Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Game No. 4 - Northwest Missouri State (3-0) at Central Oklahoma (1-2)
Sat., Sept. 22 | 6 p.m. | Edmond, Okla. | Wantland Stadium (10,000)

Live Stream ($ - Subscription) - MIAA Network
Live Audio - KXCV
Live Stats - www.BronchoSports.com
Tickets - www.BronchoSports.com

THIS WEEK'S GAME
The Northwest Missouri State football team will travel to Edmond, Oklahoma, to take on the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos. Kick is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Wantland Stadium.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UCO
Northwest holds an 8-2 lead in the all-time series vs. Central Oklahoma. Northwest is a perfect 5-0 in games played in Edmond. The Bearcats have won six straight in the series since the Bronchos joined the MIAA.

THE COACHES
Northwest is led by second-year head coach Rich Wright. was named head coach at Northwest Missouri on Dec. 19, 2016. Wright posted a 12-3 mark for the Bearcats in 2017. Wright arrived at Northwest in 2004 as the defensive line coach and coordinator of special teams. In 2011, Wright was named defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. A native of Hamilton, N.Y., Wright earned his bachelor's degree at Dana College in 1995 and his master's at Northwest in 1996.
    Nick Bobeck is in his seventh season at the helm of the UCO football program. Last season, Central Oklahoma finished 8-4. The Bronchos won the last six games and seven of the last eight. UCO ended the regular season 7-4 and earned a fourth-place finish in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association standings before beating Tarleton State in the inaugural Corsicana Bowl in Corsicana, Texas.

LOOKING TO GO 4-0
Northwest will be looking to improve to 4-0 for the sixth straight season. Since 1996, Northwest has begun a season 4-0 on 12 occasions.

100 WINS THIS DECADE
Northwest is the only NCAA Div. II school to have captured 100 wins in this decade.
    The Bearcats have posted a record of 100-13 since the start of the 2010 season.
    Minnesota-Duluth ranks second in Div. II with 91 wins since the start of 2010.

LAST TIME AROUND VS. THE BRONCHOS
Last season, Northwest recorded a 17-10 win over Central Oklahoma at Bearcat Stadium. Northwest opened up a 17-3 lead on three-yard rushing touchdowns from Brody McMahon and Jordan Thompson. UCO scored a touchdown with 1:34 left in the game. Northwest recovered the UCO onside kick attempt and ran out the clock for the victory.

BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Northwest ranks No. 1 in the nation in tackles-for-loss per game (12.3). Northwest has put up 10 or more tackles-for-loss in all three games this season.

STAYING DEFENSIVE
The Bearcats rank No. 3 in the nation in scoring defense by giving up only 7.7 points per game. Northwest has not allowed a second-half touchdown and has outscored the opposition 59-6 in the second half.

DEFENSIVE LOCKDOWN
The Bearcat defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown since Dec. 10, 2016, in the NCAA  semifinal against Ferris State. Since then, no opponent has scored on the ground, a span of 16 games. Davontae Harrington scored with 9:51 left  in the third quarter to cut the Bearcat lead to 21-20. That would be the Bulldogs' last score of the contest as Northwest went on to win, 35-20.
    Northwest was the only NCAA school to not allow a rushing touchdown all of last season - including FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III.

MORE DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
The Northwest defense has not allowed an individual runner to surpass 100 yards in the last 45 games. That came in the 2014 NCAA playoff game against Minnesota Duluth (Drew Bauer -  131). In fact, the last MIAA runner to go for more than 100 yards on the Bearcats was Missouri Southern's Chris Barnwell (104) back on Oct. 26, 2013, a span of 59 games.

500 YARDS OF OFFENSE
Northwest has posted back-to-back games of 500 yards or more of total offense. It's the first time since the 2016 season that Northwest has done that.
    The Bearcats piled up 509 yards at Washburn and followed that up with 588 yards against Missouri Southern.
    In 2016, Northwest had a streak of four straight games of 500 or more yards of total offense.

FRESHMAN QB TERRITORY
Braden Wright is entering rare territory for Bearcat freshmen quarterbacks. The last Northwest freshman signal caller to pass for more than 1,000 yards and 10-plus touchdowns in a season came in the 2004 campaign when Josh Mathews relieved an injured Josh Lamberson in the eighth game of the season. Mathews passed for 1,263 yards and 11 touchdowns while leading Northwest to the quarterfinals of the 2004 NCAA Div. II playoffs.
    Wright has passed for 716 yards and six touchdowns through the first three games of the 2018 season. Wright has also rushed for 194 yards and four touchdowns in 2018.

3,000 RUSHING YARDS, 25 TOUCHDOWNS
Senior running back Josh Caldwell has rushed for 3,090 career rushing yards and ranks No. 1 among all active NCAA Division II running backs. Caldwell has rushed for 27 career touchdowns, which ranks No. 8 among active Div. II players.

