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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Football at Nebraska-Kearney  |  Saturday, Sept. 16  |  2 p.m.  |  Foster Field at Cope Stadium
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - A sign of a championship-caliber team is the way it handles adversity. The 2017 Northwest Missouri State football team showed last week that it has the mettle to overcome an adverse situation.
 
The Bearcats scored only five points in the first half against Washburn and saw their lead in jeopardy midway through the third quarter. Northwest responded by never relinquishing the lead and winning its 32^nd straight game.
 
"Having adversity in the first half for the first time in a long time helped our team out," said Northwest senior cornerback Marcus Jones. "Our young guys got a little taste of what adversity feels like from a great opponent like Washburn. It brought everybody closer. We needed adversity to see how we would react to it."
 
It is likely, Northwest, 2-0 and ranked No. 1 in the AFCA top 25, will encounter another intense effort 2 p.m. Saturday at Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers are 1-1. They have a new coach and a new scheme.
 
"We are expecting a tough game," Jones said. "We know they want to win their Homecoming. For us, we want to play a full, complete game, special teams, offense and defense. It is something we haven't done in the first two weeks."
 
Northwest has several new starters on both sides of the ball who are getting their first taste of the intensity opponents bring because of the Bearcats' success.
 
Sure, the younger players have heard from veterans that opponents view Northwest as their Super Bowl.
 
The coaches tell the younger players that whatever you see on film from opponents, you better crank their intensity up at least three or four times when they play Northwest.
 
"You have to relearn the lesson," Northwest coach Rich Wright said. "You hear about it and talk about it, but it is not until they are the starters and feel it and see how much harder teams play against them, that they have the a-ha moment, okay, this is what they are talking about."
 
Jones, a 6-foot, 178-pound defensive back, is one of the veterans who can help the younger players get through tough moments in a game.
 
"It brings an enormous amount of focus to our team because everybody wants we got," Jones said. "We let them know that we have guys who have been here, to stay calm and not get emotional and just focus on the next snap. We are a team."
 
Jones the many different aspects of playing football at Northwest. He started his sophomore season. He saw just as many snaps his junior year but didn't start. The way he handled coming off the bench impressed Wright.
 
"He never once complained about it," Wright said. "He just went out and played and executed his 1/11th. He ended up playing the same number of snaps as the rest of those guys, but sometimes it can be difficult not starting."
 
It was never a problem for Jones, who shared time last year with Anthony Lane, who was his roommate.
 
"I didn't mind sharing that time with him," Jones said. "We just fed off of each other. My mindset last year was to do my job to the best of my ability when I got on the field. It played out well and the right way."
 
Wright said Jones is off to a great start in the first two weeks. NFL scouts are looking at him. Wright has received calls from NFL scouts about Jones. They like his length and his ability to shut down opposing wide receivers who are trending taller in recent years.
 
Jones also has the right mentality to play a position that most people only notice when a wide receiver catches a long touchdown pass.
 
"Defensive back is probably the hardest position to play in the sense that when you make a mistake, everybody in the world knows it," Wright said. "You are out there on an island. You have to have the right mindset and personality to do that. He is physical. He can play on receivers."
 
Jones arrived at Northwest in 2013 after a stellar senior season at North Kansas City High School. He rushed for 1,400 yards and 32 touchdowns.
 
Northwest coaching staff liked Jones' length and athleticism and felt he had the perfect body-type to play defensive back.
 
As for Jones, he had more of a passion for hitting players on the football field instead of being hit.
 
"I am a physical guy," Jones said. "I get to showcase that on defense. Defense brought that aggressive part out in me."
 
Increased attention has not changed Jones' mentality.
 
"I am just doing my job," Jones said. "Coach always says the film doesn't lie. I stay with the process. You worry about your job, and the rest will come."
 
And that is the focus the Bearcats will take to Nebraska-Kearney for their second straight road game.
 
"How do we need to improve? If we take care of Northwest Missouri State then hopefully the outcome will take care of itself," Wright said.
 
Jones has been taking care of business on and off the football field. He is scheduled to receive his degree in the spring in corporate recreation and wellness with a minor in coaching. When he is finished with football, he wants to coach.
 
"It will mean a lot to my family," Jones said of earning a bachelor's degree. "I will be the second one in my family to graduate from college. My sister graduated from college. It means that you completed something. That alone will make my mom proud."
 
For now, Jones is enjoying his senior season at Northwest.
 
"This is the time I don't get back," Jones said. "There is a tradition and a family atmosphere here. It is something you feel. The camaraderie is something I will always take with me."