FINAL STATS (PDF)

PITTSBURG, Kansas - The Northwest Missouri State football squad went on the road Saturday and tallied a 31-7 victory over previously undefeated Pittsburg State, 31-7.

The Bearcats scored 21 points in the second quarter to take control of the contest and led 28-0 at the break.

Isaiah Strayhorn rushed for 147 yards and a score, while Braden Wright passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns for the Bearcats. Northwest outgained Pitt State, 452-268.

Strayhorn got the Bearcats on the board in the first quarter on a 1-yard run with 8:35 on the clock. Wright kept the drive alive with a six-yard scamper on 3rd-and-6 at the Pitt State 29-yard line. Parker Sampson tacked on the extra point to give Northwest the 7-0 lead.

Strayhorn ripped of a 67-yard run on Northwest's next possession that began at its own 3-yard line. But Wright was picked off by Pitt State's Jaylon Myers at the Gorilla 32-yard line to stamp out the Bearcat drive. Northwest's special teams came up big with a blocked punt Zach Pierce. However, Northwest could not convert on the scoring chance when Sampson missed a 38-yard field goal wide right.

The second quarter scoring onslaught began with a four-yard scoring strike from Wright to Chase White with 12:57 left in the half. Northwest made it 21-0 when Wright hooked up with freshman LaTroy Harper on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 left in the second quarter. The key play in the drive came on a 43-yard passing play to senior wideout Shawn Bane Jr. Northwest's third touchdown of the quarter came on a 23-yard rushing score from sophomore Alec Tatum on a fake field goal attempt with 0:34 left in the half. Tatum, the holder on field goals and extra points, took the snap and ran over the right side to the end zone to give Northwest a 28-0 lead at the break.

The first half saw the Bearcats outgain the Gorillas, 364-102. Northwest had 14 first downs to only five for the Gorillas in the opening 30 minutes. Pitt State was 1-of-8 on third-down conversions in the first half.

Sampson added a 38-yard field goal with 6:56 left in the fourth quarter to extend the Northwest lead to 31-0.

The Gorillas scored their only points of the contest on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Matt Harman to Elijah Harris with 0:48 left in the game.

Northwest improves to 5-1 on the year, while Pitt State falls to 5-1 overall.

The Bearcats will be back in action Saturday for its annual Homecoming game at 2 p.m. Northwest will take on the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers at Bearcat Stadium.

NOTES: Northwest moves into a tie for first place in the MIAA standings ... senior wide receiver Shawn Bane became the eighth Bearcat to reach 3,000 career receiving yards ... Bane caught four passes for 95 yards ... Northwest senior punter Matt Thorman had six punts for a 44.3 average and a long of 57 ... he had two punts downed inside the 20-yard line ... Anthony Lane led the Bearcats in tackles with eight ... J'Ravian Anderson collected a game-high three pass breakups ... junior running back Isaiah Strayhorn recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of his Bearcat career when he ran for 147 yards in a 31-7 win at Pittsburg State ... Strayhorn carried the ball 11 times and averaged 13.4 yards per carry against the Gorillas ... five of Strayhorn's 11 carries resulted in first downs ... He is the first Northwest running back to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark this season ... Prior to Strayhorn's 100-yard game, the previous Northwest running back to rush for 100 yards in a game was Chase White against Missouri Western last season (11/11/2017). White carried 12 times for 100 yards against the Griffons ... Freshman LaTroy Harper scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 13-yard scoring strike from Braden Wright ... Senior Chase White has caught three passes this season and all three have gone for touchdowns ... Northwest is the only NCAA Div. II school to have not allowed a rushing touchdown ... In fact, Northwest has not allowed a rushing touchdown since Dec. 10, 2016 in the NCAA semifinal playoff matchup against Ferris State ... Since then, the Bearcats have gone 19 games since allowing a rushing score.