Trevor Adams tied a school record with five touchdown passes and threw for the second most yards in school history with 444 as Northwest Missouri State ran away from Eastern New Mexico 65-20 in non-conference football action on Saturday at Bearcat Stadium.
The Bearcats and Greyhounds traded scores early on as ENMU struck first with the first of three touchdown passes from Wesley Wood. After a blocked extra point the Greyhounds would extend their lead, but a failed two-point conversion shifted the momentum as Adams and the Northwest defense stole the show.
The win moves the Bearcats’ record to 6-1 on the year setting up a top 10 match-up with No. 5 Washburn next weekend. The Greyhounds fall to 2-5 on the year and have now lost two straight.
Adams fired five touchdown passes including a game tying, 35-yard pass and catch to David Mosley to start the second quarter. Adams finished 23-of-31 as his 444 yards is second to John McMenamin (473yds vs. Central Missouri 10/27/01). His five touchdown tosses also tied a school record joining the likes of McMenamin, Blake Bolles, Travis Miles, Chris Greisen and Greg Teale.
The Greyhounds used 26 plays to build their lead while the Bearcats would tie the game on their 12th play from scrimmage when Adams found Mosley for his first score of the season. Mosley also led the Bearcats in receiving with four catches for 89 yards.
The Bearcats would get the first stop of the game as senior captain Chad Kilgore sacked Wood and forced the Greyhounds to punt. Kilgore led Northwest with 11 tackles on the afternoon and his sack was the first of four from the Bearcat defense.
Just five plays following the ENMU punt, Adams found Tyler Shaw for his team leading eighth touchdown catch of the season. The score gave Northwest its first lead of the afternoon 27-20.
Northwest would score two more times on a Todd Adolf 39-yard field goal and a 5-yard plunge from James Franklin giving the Bearcats a 37-20 lead at intermission.
With a few minor adjustments the Bearcat defense strangled the Greyhound offense holding them scoreless from the second quarter on. ENMU also only managed 94 yards of offense in the second half and one first down.
Northwest recorded three second half sacks and forced three turnovers, two fumbles and a Matt Massey interception. Massey would also recover the second fumble from the Greyhounds following Adams’ second touchdown toss to Shaw.
On the first play following the turnover MIAA leading scorer, Jordan Simmons, would find an opening and outrun the Greyhound secondary to his team high 13th touchdown of the season. The score also vaulted Simmons into eighth on the all-time list for touchdowns with 31. Simmons led Northwest in rushing with 80 yards on six carries.
Northwest has now scored at least 65 points four times this season as they entered the weekend leading the nation averaging 55.5 points per game.
The win also snapped a three-game regular season losing streak to Lone Star Conference teams.
Northwest continues a two-game home stretch as they host 5th-ranked Washburn next Saturday with a 2 p.m. kickoff for Homecoming. The Bearcats snuck out of Topeka last year after a two-point conversion stop preserved a 41-40 road win.
— NWMSU Sports Information —