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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Football at Ashland University  |  Saturday, Nov. 18  |  11 a.m. (CST)  |  Jack Miller Stadium
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - When Northwest Missouri State entered its last football game, the Bearcats knew they had to win to reach the NCAA Division II playoffs for a 14^th straight time.
 
"The playoffs," Northwest junior Ben Althoff said, "are something that is not guaranteed for our program. It is something we have to fight for each and every year. I think when we lost those two games, we realized that. We have to go out and earn it every week."
 
The Bearcats responded to the challenge in the final week of the regular season and played one of their most complete games this year. They went on the road and beat rival Missouri Western 30-0.
 
Basically, Northwest already started its journey back to the national championship on the road.
 
The playoffs truly start for the Bearcats 11 a.m. Saturday at Ashland, the No. 3 seed in Super Region Three. Northwest takes a 9-2 record into the game at Jake Miller Stadium in Ashland, Ohio. The Eagles have won 10 straight since a 26-23 season-opening loss to Indiana (Pa.). They won their first outright Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. The GLIAC is the conference that has Grand Valley State and Ferris State.
 
No question, Northwest, the two-time defending champion, faces a stern challenge to get back to Kansas City, Kan., for the championship game. In the previous two seasons, the Bearcats received a first-round bye and then played three home playoff games before reaching the title game.
 
Late season losses at Pittsburg State and at home to Fort Hays State put an end to that luxury. But don't fret Bearcat fans, the players know the history of the program. They have heard stories about the 2005 team that went 7-3 and then pulled off four straight road wins before narrowly losing the championship game.
 
The 2005 team called themselves "Road Dogs" and that name has stuck with the program ever since. It is resurrected whenever the Bearcats have road playoff games.
 
"It is so cool," Althoff said. "I know we had Coach T (athletic director Mel Tjeerdsma) recently talk to us about 2005 when we didn't get the first-round bye and things weren't going our way. Those guys found a way to overcome adversity and made it to the national championship game. We will have to have a season kind of like that and continue to work through adversity and be road dogs and continue to fight when we are on the road."
 
For every team that makes the playoffs, it is a new season. Rich Wright, who is in his first season as head coach at Northwest, calls it a rebirth. Everybody is 0-0.
 
"The excitement, too," he said, "is the opportunity to play somebody different. When you turn on the film, it is a unique deal. You try to compare them to other people in your league and other teams you played in the past.
 
"For us, we have experience playing teams up that way. Last year we played Ferris State. We have played Grand Valley. We have a little bit of a feel what the conference is like."
 
Althoff, who has 68 tackles for the top-rated defense in Division II, understands they will have a difficult chore slowing down Ashland senior quarterback Travis Tarnowski.
 
"From what I have seen from their offense, they have a really good quarterback," Althoff said. "I know in the selection show they mentioned he has only thrown one pick this year. They do a very good job of taking care of the football and staying within themselves. The quarterback does a very good job making plays, either with his feet or through the air with his arm."
 
Northwest has been stingy on defense no matter who it plays. The Bearcats have recorded five shutouts this season. The most points they have given up is 20, once to Central Missouri and the other to Pittsburg State. It is an impressive feat considering all the talent they lost from last year's team. Players such as Collin Bevins, Cass Weitl, Jacob Vollstedt and Kevin Berg made up one of the best defensive units in the program's history and Division II history.
 
"We had some new guys step into roles who just continued to rise to the level of expectations we have for ourselves," Althoff said. "We use the next man up mantra for our defense. We know that no matter who is in, we have expectations. We set the bar high, and we try to achieve it every game."
 
Althoff, Wright said, is one of those players who has done a good job of meeting the challenges this season.
 
"He wasn't a full-time starter for us last year, but played a lot at outside linebacker," Wright said. "Everybody I talked to in the league in preseason was, 'how are going to replace the Vollstedt kid?' Jake was an unbelievable football player.
 
"Ben has stepped in and very quietly been a phenomenal player for us this year. I really don't see much of a drop off from a production standpoint with Ben. Ben ended up being a first time All-MIAA selection."
 
Northwest's run of success is based on the players doing their job to the best of their ability. The two losses were a wake-up call to getting back to the basics.
 
"Coach says to focus on the little details of the game that allow us to win games," Althoff said. "It is hard when you have so much success to focus on those. After the two losses, we changed our mindset to focus on the little details that ultimately will help us be successful again.
 
"The Missouri Western game was a big confidence booster for us. It was a good way for us to get some momentum going into the playoffs after coming off the two losses. We are excited to see where we can take this thing."