WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- On paper, it did not appear that Miles would have much trouble handling Central State Saturday afternoon in an important SIAC Western Division battle.

But that paper was most likely trampled in the muddy terrain of McPherson Stadium and became as illegible as the numbers on the backs of many of the players' jerseys. Despite holding the Marauders to less than 200 yards of total offense, the Golden Bears were unable to overcome the treacherous terrain and despicable weather conditions in a 15-13 loss to CSU.

Miles (6-2, 3-1 SIAC West) never trailed until Joshua Nunes somehow got his 34-yard field goal attempt past a diving Joe Tillis and just over the crossbar through a consistent rain and into a wind that was gusting upwards of 25 miles per hour throughout the game. The game-winning kick came after CSU (3-5, 2-2) used a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-8 play with less than three minutes remaining.

Most of the field between the 30-yard lines and between the hashmarks was mud...and that was before kickoff. The remainder fo the field was not much better and it had a big impact on the game. The footing was less than ideal all over the field, which contributed to multiple slips and falls. The rain made the ball tough to grip and the Golden Bears offense suffered from it as Miles was credited with nine fumbles, four of which it lost. Quarterback Daniel Smith, who entered the game as the third-leading passer in the SIAC, was 4-of-10 for 29 yards with just one pass going longer than nine yards.

Still, the Golden Bears looked to be in control for a good portion of the contest. A 24-yard run by Donte Edwards got Miles deep into CSU territory and Smith punctuated the drive with a 1-yard run early in the second quarter for a 6-0 lead, which would be the score at halftime. The Marauders had just 32 yards of offense in the first half and ran just one play beyond its own 40-yard line over the first 30 minutes.

Things looked even better early in the third quarter when Jairius Shade picked off a floater from CSU quarterback Derell Williams and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown to give Miles a 13-0 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter. But the offense would not be able to get it going, collecting just two first downs the rest of the game (one of those coming on the final play of the game).

Central State's fortunes would turn on the next series. Williams, normally a wide receiver and kick returner pressed into quarterback duty because of injury, reversed field and scored on a 62-yard run as Miles defenders slipped and slid trying to catch the speedster. Tillis would block the extra point to keep the lead at 13-6. With 7:09 remaining, Williams completed a pass to Dalane Brown, who was wide open after Rodney Coleman slipped on the McPherson pasture. Brown got to the 4-yard line and appeared to be stopped, but several CSU players pushed the pile forward and with no way to gain any traction to push back, the Golden Bears could not stop Brown from completing his 62-yard touchdown reception. CSU would not convert on a 2-point conversion and Miles would cling to a 13-12 advantage.

Miles attempted to run the clock out by picking up a couple of first downs but Edwards (16 carries, 85 yards) was stopped on fourth-and-1 and CSU took over at the Miles 48 to start the game-winning drive.

Justin Ruiz had 20 carries for 79 yards and Jaylun Thomas had eight tackles, 2.5 for loss, two quarterback hurries, a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery for Miles, which hosts Kentucky State Saturday on Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.