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By David Boyce  |  Northwest vs. Emporia State  |  Saturday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m.  |  Bearcat Stadium  |  Maryville, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - Another MIAA title is nearly in the grasp for the Northwest Missouri State football team, but the Bearcats know possession of it will be difficult to attain.
 
It what shapes up to be its toughest game of the season, Northwest, 9-0 and ranked No. 2 in the AFCA top 25, takes on Emporia State, 8-1 and ranked No. 14, at 6 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Stadium in a nationally televised game on American Sports Network.
 
"Going out and playing a night game is always a fun environment," said junior defensive back Kevin Berg. "We are going to have a lot of fans out there. Being on national television is a huge plus. Families are able to watch this game. A lot of people around the nation can see what we can do."
 
The thing the viewing audience will witness is a coming-of-age team that is exceeding head coach Adam Dorrel's expectations.
 
The success of the Bearcats does not surprise the coaches in the MIAA who picked Northwest to win the conference title in their preseason poll.
 
But with so many freshmen and sophomores stepping into key roles this season, Dorrel told his players last spring that on paper Northwest was looking at a 7-4 season.
 
"What?" Berg said of his reaction when he first heard it.
 
"We were kind of confused by that. He came back and clarified what he meant. How it was all on paper. We treated it almost as an insult. We went out there almost every day with a chip on our shoulders. Everybody went through each workout as hard as it could. Pushing each other has helped us a lot over the course of the season."
 
When Dorrel reiterated this 7-4 talk at the MIAA media day in early August, he understandably received a few chuckles from the media. One media member even asked him what teams Northwest was going to lose to.
 
Dorrel didn't name teams, but he was adamant about being 7-4 on paper.
 
"I meant it," he said. "Look at what we had from an experience standpoint and depth standpoint and the number of young guys who were going to play. I also meant it as a challenge. I tried to use it to grab the attention of everybody.
 
"We knew if we had a chance this year, the margin of error was very slim. You look at a couple of games we survived in, the seniors played well in those games. By talking about that, we wanted people to understand that every win was going to be hard and we had to be very focused each week."
 
Northwest could have easily been 2-2 a month into the season. The Bearcats needed an amazing comeback in Warrensburg, Mo., on Sept. 19 to pull out a 34-30 win over Central Missouri.
 
"Starting off this year, we had a couple of blowout games and then we had the close game against UCM," Berg said. "That helped us build a lot of confidence. We went in thinking we were the better team. We found out quickly they are a very good football team. They gave us a great game."
 
The following week, Northwest trailed in the second half at home to Central Oklahoma before winning 23-16.
 
Since then, the Bearcats have won by double-digits in the last five weeks with the closest game 24-10 a week ago at Missouri Western.
 
The five-week run gives Northwest a one-game lead over Emporia State. The Hornets have played near flawless this season. Their only loss was 27-24 at Fort Hayes State, which occurred immediately after an emotional 46-42 victory over Pittsburg State.
 
Emporia State showed it was in championship form last week with an impressive 47-21 win over rival Washburn in what these silly Kansans call the "Turnpike Tussle."
 
"They have played well all year," Dorrel said. "They have played consistent. They play hard. It is a good group. You can tell they have good chemistry in their locker room."
 
Emporia State has a senior quarterback in Brent Wilson who is just as dynamic as Northwest senior quarterback Brady Bolles. Wilson has thrown for 2,887 yards, 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
 
"We are very excited to go out and play these guys," Berg said. "They are a very talented football team. They have a lot of weapons."
 
Berg will play a key role for the Bearcats defense. Lately, he has had a remarkable nose for the ball, intercepting six passes in the last three games.
 
"It is unbelievable," Dorrel said. "The thing I said the last two days is his attention to detail in the film room is phenomenal. He is a coaches' kid. He understands football. You look at those interceptions and he is baiting the quarterback to make those throws.
 
"We have to do a good job of mixing up our coverage. It is going to be Kevin's job to get us in the right set."
 
The matchup between Northwest and Emporia State has all the makings of being a MIAA classic.
 
"It is why you want to coach here and play here," Dorrel said. "You come into the season with so many uncertainties and we have a chance to potentially win a conference championship on Saturday. It has been a lot of fun."