MARYVILLE, Missouri - The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University football team posted a 38-0 shutout of the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos on Family Weekend.

Northwest moved to 3-0, while Central Oklahoma dropped to 1-3.

The Bearcat defense held the Bronchos to 122 total yards and eight first downs. Northwest held UCO to minus-28 yards rushing.

Senior wide receiver Alec Tatum pulled in a career-high 11 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns, including a 44-yard Hail Mary pass to close out the first half. His 205 receiving yards are the fourth-most by a Bearcat in school history.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Hohensee went 18-of-27 for 251 yards and two scores.

Senior running back Al McKeller carried the ball 21 times for 147 yards and a touchdown. It was McKeller's 19th 100-plus rushing game of his collegiate career. The Bearcats piled up 211 yards on the ground and two scores.

Northwest marched the ball down the field on its first three possessions but had no points to show for it after an interception and two missed field goals. Northwest's first drive went for 10 plays and 64 yards before it was thwarted by an interception by UCO's Dylan Buchheit in the end zone.

A sack by Jackson Barnes forced another Broncho punt. Northwest drove 32 yards in 10 plays but saw the drive end with no points on a missed 31-yard field goal by Cole Lammel. A quick three-and-out gave the ball back quickly to the 'Cats with 13:19 to play in the second quarter. 

The Bearcats used 5:28 off the clock and moved it 44 yards in 11 plays, However, Northwest was unable to convert it into points as Lammel missed a 43-yard field goal with 7:51 to play in the half.

Northwest's defense locked in again and forced another three-and-out. Northwest took over near midfield with 6:23 to play in the second quarter. Northwest cashed this drive into points as Hohensee play-faked and scored around the right side from a yard out for a 7-0 lead. The Bearcat drive covered 51 yards in eight plays and consumed 3:59 off the clock.

Redshirt freshman Cahleel Smith notched his first career interception as he picked off UCO quarterback Keats Calhoon at the Northwest 39-yard line with 1:30 left on the second quarter clock,

The Bearcats looked to be stopped and would run out the first-half clock but McKeller ripped off a 20-yard run on a 3rd-and-15 to put the ball into UCO territory at the 46-yard line. Hohensee tossed an incompletion and then rushed for a two-yard gain that left two seconds until halftime. Following timeouts by both teams, Hohensee dropped back and rolled right as he bought time to throw a hail mary. Hohensee let loose and Tatum latched on to the 44-yard score at the halftime gun to give Northwest a 14- lead.

Northwest had deferred on the coin toss to start the game and reaped the benefits by choosing to receive the second-half kickoff. Northwest marched 57 yards in 16 plays and chewed up nearly half the time in the quarter (7:21). Lammel connected on a 42-yard field goal to up the lead to 17-0 with 7:35 left in the third. The Bronchos gave the ball right back to Northwest after another three-and-out.

The Bearcats turned the possession into a touchdown as McKeller scored up the middle from 15 yards out. The McKeller score put Northwest into a commanding 24-0 lead with 3:47 to play in the third.

UCO converted one first down in the third quarter, but ran only eight plays. Following UCO's second punt of the third quarter, Northwest used a 10-play, 86-yard drive that resulted in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Hohensee to Tatum. The tandem's score gave Northwest a 31-0 lead with 11:01 left in the fourth quarter. 

The Bearcat defense stuffed the Bronchos again after a five-play, 14-yard drive and gave the ball back to the Northwest offense with 8:21 to play. Redshirt freshman backup quarterback Joseph Krause threw his first collegiate touchdown pass as he dropped off a screen to junior running back Davonte Green. Green took the toss and weaved his way 65 yards for the final score of the game with 7:19 left in the contest and Northwest owning a 38-0 advantage.

All that was left was to protect the shutout and the Northwest defense answered the call. UCO got its deepest penetration of the game by reaching the 19-yard line, but a sack by senior Sam Roberts pushed the Bronchos back to the 28-yard line. UCO's Alex Quevedo lined up for a 45-yard field goal with 2:54 to play, only to have Zach Howard lay a palm on the kick and make sure it did not reach its destination. The blocked kick preserved the 38-0 victory.

Northwest will be back in action next Saturday at Missouri Western. Kick is set for 6 p.m. at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph, Mo.

NOTES: It is the ninth shutout the Bearcats have produced under head coach Rich Wright ... through three games, Northwest has not allowed a point in the first half or the fourth quarter ... Northwest has allowed 14 points through the first three games in going 3-0 on the season ... Northwest rattled off 28 first downs, while UCO netted eight first downs ... Northwest's first punt of the game came with :32 left in the game ... UCO punted seven times ... Northwest was 14-of-18 on third down conversions ... Northwest ran 80 offensive plays, while Central Oklahoma was limited to 42 total plays ... Northwest is 10-3 all-time vs. Central Oklahoma and have won the last five matchups iln Maryville.