Northwest Missouri State Athletics

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By David Boyce  |  Facebook Photo Album

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - On the fifth offensive play of the game, Northwest Missouri State senior quarterback Jonathan Baker threw a beautiful 37-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Bane Jr.
 
"What was cool about it was the look we got was exactly what we studied on film," Baker said. "It was cool to see Shawn make a great release move. My thought was don't miss him short. I put it over the top.
 
"I think what that did was loosen up our defense and just go play the way they do. For our offense, it helped get the run game going a little bit. Anytime you get a shot over the top like that, the safeties start playing back."
 
It was the perfect way to begin the game for Baker, making his first start of the season for the Bearcats in Northwest's most important game. Northwest entered Saturday's contest at Spratt Stadium against rival Missouri Western knowing it needed to win to extend its incredible streak of reaching the NCAA Division II playoffs to 14 straight times.
 
The solid start took some of the pressure off the must-win situation. The four-play, 52-yard drive gave a shot of confidence to the Northwest offense.
 
The Bearcats maintained control the rest of the first half and turned a 17-point halftime lead into a 30-0 victory. Northwest, 9-2, will find out late Sunday afternoon in the Division II selection show who it will play next.
 
"I was really proud of our kids," Northwest coach Rich Wright said. "Like I told them afterward, I just felt some things we had to learn as a program that is going to help us moving forward.
 
"The last two weeks our preparation has been very good. I know we didn't get the outcome we wanted last week, but I was really happy with what we evolved into this week."
 
Before the Missouri Western game, Northwest was ranked sixth in Super Region 3. The top seven teams in each of the four regions advance to the playoffs. The top seed in each region gets a bye.
 
The Bearcats returned to form Saturday afternoon, looking like one of the top teams in Division II. The defense got its fifth shutout of the season and forced five turnovers.
 
"That is what we have been talking about," said Northwest senior cornerback Marcus Jones. "We have been trying to get another one. We wanted to play a full, complete game on defense. Getting our fifth shutout is big time for us and coach Wright."
 
On special teams, freshman placekicker Parker Sampson booted three field goals, and the offense had 386 total yards.
 
"This was as good of a performance we have had this year," Wright said. "Missouri Western is not at the top of the conference, but they are a good MIAA football team. I was really happy the way we played."
 
Northwest came out looking like a team that desperately wanted to get back to the playoffs and defend its national title. Bane ran the opening kickoff to the 48. Junior running back Emmanuel Jones carried the ball the first two plays for six yards. Baker zipped a 10-yard pass to senior Shane Williams for a first down. The next play went for a touchdown.
 
"It is one of those things when you haven't had confidence in a few weeks, to start quickly and have some success builds that confidence," Wright said. "You could see it on the sidelines when we scored right away on the big play to Bane. It was here we go."
 
The Bearcats then played great defense. After getting called for roughing the punter, Northwest stopped the Griffons again and forced a punt. This time, Northwest blocked the punt and got the ball deep in Missouri Western territory.
 
Unfortunately, Northwest fumbled the ball on the next play, which prevented the Bearcats from adding more points.
 
Despite the domination, Northwest held only a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Another blocked punt by the Bearcats gave them the ball at Missouri Western 20. This time Northwest took advantage of the favorable field position. On the fifth play, Jones scored on a 1-yard run, making it 14-0.
 
"When the defense gets those turnovers for us, that is huge," Baker said. "When they flip the field like that and give the offense a short porch, it does wonders for our confidence. I think you saw that today."
 
The best drive for Northwest in the first half started on its 18 with 2:02 left in the second quarter. Baker completed passes of 17 yards and 30 yards, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Sampson as time ran out in the first half.
 
Staked to a comfortable lead, the Bearcats played even better in the third quarter. A 17-yard touchdown run by Jones in the closing seconds of the third quarter gave Northwest a 27-0 lead.  
 
"Defensively, I thought we played really well," said Northwest junior safety Jack Richards. "I am very excited the way our offense played. It was a must-win for us. If we didn't win, we probably wouldn't have made the playoffs. It was a very important win for us."
 
Jones said the Bearcats didn't feel any pressure coming into the game.
 
"We knew if we did our jobs, we would pull this one out," Jones said.