---

By David Boyce  |  Northwest Football at Northeastern State  |  Saturday, Oct. 14  |  2 p.m.  |  Doc Wadley Stadium  |  Tahlequah, Okla.
Live Video  |  Live Statistics  |  Live Audio  |  Northwest Game Notes  |  NSU Game Notes 

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Last summer, when senior defensive end Bobby Gruenloh was preparing for his final season on Northwest Missouri State's football team, he often went to the football office and studied film.
 
On those occasions, Gruenloh texted junior Austen Eskew and let him know. Without fail, Eskew showed up. Eskew spent the spring and summer converting from a tight end to a defensive end.
 
"You could tell he really cared," Gruenloh said. "That meant a lot to us. He wanted to get better. Those guys usually turn out to be good football players.
 
"He is playing awesome this year. A lot of it has to do with the work he put in during the spring and summer."
 
The leadership Gruenloh provided as one of the six captains on the team is another reason why Eskew made the transition so smoothly. Eskew has recorded a sack in four of the six games the Bearcats have played this season.
 
Gruenloh is the perfect defensive lineman for any of the young players on the line to listen to and seek advice. He is in his fifth season in the football program after graduating from Palmyra High School in Missouri in 2013. He was a two-time all-district player in high school.
 
Like many of the Bearcats who redshirt their first season in the program, Gruenloh worked his way up. Last year he moved to the interior part of the defensive line and played defensive tackle because All-Conference performers Cass Weitl and Collin Bevins played defensive end.
 
"He is not a defensive tackle by trade," Northwest coach Rich Wright said. "He wanted to help us win football games. Bobby was the best guy for the position. He helped us win a national championship. When Collin got hurt last season, we moved him outside."
 
Gruenloh finished last season with 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks, including one in the national championship victory against North Alabama.
 
"You have to play a lot lower on the inside, especially at my size, weighing 255," Gruenloh said. "Everything happens a lot faster playing inside. You are closer to the O-linemen. You get hit faster and blocked faster.
 
"On the outside, you have more time, especially after playing on the inside. It gives me a lot more time to see the blocks and read them."
 
With experience at both spots, Gruenloh was poised to have an outstanding senior season. But early in the season, he pulled a hamstring. He saw limited action in the first game and then didn't play again until the fifth game of the season against Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium.
 
"As bad as I wanted to rush back, I took my time and made sure I was healed enough to play and not worry about re-injuring it," Gruenloh said. "It has been awesome to get out there and play with all my guys and the senior class. It is what I have been waiting for."
 
Based on what he has accomplished the past two weeks, Gruenloh is in top form as Northwest, 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in the AFCA top 25, heads to Tahlequah, Okla., to take on Northeastern State 2 p.m. Saturday. It is the longest road trip of the regular season for the Bearcats.
 
"I personally enjoy the time spent together, especially in the hotel, and the road trip down there," Gruenloh said.
 
Gruenloh admits the road trip back to Maryville drags a little bit. One way to make the 6-hour bus trip home better is by winning the game, something the Bearcats have done regularly in the MIAA.
 
The last MIAA road loss for the Bearcats came Sept. 8, 2012, at Central Missouri. Gruenloh was still playing high school football at Palmyra when that occurred.
 
The Bearcats understand for them to keep that fantastic streak alive they must focus on themselves in preparation this week instead of judging Northeastern State by its record. Gruenloh echoed the same thoughts as Wright about getting ready for Northeastern State, which is 0-6.
 
"The senior class and the coaching staff are making sure the whole team is focusing on us and what we need to do to get better," Gruenloh said. "We are focusing on the things we have been struggling with to improve ourselves.
 
"Northeastern came in last year and scored the most points on us than any team we played. We talked about that multiple times."
 
And that is a true statement. A year ago, Northeastern State came to Bearcat Stadium and scored 29 points. The next highest total was 21 by Missouri Southern and 20 by Ferris State in the national semifinal game.
 
Of course, it is worth noting Northwest treated the scoreboard like a pinball machine when it scored a season-high 74 points against Northeastern State. But that was last season. The 2017 season has a different flavor.
 
In order to extend the second-longest winning streak in Division II history, which currently stands at 36, Northwest has had to pull out a few wins in the fourth quarter.
 
"We knew it was going to be like that at the very beginning of the season," Gruenloh said. "We were going to have challenges. It is great to face those challenges early in the season. We will have the experience of scoring late to win or having to play a late, defensive series in a close game."
 
The defense has done its part to keep the Bearcats undefeated through six games. Gruenloh's experience and leadership is one reason the unit has excelled.
 
"He is kind of our quarterback up there," Wright said. "He talks constantly. He understands backfield sets. He understands what a team is doing before the ball is snapped. He alerts the rest of the defensive linemen to what is going on. We were lacking that a little bit when he was out. I was playing younger guys on the outside with less experience. With Bobby back, there is a lot more communication prior to the snap."
 
The Bearcats are racking up the sacks because the unit is acting like one. Last week, Northwest recorded five sacks against Central Oklahoma, and that energized the crowd of over 7,000 fans at Bearcat Stadium.
 
"You get a sack, and everybody is cheering and getting hyped," Gruenloh said. "You can definitely feel it as a player. There is no other feeling like it."
 
Gruenloh, who is majoring in marketing and business management, will graduate next fall. He is avoiding reflection on his football career because there is still plenty of football to play.
 
"I am trying to make this the best season it can be and one to remember," he said.