Points came easy Friday night for the Jays. They also came easy for C.B.C. as the Cadets outlasted the Jays 65-59 at Adkins Stadium.
"We had our chances and our players gave us our chances," Jays coach Ted LePage said, "and we've just got to do a better job at tackling at the point of attack."
The battle between the top-ranked Cadets and the fifth-ranked Jays started fast and never stopped for more than three hours of big plays and not much defense.
C.B.C. got control of things in the first half, leading 30-7 with 9:37 left in the second quarter after a 3-yard Justin Williams touchdown.
The Jays' comeback didn't take long.
Jefferson City went 80 yards in four plays, capping off the drive with Rashaun Woods finding space to the outside for a 45-yard run.
It was one of three scores for Woods, who led the Jays with 221 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.
Dennis Barnes gave the Jays the ball right back, picking off a Brett Gabbert pass intended for Kamryn Babb.
On the fifth play of the ensuing drive, Adam Huff split a pair of C.B.C. defenders for a 27-yard touchdown grab from Gunnar See with 6:31 left in the first half.
It was one of four touchdown passes for See, who finished 21-of-35 for 314 yards.
The Cadets answered with a seven-play, 78-yard drive to go back up 37-21 with 4:44 left in the first half.
On the next drive, Woods ran to the outside and cut back inside for a 47-yard score. See found Allen Roettgen for the 2-point conversion, making it 37-29.
The Cadets then drove to the Jays' 27-yard line, but Woods tackled Cameron Brown a yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-6.
Barnes caught a 50 yard pass on the fourth play of the ensuing drive and Huff caught a pass in the corner of the end zone for a 15-yard score. Huff also ran it in on the 2-point conversion try to tie the game at 37 with 18 seconds left in the first half.
Jefferson City got momentum to start the second half as Woods took a pitch from See on an option play and sprinted 63 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the half. For the first and only time in the game, Jefferson City had the lead, 43-37.
The Cadets took a 44-43 lead on their next drive.
C.B.C. led 65-51 with 1:43 remaining in the game, but the Jays drove down the field for a touchdown. See found Roettgen wide open in the end zone for a 3-yard score.
Despite a delay of game penalty on the 2-point conversion, See completed a slant to Barnes to get the Jays within 65-59 with 31 seconds left.
The Cadets grabbed the onside kick to seal the win.
Next week, Jefferson City (5-2) heads to Columbia to face Battle (7-0), which beat Truman 44-36 in overtime on Friday.
"We've got two games left and if you play with that heart and that emotion and that kind of passion, we're going to get better," LePage said.