– The Northwest Missouri State University football team defeated Northeastern State, 42-14, on Saturday at Doc Wadley Stadium in Tahlequah, Okla.
– The Bearcats move to 7-0 on the year while the RiverHawks fall to 0-7.
– Northwest racked up 429 yards of total offense and held Northeastern State to -22 yards rushing, marking the second time this year a Bearcat opponent has been held to negative yards on the ground.
– The Bearcats turned five RiverHawk turnovers into 21 points.
– Northwest has now won 37 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NCAA.
– All-time, the Bearcats are 8-0 against the RiverHawks and 4-0 in Tahlequah.
– Northwest has now won 14 consecutive road games.
Key Northwest Offensive Statistics
– The Bearcats gained 25 first downs and passed for 181 yards while running for 248 yards, the second highest total of the year.
– Northwest held a 34:47 – 23:27 advantage in time of possession.
– On third down, the Bearcats were 6-of-13 and scored on 5-of-6 red zone attempts.
– Jordan Thompson ran for 110 yards on 23 carries and tied a career-high with two touchdowns. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry and also caught one pass for 15 yards.
– Brody McMahon had 16 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown, his third of the season.
– Zach Martin completed 13-of-20 pass attempts for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
– Jordan Grove had four catches on the day. He had 37 yards receiving while tying his career high with two touchdown grabs.
– Clayton Wilson caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
– Matt Thorman had six punts with a 38.0 yard per kick average. He had a long of 45 yards and hit three inside the 20 yard line.
– Brett Garner was 6-for-6 on PAT attempts and had seven kickoffs with three touchbacks.
Key Northwest Defensive Statistics
– Northeastern State was held to just 16 first downs, half coming by way of penalties.
– The Bearcat defense picked off three passes and held the RiverHawks to 216 total yards. NSU also had three fumbles, losing two of them on a bad snap and on a punt.
– The RiverHawks were 5-of-16 on third downs and were 0-of-2 on fourth down conversions.
– Northwest had five sacks for 28 yards.
– Anthony Lane had five tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. His second quarter INT in the end zone prevented an NSU red zone scoring opportunity.
– J’Ravien Anderson and Samuel Roberts also recorded interceptions in the game.
– Jarrod Bishop had five tackles to tie Lane for the team-high.
– Najeem Hosein had four tackles with two coming behind the line of scrimmage.
– Blake Green had a career day, recording a pair of sacks in the game. Caleb Mather also recorded a sack in the game.
– Bobby Gruenloh, Ben Spaeth, Spencer Phillips and Myles Scott each had assisted sacks.
– Gruenloh finished the day with 1.5 tackles for loss. Nick Hess and Jack Richards also contributed assisted tackles for loss.
– Late in the first half, the NSU defense recovered a fumble at the Northwest 37 yard line and looked poised to score. But with the ball at the 14 yard line, Lane came up with the interception in the end zone for a touchback, ending the RiverHawk scoring threat.
– Anderson came up with a big fourth quarter interception, reading an NSU route for the pick. He set up Northwest at the RiverHawk 17 yard line after a 26 yard return.
– In the fourth quarter, Roberts halted an NSU drive by getting a hand on a pass and making an athletic play to catch the deflection for his first career interception.
Northwest Scoring Drives
– After forcing a punt on the first drive of the game, Northwest marched down field for a nine-play 55 yard scoring drive that was capped by a two-yard run by McMahon to put the Bearcats up, 7-0.
– Martin found Grove with 11:13 left in the first half from 21 yards out to put Northwest back out in front. The RiverHawks had picked off a pass earlier in the drive but it was called back for pass interference. Martin had a 22 yard run on the drive to put the ball on the Northeastern 36 and a penalty on the RiverHawk bench pushed the ball to the 21. Grove would score on the next play.
– The Bearcats converted a pair of third down conversions on their third scoring drive of the first half. Sykes caught a 19 yard pass from Martin to move the ball deep into NSU territory and six plays later, Thompson ran the ball in from three yards out to push the Northwest lead to 21-7.
– Northwest was forced to punt on its first drive of the second half but the Thorman kick hit one of the NSU blockers and the Bearcats were able to recover on the RiverHawk 15 yard line. Two plays later, Martin found Grove for the second time, scoring from 10 yards out to make it 28-8, Northwest.
– On the ensuing drive, Northeastern State’s snap sailed over the quarterback’s head and was recovered by Eskew at the NSU 20. Martin immediately went to the air and connected with Wilson for a 20 yard touchdown strike, making it a 35-7 Bearcat advantage.
– Northwest capitalized on the Anderson interception in the fourth quarter, going 17 yards in three plays. Chase White had an 11 yard rush to the NSU six. Two plays later, Thompson found the end zone for the second time, scoring from three yards out to make it 42-7 with 11:43 left in the fourth quarter.
Up Next
– Northwest returns to Bearcat Stadium for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. against Lindenwood.
— Northwest Athletics —