No. 12 Vikings throttle Graceland

Freshman Michael Peavy scored with 1:20 left in the first half to give the Vikings a 16-0 lead. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Order this photo]

There was no repeat performance for NFL running back prospect Jerome Messam.

Two years after tallying over 300 all-purpose yards at Gregg-Mitchell Field, the Graceland senior was held in check by the Missouri Valley College defense Saturday during a 36-12 Heart of America Conference loss.

The final margin wouldn't have been that close had the Vikings' offense operated efficiency for more than one quarter, but one near the visitor's goal line, and a rash of penalties held down the score. As it was, Valley held a dominating 456-58 advantage in total yardage.

Messam was stopped in his tracks on his first two carries, both tackles behind the line of scrimmage. It was the case of the irresistible force succumbing to the immovable object, with some non-existent blocking thrown in.

On the Vikings' first series, junior Chris White completed three passes to senior Walter Ingram for 29 yards and junior Sterling Hardin scored on a 6-yard run.

Two series later, junior Bryan Blackley gained 36 yards with three receptions to set up senior Adrian Trevino's 25-yard field goal.

However, while Valley's defense didn't allow a first down until the second quarter, when Messam had his longest run of the game -- 33 yards, but ending still in Yellowjacket territory -- the offense sputtered.

White fumbled at the GU 4-yard line while apparently headed for the end zone, but did engineer a 12-play, 87-yard drive -- featuring an 18-yard reverse by junior Darrell Madry and sophomore Josh Reid's 28-yard catch -- to punch the ball in on freshman Michael Peavy's 1-yard run with 1:20 left in the half.

Still, the Vikings' lead seemed precarious after sophomore Chad Belt returned a fumble 25 yards for a Graceland touchdown on the first snap of the second half.

Valley answered with three straight scoring drives, racking up 20 points during the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

A 30-yard pass to Madry and Hardin's 20-yard run led to a 2-yard quarterback sneak across the goal line by White. Senior Jacob Cahill went the distance with a 70-yard bomb less than two minutes later.

Senior Cortavious Anderson hauled in a 45-yard pass, but was stopped at the 1. Two plays later, senior David Allen -- a mainstay of the Valley backfield for two seasons before being sidelined by a knee injury during the middle of the 2008 campaign -- capped his first appearance in a year with a 1-yard TD plunge.

The Vikings played their reserves on offense the rest of the game and Graceland got a break when sophomore Chris Heale dropped a snap. His delayed punt was blocked by senior Richard Ford and recovered by the 'Jackets at the MVC 17. Three Messam runs, the last from 2 yards out, provided the team's only points against Valley's defense.

White completed 15 of 20 passes for 275 yards, while Graceland (2-2, 2-2 HAAC) netted only 37 yards running and 21 passing.

Junior safety Maurice Peterson provided several bone-jarring hits for Valley, he and senior Colin Smith leading the team with six tackles apiece.

The 12th-ranked Vikings (4-1, 4-1) will be seeking their third win in a row Saturday at William Jewell.