MARYVILLE, Mo. - The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University football team pulled off a second-half comeback to secure a 20-19 victory over the visiting Pittsburg State University Gorillas at Bearcat Stadium.

The Gorillas led 16-0 with 10:39 left in the third quarter before the Bearcats responded with sophomore quarterback Mike Hohensee tossing three touchdown passes to keep Northwest undefeated on the season at 5-0.

PSU placekicker Chase Holmes had a chance to put the Gorillas back on top with 1:01 to play in the game, but his 44-yard attempt sailed wide left to give Northwest the victory. Holmes went 4-of-6 on field goals in the contest. Holmes made his first four attempts from 27, 53, 24 and 31. Holmes missed his last two attempts in the fourth quarter from 38 and 44.

"This is Pitt State and Northwest Missouri State football," head coach Rich Wright said. "Both programs with proud traditions and a lot of history going at it. Our guys showed a lot of resilience, grit and toughness. It was a team win."

The Gorillas took the opening kickoff and marched 83 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead. PSU quarterback Mak Sexton hit tight end Kaizer Newell on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 10:08 left in the first quarter. 

Holmes extended the lead to 13-0 at the half with a pair of second quarter field goals. Holmes hit his first one from 27 yards with 9:13 left in the second. Holmes then drilled a 53-yarder at the halftime gun.

Northwest had the first possession of the second half, but Hohensee's first play of the second half was a batted ball that was intercepted by PSU's Alex Gaskill at the Northwest 35-yard line. The Bearcat defense stiffened and forced another Holmes field goal from 24 yards that pushed the Gorilla lead to 16-0 with 10:39 to play in the third.

The Bearcat offense began chipping away at the deficit with a five-play, 73-yard drive that was capped by a 33-yard touchdown strike from Hohensee to senior Kaden Davis with 7:59 left in the third. The Gorillas chewed 4:01 off the clock and 61 yards as Holmes connected on a 31-yard field goal with 3:58 left in the third to give PSU a 19-7 advantage.

The Northwest offense kept humming with a seven-play, 77-yard march that resulted in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Hohensee to redshirt freshman running back Jadon Brady. It was Brady's first career touchdown as a Bearcat. The score brought Northwest to within 19-14 with 0:53 left in the third quarter.

PSU took 6:08 off the clock and while driving 12 plays and 54 yards, only to see Holmes miss a 38-yard field goal wide left to keep the Gorillas lead at 19-14.

Northwest took over on its own 21-yard line with 9:45 to play in the game. Hohensee connected with sophomore tight end Cole Hembrough on a 24-yard pass play on Northwest's first play of the drive. Two plays later, Hohensee scrambled for a first down to put the ball at the PSU 43-yard line. The Bearcats then rode senior running back Al McKeller for four straight rushes of eight, 16, nine and two yards to give Northwest 1st-and-goal at the PSU 8-yard line. 

After an incompletion and junior running back Davonte Green was stuffed for no gain, Northwest faced a 3rd-and-goal from the eight. Hohensee fired a pass to his right that was caught by Davis at the two and then Davis lunged toward the end zone for the touchdown. The eight-yard touchdown gave Northwest a 20-19 lead with 5:15 to play in the game. Northwest went for two, but Hohensee's pass to McKeller fell incomplete. 

PSU returned the kickoff to the 37-yard line, but a personal foul set them back to the 22-yard line to start the drive. The Gorillas ran off nine plays and moved the ball to the 26-yard line as the game approached one minute to play. On 3rd-and-3, Northwest's Isaac Vollstedt dropped PSU running back Caleb Lewis for a one-yard loss. Northwest took a timeout with 1:01 to play as the Gorillas sent in Holmes for the potential go-ahead field goal from 44 yards. The kick sailed wide left and Northwest took over at the 27-yard line. 

Following three kneel downs from Hohensee, the Bearcats claimed a 20-19 victory.

Northwest will travel to Topeka, Kan., next Saturday to match up against the Washburn Ichabods. Kick is set for 1 p.m. 

NOTES: Pitt State out-gained Northwest, 368-294 ... PSU posted 24 first downs, while Northwest was held to 15 ... Northwest committed two turnovers, while PSU did not turn it over ... Hohensee went 17-of-23 passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions ... Alec Tatum led Northwest with seven catches for 83 yards ... Davis caught two passes for 41 yards and both went for touchdowns ... McKeller rushed for a team-high 93 yards on 16 carries ... PSU's Jalen Martin caught 10 passes for 127 yards ... senior linebacker Jackson Barnes led all tacklers in the game with 12 stops ... senior Sam Roberts recorded the game's only quarterback sack ... Northwest has won nine consecutive MIAA games dating back to the 2019 season ... Northwest has also won nine straight home games ... Northwest leads the all-time series with Pittsburg State, 29-25 ... Northwest has won five of the last six meetings with PSU ... Northwest is 221-25 as a ranked team ... Northwest is 43-6 when ranked No. 2 in the nation ... Northwest improved to 111-10 in Bearcat Stadium since the start of the 2001 season ... it's only the second time in the Rich Wright era at Northwest that the Bearcats have overcome a halftime deficit to win ... Northwest is 2-7 when trailing at the half under Wright.