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By David Boyce  |  Facebook Photo Album

MARYVILLE, Mo. - With just under 3 minutes left in the second quarter, Nebraska-Kearney had the ball at Northwest Missouri State's 47, staring at a 10-point deficit.
 
If the Lopers found the end zone on that possession, they could have gone into halftime thinking about pulling off the biggest upset in NCAA Division II history.
 
But on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in front of 8,550 fans at Bearcat Stadium, Northwest showed why its ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II. The Bearcats extended their winning streak to 18 games with an explosive 3 minutes of action that led to a 52-14 blowout victory.
 
"Anytime you can get a W in this league, it is a phenomenal feeling," said senior quarterback Kyle Zimmerman, who threw three touchdowns for over 40 yards and finished with 277 yards passing and four touchdowns.
 
From the fans to the weather to the performance on the field, it was a perfect day for Family Weekend. And at Northwest, family means everything.
 
"This brings back all the memories when I was coaching," Northwest athletic director Mel Tjeerdsma said. "Things haven't changed. Our coaches and our staff have done such a great job of putting our team together.
 
"But it is more than that. It is the community, our staff, our faculty, our administration. Everybody is a part of it. That is what makes it neat. It is not just the football team. It is a total effort. I feel better about that than anything else."
 
Late in the first half, the Bearcats made sure their family, friends and fans left Bearcat Stadium happy.
 
The scores occurred so quickly that the Lopers were probably still wondering what happened on their four-hour bus drive back to Kearney, Neb.
 
One second, Nebraska-Kearney was looking to cut into its 17-7 deficit and a few seconds later, the Lopers were trailing 24-7 when junior linebacker Jarrod Bishop intercepted a pass and raced 59 yards into the end zone with 2:13 left in the second quarter.
 
"He is a great kid," Northwest defensive coordinator Rich Wright said. "He is a kid who has stepped into a leadership role on our football program. As a junior, he is going to be the backbone of what we are doing next year.
 
"It was great to watch him make a play. He is a good kid. He has really come a long way in the last 365 days."
 
Bishop was happy he was in the right spot to make a play for the team in a crucial situation.
 
"We talked about changing the momentum on the sideline," Bishop said. "It took one person. It just happened to be me. It could have been anybody out there. I am just glad we changed momentum and we got more touchdowns after that."
 
Indeed. Thirty-two seconds after Bishop's pick-six, the Bearcats were in the end zone again when Zimmerman tossed a perfect pass to senior George Sehl for a 42-yard touchdown pass that increased Northwest's lead to 31-7 with 1:41 left until halftime.
 
Northwest wasn't done. The Bearcats stopped Nebraska-Kearney and got the ball at their 48 with 43 seconds remaining in the half. On the second play, Zimmerman threw another perfect pass. On this occasion, sophomore Shawn Bane Jr. hauled in the spiral for a 52-yard touchdown play.
 
In a blink of an eye, Northwest went into halftime with a commanding 38-7 lead.
 
The Bearcats still had a little more work to do to complete the rout. Northwest received the ball to start the third quarter. Forty-four seconds after the kickoff, the Bearcats were back in the end zone when Zimmerman threw his longest touchdown pass of his career, hooking up with Bane again for a 75-yard scoring play.
 
"It is a lot of fun airing it out," Zimmerman said. "We have a lot of guys who can make plays, run good routes. You put that ball out there, most of the times they are going to get it. It is a great weapon to have in the back of your pocket, just knowing you can bust one at any given time."
 
With a 45-7 lead with 14:16 left in the third quarter, Northwest was nearing the point of putting in its second and third string players. No matter who came in, the Bearcats stayed focused.
 
"What we have been able to do is roll some of our backups in and try to create a new pressure situation," Wright said. "It's 0-0 for you guys. Let's see how we play as a unit, and we challenge them in that respect."
 
Despite the one-sided outcome, Nebraska-Kearney put a minor scare into the Bearcats early and then played very spirited football in the first half to keep the game close.
 
In shocking fashion, Nebraska-Kearney scored first. On third and 7 on the first drive of the game, Nebraska-Kearney quarterback Steve Worthing hit a wide-open Luke Quinn over the middle on a touchdown reception that went for 72 yards.
 
Ninety-five seconds into the game, the Bearcats trailed 7-0. The scare continued when Northwest was forced to punt in its first offensive possession.
 
The defense by Northwest slowly brought reality back into the game. The Bearcats stuffed the Lopers and then got the ball back. Northwest drove 21 yards, which led to a 38-yard field goal by senior Simon Mathiesen.
 
"Our main thing is just adjustments," said senior defensive end Cass Weitl. "Obviously, the first drive is going to be a little bit different. After that, I thought we adjusted well and played pretty well after the long pass."
 
Complete order was restored with 5 seconds left in the first quarter when senior running back Phil Jackson II plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out, giving Northwest the lead 10-7.
 
"That was huge," Zimmerman said of overcoming a deficit. "Coach talks about adversity all the time and how we are going to respond to adversity. I know the defense is going to put the clamps down every game. When they gave up the early touchdown, we were all calm on the sideline because we knew if we put a drive together, we would be alright.
 
"The defense will get it tightened up, like they do every time. Hats off to those guys. They put us in great position all afternoon."
 
The Bearcats solidified their advantage 4 minutes later when Zimmerman threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Sehl, giving Northwest a 17-7 lead with 11:12 left in the second quarter.
 
For the next 8 minutes, Nebraska-Kearney played a tough brand of football to stay within striking distance until the Green Machine started cranking out touchdowns.