BANE AMONG LEADERS
Shawn Bane Jr. ranks No. 5 among active NCAA Div. II players in receiving yards. Bane has posted 2,857 yards in 39 career games. Bane is tied for No. 6 on the NCAA active career leaders touchdown receptions list with 26.

BANE LOOKS TO MOVE UP THE CHARTS
Senior wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. (Sarasota, Fla.) is looking to move up the career receiving charts in 2018.
    Bane ranks No. 8 in Bearcat history with 175 receptions.
    He is looking to become only the eighth Northwest receiver to surpass 3,000 career yards. Bane has tallied 2,857 receiving yards, which ranks No. 8 on the all-time Northwest receiving yards chart.
    His 26 career touchdown receptions rank tied for No. 5 in program history. Bane found the end zone 19 times in his first two seasons, but was limited to six scores in 2017 while still earning second-team All-MIAA honors.

Career Pass Receptions
1.    Jamaica Rector (2001-2004)    289
2.    Kendall Wright (2005-2008)    243
3.    Tony Miles (1997-2000)        235
4.    Jake Soy (2008-2011)        222
5.    Andre Rector (2002-2005)    213
6.    Dan Anderson (1982-1985)    198
7.    Steve Hansley (1983-1985)    196
8.    Shawn Bane Jr. (2015-pr.)    175
9.    Tyler Shaw (2009-2012)        166
10.    Jordan Simmons (2009-2012)    162

Career Receiving Yards
1.    Jamaica Rector (2001-2004)    4,497
2.    Tony Miles (1997-2000)        3,890
3.    Jake Soy (2008-2011)        3,687
4.    Kendall Wright (2005-2008)    3,253
5.    Steve Hansley (1983-1985)    3,118
6.    Andre Rector (2002-2005)    3,049
7.    Tyler Shaw (2009-2012)        3,021
8.    Shawn Bane Jr. (2015-pr.)    2,857
9.    Dan Anderson (1982-1985)    2,651
10.    Mike Peterson (2004-2007)    1,987

Career Touchdown Receptions
1.    Jake Soy (2008-2011)        45
2.    Jamaica Rector (2001-2004)    38
3.    Tony Miles (1997-2000)        37
4.    Tyler Shaw (2009-2012)        32
5.    Steve Hansley (1983-1985)    26
    Shawn Bane Jr. (2015-pr.)    26
7.    Kendall Wright (2005-2008)    21
8.    Wade Hanson (1994-1997)    19
9.    Andre Rector (2002-2005)    18
10.    Mike Peterson (2004-2007)    17

BANE TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
Shawn Bane Jr. returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown in Northwest's 63-0 win over Missouri Southern.
    It was the Northwest's first punt return for a touchdown (non-blocked) since Jordan Wright returned a punt 46 yards for a score against Emporia State on Nov. 12, 2011.

BANE'S FIRST-HALF SHOW
Bane put on a quite a show in the first half against Missouri Southern. Bane scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Braden Wright in the first quarter.
    Bane then ended the first half with an electrifying 88-yard punt return for a touchdown to give Northwest a 35-0 lead at the break.
    Bane tallied 193 all-purpose yards -- all in the first half against Missouri Southern.

WRIGHT NAMED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt freshman quarterback Braden Wright has been named the MIAA offensive player of the week after leading Northwest Missouri State to a 38-17 victory at Washburn.
    Wright (Elkhorn, Nebraska) rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns, while passing for 233 yards and another score against the Ichabods at Yager Stadium.
    Wright scored on a 27-yard run with 7:11 left in the second quarter to knot the game at 14-14. Wright then put Northwest ahead for good in the third quarter when he scored again on the ground from 17 yards out. Wright was 23-of-35 passing, including a 14-yard scoring strike to Chase White in the fourth quarter.

HESSLER LEAVING HIS MARK
For the second consecutive game to start the 2018 season, junior linebacker Andy Hessler led the team in tackles-for-loss.
    Hessler notched four TFLs against Missouri Western and then added three more TFLs at Washburn.
    Hessler had recorded two tackles-for-loss in his first two seasons in a Bearcat uniform.

TWO GRADUATES ON THE FIELD
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame released a list of 1,200 student-athletes who have already earned their undergraduate degrees and will be playing college football this fall while pursuing second diplomas. Northwest Missouri State has a pair of graduates playing this year in Michael Sorfonden (Harlan, Iowa) and Josh Caldwell (Lee's Summit, Mo.).
    "The National Football Foundation takes great pride in its role as a leading voice in the promotion of the scholar-athlete," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "And highlighting the 1,200 student-athletes who have not only earned their undergraduate degrees but are now pursuing additional diplomas sends a powerful message about the doors that college football opens. This list allows us to showcase those individuals who have truly taken full advantage of the opportunities created by college football."
    The NFF compiled the list with the help of athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors from all divisions who identified the players on their 2018 fall rosters who have already earned their undergraduate degrees. A total of 235 schools responded, creating the list of 1,200 student-athletes who are slated to play this year while pursuing additional diplomas.

