their second six-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-0 with 8:26 remaining in the first half.

The Lancers cut deficit in half on the next possession with a touchdown and then a mistake on the ensuing kickoff put the Wildcats in bad field position.

C-SC thought the kick was going into the endzone for a touchback, instead the kick planted at the two-yard line and the Wildcats scrambled to recover it, eventually taking over at their own four-yard line.

The offense went three-and-out and was forced to punt from their own endzone. Walroux Venter's punt was fair-caught at the C-SC 43-yard line, setting the Lancers up in good field position.

It took MMU just five plays and 92 seconds to score the game-tying touchdown with just a minute remaining in the half.

The Wildcats' Robert Jones intercepted a Lancer pass on the first possession of the third quarter; however, the Wildcats were forced to give the ball up on downs after the MMU defense stiffened.

The Lancers took possession and moved into Wildcat territory, but a pair of incomplete passes from the C-SC 35-yard line gave the ball back to C-SC.

The Wildcat offense found its rhythm on the ensuing drive and moved to the home team's five-yard line with the help of various jet sweeps by Eppinger and Slayton Ochoa.

However, a fumbled snap on second and goal from the five resulted in a loss of four yards. Nellor scrambled for two-yards on the next play, and then Ethan Boulanger was called upon to boot a 39-yard field. The kick was good, and the Wildcats took a 17-14 lead.

MMU grabbed its first lead of the game on the ensuing possession when the Lancers moved 67 yards on six plays before hitting a 38-yard touchdown pass with 3:23 left in the third quarter to make the score 21-17.

Early in the fourth quarter, C-SC earned its final lead of the game when Nellor scored on a two-yard ruin with 11:38 to play. However, Nellor was called for his first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the score, leading to his ejection later in the quarter.

Nellor finished the game with 109 yards passing on 10 of 20 passing and two touchdowns. He was picked off one time. Swan was 2-for-8 for 27 yards and an interception.

The Wildcats did run the ball with success, garnering 248 yards on 49 attempts, an average of 5.1 yards per rush.

Cobb led the running attack with 73 yards on 14 carries while Danzey had 59 yards on 17 carries. Nellor finished with 46 yards on nine rush attempts.

Defensively, Devonte Jordan led all C-SC defensive players with nine tackles according to press box statistics. Sonny Jenkins and Dexter Marsh added seven stops each. Marsh and Kendall Fowler registered the only sacks in the game.

Overall, the Wildcats held a 384-344 edge in total offense. The Lancers totaled 191 yards on the ground and 159 yards through the air. Both teams turned the ball over two times.

The Wildcats were flagged 11 times for 82 yards with five of the 11 penalties extending drives for MMU. The Lancers with penalized five times for 55 yards.

C-SC (0-1) is scheduled to play its second straight road game next Saturday, Sept. 2, at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo. The Heart of America Athletic Conference cross-over game is slated to begin at 6 p.m. at Gregg-Mitchell Field.