Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Game No. 2 - Northwest Missouri State (1-0) at Washburn (1-0)
Thurs., Sept. 6 | 6 p.m. | Yager Stadium (7,200)

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

Tickets - www.WUTickets.com

THIS WEEK'S GAME
A pair of 1-0 teams will match up Thursday at Yager Stadium in Topeka, Kansas, when the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats take on the Washburn Ichabods.
         Northwest is coming off a 28-6 victory over Missouri Western, while Washburn scored a 27-14 win at Lindenwood.
         Kick is set for 6 p.m.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Northwest holds a 31-6 lead in the all-time series vs. Washburn. Northwest has posted a record of 13-4 in Topeka.
 
ONE-SIDED SERIES OF LATE
The Bearcats have won 13 straight games against the Ichabods in the series. In fact, Northwest has won 23 of the last 24 meetings between the two programs.
         Northwest scored a 20-14 win at Yager Stadium in 2017.
 
THE COACHES
Northwest is led by second-year head coach Rich Wright. was named head coach at Northwest Missouri on Dec. 19, 2016. Wright has posted a 10-3 mark in two seasons. Of the 20 head coaches in Northwest's history only Adam Dorrel posted more victories (11 in 2011) in his first season as a head coach than Wright. 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. Wright resides in Maryville with his wife, Sarah, who is also a Northwest alum, and their daughters, Grace and Kate.
         Washburn is led by 17th-year head coach Craig Schurig. Schurig has led the Ichabods to a mark of 111-74. Schurig is 1-16 all-time vs. Northwest.
 
WRIGHT STUFF
Redshirt freshman quarterback Braden Wright put on a quite a show in his debut as the starter in a 28-6 victory over Missouri Western.
         Wright was responsible for all four Northwest touchdowns in the victory. Wright passed for three scores and ran in a 34-yard touchdown to cap the scoring.
         Wright connected on touchdown passes to Jaime Taylor (52 yards), Shawn Bane Jr. (60 yards) and Josh Caldwell (3 yards).
         Wright also led the Bearcats in rushing with 63 yards on only seven carries.
 
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 168 receptions.
He is looking to become only the eighth Northwest receiver to surpass 3,000 career yards. Bane has tallied 2,691 receiving yards, which ranks No. 8 on the all-time Northwest receiving yards chart.
         His 25 career touchdown receptions rank as the sixth-best 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.)              168
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.)              2,691
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
6.           Shawn Bane Jr. (2015-pr.)              25
7.           Kendall Wright (2005-2008)           21
8.           Wade Hanson (1994-1997)             19
9.           Andre Rector (2002-2005)              18
10.         Mike Peterson (2004-2007)             17
 
100-YARD GAMES FOR BANE
Shawn Bane tallied his 12th 100-yard receiving game in Northwest's 28-6 win over Missouri Western.
         Bane latched on to four passes for 102 yards and a score. Bane's touchdown came on a 60-yard toss from Braden Wright in the second quarter to give Northwest a 14-3 lead.
         Bane notched five 100-yard games in 2015, four in 2016 and two in 2017.
 
DISRUPTIVE DEFENSE
Junior linebacker Andy Hessler recorded four tackles-for-loss in the 28-6 win over Missouri Western.
         It is the most TFLs for a Bearcat since Cass Weitl recorded 5.0 in the 29-3 national championship win over North Alabama on Dec. 17, 2016.
         Hessler had recorded two tackles-for-loss in his first two seasons in a Bearcat uniform.
 
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.
 
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 14  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.
 
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.
 
MORE DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
The Northwest defense has not allowed an individual runner to surpass 100 yards in the last 43 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 56 games.
         The Bearcats have not allowed more than five third-down conversions in a game since Oct. 29, 2016, against Pittsburg State.
 
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.
 
SIX STRAIGHT OVER GRIFFONS
Northwest scored a 28-6 win over Missouri Western to record the Bearcats's sixth straight victory over the Griffons.
         Northwest has held Missouri Western without a touchdown in 15 consecutive quarters dating back to the first quarter in the 2015 matchup
 
FOR OPENERS
The Bearcats have won eight consecutive season openers. Northwest last lost its opening game of the season on Sept. 2, 2010, in a 16-7 setback vs. No. 14-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville. Prior the current streak of eight season-opening victories, Northwest had lost its previous four opening games in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
 
Last 8 Season-Opening Contests
8/30/18 W, 28-6 vs. Missouri Western
8/31/17 W, 34-0 vs. No. 4 Emporia State
9/1/16   W, 41-14 at No. 24 Emporia State
9/3/15   W, 31-0 at Nebraska-Kearney
9/14/14 W, 31-7 vs. Nebraska-Kearney
9/15/13 W, 45-24 vs. No. 22 Saginaw Valley
8/30/12 W, 33-3 vs. East Central
9/1/11   W, 65-3 at Truman State
 
PROGRAM OF THE DECADE
Northwest is the winningest NCAA Div. II program of this decade from 2010-2017. Northwest is 97-13 for an .882 winning percentage since 2010. The Bearcats have been ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Div. II Top 25 poll 38 times since the start of the 2010 season.
 
By Wins (Since 2010)
1.    Northwest Missouri State         97
2.    Minnesota-Duluth                      88
3.    Shepherd                                     84
       Colorado State-Pueblo            84
       Minnesota State, Mankato       84
 
By Winning Percentage (Since 2010)
1.    Northwest Missouri State         .882 (97-13)
2.    Shepherd                                     .866 (84-13)
       Colorado State-Pueblo            .866 (84-13)
4.    Minnesota-Duluth                      .846 (88-16)
5.    Minnesota State, Mankato       .832 (84-17)
 
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 currently 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.