The Misericordia University football team's fourth-quarter rally came up just short in a 31-27 loss at Widener, Saturday.
 
Down 31-14, the Cougars scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but were unable to recover an on-sides kick in the closing minutes.
 
T.J. Lattimore threw for three touchdowns and Colten Peischl and Owen McGuffey scored two touchdowns each.
 
Peischl had a 24-yard TD reception to go with a 72-yard touchdown run.
 
McGuffey had six catches for 105 yards and two scores.
 
Gavin Morris had a team-high 15 tackles.
 
The Cougars forced a Widener punt on the opening possession and took over at the Widener 48-yard line.  Lattimore connected with Dominic Caruso for a 29 yards on first down to the Widener 19.  The Cougars moved to the Widener 14, but the drive ended in a missed field goal.
 
The Cougars came up with a fourth-down stop on the ensuing possession, but Widener returned an interception for the game's first score just two plays later to take a 7-0 lead with 7:53 to play in the first quarter.
 
Widener forced an MU punt and scored on a 51-yard pass on their first play to take 14-0 lead with 6:18 to go in the opening period.
 
Misericordia pulled even with a pair of touchdowns in a four-minute span in the second quarter.
 
Starting at their own 13-yard line, Caruso picked up 10 yards on 10 carries and then broke loose for 35 yards into Widener territory.
 
Lattimore hit McGuffey down the left sideline for a 46-yard TD to cut the lead in half, 14-7, with 10:54 left in the second quarter.
 
The Cougars forced a punt, but faced a fourth-and-nine deep in their own territory midway through the second quarter.  Peischl took a direct snap in punt formation and raced 72 yards down the right sideline to tie the score, 14-14, with 7:27 to play before halftime.
 
The Pride sandwiched a pair of TD's around a field goal to build a 31-14 lead late in the third period.
 
MU scored twice in the fourth quarter to get within 31-27.
 
After forcing the Pride to punt from their own end zone, the Cougars took over at the Widener 20-yard line.  Facing a fourth-and-nine, Lattimore hit McGuffey with a back-shoulder pass at the left pylon to get MU within 31-21 with 9:26 to go.
 
The Cougars forced another punt and took advantage of a muffed snap to set up a first down deep in Widener territory with 2:21 to play.
 
Lattimore hit Peischl down the right sideline for a 24-yard TD on the first play to make it 31-27.
Widener recovered the on-sides kick and ran out the clock.