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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Northwest Missouri State only had 21 yards passing in the first half and still went into halftime with a commanding 27-3 lead over Missouri Western.
 
Those numbers paint a picture of how dominating the Bearcats offensive line was in the final regular-season home game for the seniors on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Stadium.
 
The Bearcats, in front of 7,182 fans, literally ran to an impressive 40-3 victory over Western and improved to 8-1.
 
Northwest hits the road for its final two games, playing at Emporia State next week and concluding the regular season at Arrowhead Stadium against Washburn.
 
"I am really proud of our entire football team and coaching staff," Northwest head coach Adam Dorrel said. "We had a good week of preparation. I thought our kids played with great energy and great emotion. They kept their heads and they kept their cool.
 
"I was really proud of our 21 seniors. We were able to block out all the stuff this week and just focus on winning a ball game. Without question, we dominated the game from start to finish in every phase."
 
It was definitely complete domination in all phases. Northwest rushed for 397 yards compared to 21 for Western. The total yards were just as lopsided, 496 to 78.
 
If the Bearcats get the kind of run production it had against Western, they will be tough to beat the rest of the season. The offensive line opened holes all afternoon for senior running back Robert Burton III and freshman running back Cameron Wilcox.
 
Burton carried the ball 27 times for 157 yards and Wilcox added 125 yards in 19 carries.
 
As well as the offense executed on its running plays, the Northwest defense started the scoring onslaught. Not quite 3 minutes into the game, freshman cornerback Marcus Jones intercepted a pass and raced 25 yards into the end zone, giving Northwest a 7-0 lead.
 
"Our coaches put us in the right position to make plays, and I took advantage of it," Jones said.
 
Ten minutes later, Wilcox looked like he wanted to turn Senior Day into a freshman coming out party.
 
"We have younger players stepping up," Jones said. "We wanted to give the seniors the win that they have been talking about. It is our time to step up.
 
"The seniors have taught us not to give up and keep bouncing back. When it is your turn, step up. They have our backs."
 
Wilcox showed he is a power back. He used his strength and the hole opened by the offensive line to bolt through the middle for a 38-yard touchdown run that put the Bearcats up 14-0 with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
 
"It felt amazing," Wilcox said. "My linemen made great blocks and I cut off on them. I am blessed to have linemen like we do here."
 
It was clear in the first 12 minutes that Western didn't have a quarterback, running back or wide receiver that could hurt Northwest's stingy defense.
 
The only phase of the game that the Bearcats struggled in was passing. Two interceptions and several dropped passes prevented the Bearcats from having a bigger lead in the first half.
 
Junior quarterback Brady Bolles made up for his  miscues by running 1 yard for a touchdown and passing 1 yard to senior Jason Jozaites for another touchdown with 3 seconds left in the second quarter.
 
Simply put, Northwest almost did whatever it wanted against its heated rival. The Bearcats finished the first half with an impressive 235 yards rushing in 34 carries. Burton had 135 yards in 19 carries and Wilcox added 70 in 10 carries.
 
"The offensive line played really well," Bolles said. "They had a great week of preparation. We had a good game plan coming in. We went out and executed it. We played well today."
 
In the second half, Northwest put in a workmanlike effort to finish off the Griffons. They scored on two field goals by sophomore placekicker Simon Mathieson in the third quarter and tacked on another touchdown on a 21-yard run by Bolles early in the fourth quarter, making it 40-3.
 
Since the stunning, heartbreaking loss to Western in Maryville in 2012, Northwest has won the last two meetings over its rival by a combined score of 91-24.
 
"You always expect a rivalry game to be a little bit closer," Bolles said. "You throw the records out and know each team is going to bring its best. The last two years we had a good game plan, good preparation and executed well."