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By David Boyce  |  Facebook Photo Album

EDMOND, Okla. - Teamwork and unselfishness are the essential ingredients that has made Northwest Missouri State the most dynamic Division II football program in the country since 2013.
 
Two undefeated national championship seasons and only two losses during that span attest to that fact.
 
But in the Bearcats' dominating 56-10 victory over Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Wantland Stadium, senior quarterback Kyle Zimmerman and sophomore wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. stood out.
 
In a 42-point first half, Zimmerman completed 14-of-19 passes for 241 yards and five touchdowns. Bane was on the receiving end for three touchdowns and 119 yards.
 
"It was a lot of fun," said Zimmerman, who finished with 299 yards passing. "Our staff did a great job drawing up some plays this week that they really thought we could attack them with. It is really awesome when you come out here with stuff you put in earlier in the week and you can execute it to perfection.
 
"I think it was a very complete game for us. Coach talked about coming down here and playing a complete game and building off what we did last week. We wanted to make sure we came out here and not lay an egg."
 
The Bearcats obviously didn't lay an egg. The entire team played at a high level to help No. 1 Northwest win its 21^st straight game and improve to 6-0 this season.
 
"I thought we played really well," Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said. "We executed our game plan. It was to come in and try to challenge with some vertical balls early in game, and try to keep them from blitzing us and stacking the box. I thought we did that. I don't know if we could have executed any better with our receivers and quarterback play."
 
The things Zimmerman and Bane accomplished in the first 30 minutes were special.
 
All signs for an incredible day for the two occurred with 6:40 left in the first quarter when Zimmerman tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bane for the first points of the game.
 
"It feels go to know that all the work we put in and we can come out here on Saturday and show what we are capable of, make plays and do what we do," Bane said.
 
About 4 minutes later, Northwest used razzle dazzle to score. Zimmerman had only a small role in it. He threw a backwards pass to junior wide receiver Jordan Bishop who then tossed a 42-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Jordan Grove to give the Bearcats a 14-0 lead with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
 
After a brief intermission in which Central Oklahoma scored three points on a 37-yard field goal, the Bearcats' aerial show resumed. Northwest increased its lead to 21-3 on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Zimmerman to senior Dre Washington with 11:35 left in the second quarter.
 
The Bronchos showed they still had some fight left in them and put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive, scoring on a 1-yard run by Clay McKenzie that closed the gap to 21-10 with 7:24 left in the second quarter.
 
The touchdown set the stage for a highly entertaining second-quarter finish by Zimmerman and Bane. Less than 30 seconds after Central Oklahoma scored, the Bearcats were back in the end zone on a 78-yard touchdown bomb that Bane hauled in and gracefully sprinted down the sideline. The extra point made it 28-10.
 
"Man, that guy is unbelievable," Zimmerman said. "He makes guys miss in the slot when they try to get hands on him and try to slow him down. He has worked hard this summer at perfecting his craft. If you put that ball out there, he is going to run it down."
 
Dorrel even took a few seconds to enjoy the long touchdown play.
 
"To complete those vertical balls and to complete as many as we did, it is cool," Dorrel said.
 
Northwest finished the second quarter with a flourish. With 1:08 left until halftime, Bane caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Zimmerman.
 
"I practice hard to put myself in good position," Bane said. "Zim and I work and do extra work.
 
"He (Zimmerman) is getting better every week just like Brady Bolles. "We are just trying to get better every week and go 1-0 every week."
 
Before the curtain closed on the first half, sophomore corner back Anthony Lane intercepted a pass, giving Northwest the ball at Central Oklahoma's 26.
 
"It was great because I had a couple of balls caught on me," Lane said. "It was great to bounce back with an interception and help my team.
 
"Our coaches always preach on to the next play. We got to forget about the last play. We got to flush it out."
 
Zimmerman needed only one play to put the Bearcats back in the end zone when he tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver George Sehl with 51 seconds left in the second quarter.
 
Two touchdowns in 17 seconds sent Northwest into halftime with a commanding 42-10 lead, and the Bearcats got the ball to start the third quarter.
 
Northwest quickly showed it still had plenty of focus despite a huge lead. The Bearcats went on a 9-play, 85-yard drive that concluded on a 1-yard touchdown run sophomore running back Emmanuel Jones. The score gave Northwest a 49-10 lead with 10:16 left in the third quarter.
 
"We really challenged them at half," Dorrel said. "The kids had a good week of preparation. If we could go out and get another one on the board, we talked about putting the backups in. I was proud of our kids for coming out and doing that.
 
"I was really proud of our backups today. I thought they played well. They are playing better than they did four or five weeks ago. As a coach, it is a good feeling when you see those young guys improving."
 
With 5:43 left in the third quarter, the Bearcats scored again on a 2-yard run by senior running back Phil Jackson II, making it 56-10.
 
Simply put, it was the most dominating performance by Northwest so far this season. Remember, Northwest only beat Central Oklahoma 23-16 last season in Maryville, Mo.
 
Before the game, former Northwest quarterback Trevor Adams, who led the Bearcats to the 2013 national title, spoke to the team at chapel. Those moments always mean a lot to Dorrel.
 
"What is neat is when a guy comes and talk, and what he says is eerie because it is what we talk about as coaches all week," Dorrel said. "When you get a former player, who is a good person and hard-working guy come back, our kids really enjoyed it."