20 YEARS SINCE FIRST TITLE
It has been 20 years since the Bearcats won the program's first national title in 1998.
    A 20-year reunion will be held at Homecoming this season to honor the 15-0 national champions of 1998.

PRESEASON FAVORITES
Northwest was picked as the preseason favorite by both the media and coaches to win the 2018 MIAA football championship. The Bearcats received 14 first-place votes and 382 points in the media poll. Northwest had four first-place votes and 103 points in the coaches poll.

DOMINANT DEFENSE
The Northwest defense continued to be dominating in 2017. The Bearcats ranked first in the nation in scoring defense (9.3 ppg), total defense (212.8 yards/game), blocked punts (7) and third down conversion defense (19.9 percent).

FOUR STRAIGHT YEARS OF NO. 1-RANKED DEFENSE
Northwest has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense in each of the past four seasons. The Bearcats have ranked No. 1 in scoring defense in each of last three seasons. Northwest has been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in rushing defense since 2014.

FIVE CAPTAINS
Head coach Rich Wright as designated five captains for the 2018 football season. Wright has named defensive back Anthony Lane (Riviera Beach, Fla.), linebacker Nick Hess (Liberty, Mo.), defensive end Austen Askew (Lawson, Mo.), linebacker Ben Althoff (Palmyra, Mo.) and offensive lineman Zach Flott (Ralston, Neb.) as the captains for the upcoming year.
    Eskew and Althoff were named to the first-team all-MIAA squad in 2017. Lane and Flott garnered second-team all-MIAA honors, while Hess notched third-team all-MIAA accolades.

14 STRAIGHT PLAYOFF APPEARANCES
Last season marked the 14th straight season that Northwest had qualified for the NCAA Div. II playoffs. Northwest has made 22 overall appearances in the playoffs. Since 1996, the Bearcats have made 20 playoff appearances – only missing postseason action in 2001 and 2003.

HOME COOKING IN PLAYOFFS
Northwest has compiled a 29-3 all-time record at home in the NCAA Div. II playoffs. In fact heading into the 2018 season, the Bearcats have won 22 consecutive home playoff games at Bearcat Stadium.

SIX-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPS
Northwest has captured six NCAA Div. II national championship – the most national titles by any Division II program. Northwest won national championships in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
    The Bearcat have played in the NCAA Div. II national championship game 10 times in the last 21 years. Northwest has played for the crown in 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016.

28 MIAA TITLES
Northwest has captured 28 MIAA football regular season titles.

GPA DECALS
Every Northwest football player with a 3.0 or higher grade point average will have a special decal on their helmet with their GPA, major and advisor. Student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA will have a gold decal on their helmet.

HUGHES FAMILY FIELDHOUSE
Located just northwest of College Park and Bearcat Stadium on the Northwest campus, the Carl & Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse will serve as a host site for a wide range of University and community activities. The project represents the single largest public-private partnership in Northwest's 112-year history – and one of the largest public-private partnerships ever in the region.

The Hughes Fieldhouse features:
• 137,250 square-foot recreation and multipurpose facility featuring recreation and exhibition space,
• indoor flooring system,
• 90-yard practice turf,
• 300-meter indoor track,
• spectator seating and
• tiered meeting rooms

    The Hughes Fieldhouse is an estimated $20 million project with multiple financing sources, including commitments from the University, private support and community support. The facility is to be named for the Carl and Cheryl Hughes family, who committed a significant gift to the project through the Hughes Family Foundation.

VICIS ZERO1 HELMET
Northwest Missouri State will outfit the football team with VICIS ZERO1 Helmets.
"The VICIS ZERO1 is a game-changer and is delivering a completely new approach to player safety," head coach Rich Wright said. "We've been extremely impressed with the research we've seen on the ZERO1, and we're excited to have our players wearing the helmet this year."
"Northwest Missouri State University is a powerhouse program, winning six NCAA Division II titles in the last two decades," VICIS CEO and co-founder Dave Marver said. "We're honored to protect them in their pursuit for number seven."
Ranked as the best helmet in the National Football League and surpassing all expectations of the NFL Players Association helmet performance tests, VICIS ZERO1 Helmets are currently equipping athletes on over 400 high school teams. Additionally, more than 110 professional and collegiate teams have committed to the ZERO1 Helmet coming into the 2018 season.
"Our team has worked hard to bring the ZERO1's breakthrough protective technology to players across the country," says Marver.
VICIS designs the ZERO1 with a unique structure compared to other helmets on the market. A deformable outer shell and columnar layer slows and reduces impact forces in a similar function to the bumper of a car. The helmet is also priced to be accessible to college and high school programs.

BEARCATS IN THE NFL
Northwest is represented in the National Football League by tight end Clayton Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) and defensive lineman Matt Longacre (Los Angeles Rams).
    Wilson signed a free agent deal with the Seahawks after completing his collegiate career in 2017 for the Bearcats. Wilson caught 80 passes for 694 yards and six touchdowns in 50 career games for the Bearcats.