While Drew Newhart's four touchdown passes captured the headlines, it was the running of Thomas Hodges and Michael Hill behind an efficient offensive line that propelled Missouri Western's offensive engine on Saturday in a 36-21 victory against then-No. 14 Central Missouri.

Hodges rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries, and Hill rumbled for 92 yards on 17 packs as the Griffons chewed up the clock and kept Central Missouri's offense off the field.

"We ran the ball well. I think that was the telling stat of the game," coach Jerry Partridge said. "We rushed for 223 yards, and Central Missouri ran for 71. That's one of the reasons the time of possession was skewed so violently in our direction."

Western controlled the ball for 38 minutes, 19 seconds, holding the Mules' time of possession to 21:41.

The Griffons can attribute that offensive performance to their stellar line - a group Partridge has said all season is one of the best he's seen at Western. And that line got the job done against a formidable opponent.

"We felt like, after the game, that their defensive line may be the best we've faced," Partridge said of Central, comparing that unit favorably with those of Washburn and Northwest Missouri State. "They were very strong, had some girth to them, and they were difficult to move."

But the Griffons did so, helping boost Hodges into the No. 2 spot in MIAA rushing statistics, just behind Northwest's LaRon Council. Hodges has now rushed for 684 yards this season, despite sharing the load nearly equally with Hill. The junior from Raymore, Mo., is averaging 85.5 yards per game.

Hill, meanwhile, is No. 8 on the conference rushing chart, joining Washburn's Vershon Moore as the only freshmen in the top 10.

Behind the running game, the Griffons have pushed their record to 7-1 (5-1 MIAA) and took sole possession of second place in the conference standings.

Still, Partridge cautions that more work lies ahead, despite its next two games against lower-tier MIAA teams Missouri Southern (2-5, 2-4) at home this Saturday and at Emporia (1-7. 0-6) on Oct. 31.

"I'm excited about where we are right now, but we've only clinched a 7-4 record," Partridge said. "We've got more work to do. If you can get nine wins, you're probably going to be in (the playoffs). If you can get 10 wins, you're going to get to host a game. But these are MIAA opponents, and they give scholarships, too."

Something to talk about

For the first time in a month, volleyball coach Cory Frederick had a victory to review with fans during the weekly Griffon luncheon downtown on Monday.

But it was a low point in last Wednesday's match at Northwest that may have turned the Griffons' fortunes around a bit. The Griffons were leading 23-19 in the second game in what Frederick said should have been a "done-and-over-with deal." But Northwest stormed back, like so many other teams have done this season, with six straight points to take the game.

"So far this season, our team has responded terribly any time they've lost a close game like that," Frederick said. "But this is the first time this season the girls have actually responded after losing a close one like that."

Western went on to a 3-2 victory against the Bearcats, with Kelli Sicner and Meghan Voelz both recording career highs in kills with 22.

While the Griffons couldn't pull out another win on Saturday at 18-8 Truman State, Frederick wasn't down about it, because he saw a potential turnaround in the making.

"Even losing that match, I was very happy with the way the girls played, because once again we were starting to compete."

Western travels to Hays, Kan., on Wednesday to play a team that defeated the Griffons 3-2 at MWSU Fieldhouse on Sept. 16 in another of their mid-match collapses. Then the Griffons get back to the harsh reality of the MIAA's top tier, hosting eighth-ranked Emporia State on Friday and ninth-ranked Washburn on Saturday. Both of those home matches start at 7 p.m.

Time for soccer to make its move

Now is the time for Western's soccer team to make its move toward respectability in the MIAA standings.

The Griffons (5-9-1, 3-7-1 in the conference) don't have a chance to catch the league's top-tier teams. But of the final five games, starting Wednesday with Western's final 2009 home contest against Missouri Southern, four are against teams that enter the week with a conference winning percentage of .500 or less.

"Let's make that the new season," coach Jeff Hansen said. "I want to get on top of that group."

Western plays at Truman on Sunday in a road game that twice has been postponed due to poor field conditions. Then the Griffons travel to Emporia State on Oct. 29, Southwest Baptist on Oct. 31 and Washburn on Nov. 7.

Not a bad kiss

The old adage that a tie is like kissing your sister just didn't apply to Western's 1-1 draw with Nebraska-Omaha on Thursday at Spratt Stadium.

Thanks to Audrey Henderson's fourth goal of the season and the goalkeeping of Jenna Weis, the Griffons dropped the Mavericks (10-2-2, 9-1-1 MIAA) out of the conference lead.

"For people who don't follow soccer a lot, there are good ties, and that was one of them," Hansen said.

The Griffons survived a dozen corner kicks - teams don't like to give up but about three or four per game - in dodging a bullet, Hansen said.