TOPEKA, Kan. – The Northwest Missouri State University football team endured a 38-minute lightning delay and had two 100-yard rushers in a 52-31 road win over the Washburn University Ichabods at Yager Stadium.
 
Northwest moved its mark to 5-4 overall, while Washburn fell to 1-8 on the season.
 
Jay Harris recorded his ninth straight 100-yard rushing game with 123 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Teammate Tank Young put up his first 100-yard rushing contest with 109 yards on 12 carries. The Bearcats rushed for 245 yards on the day.
 
Mike Hohensee tossed three touchdowns and helped the Bearcats put up 441 yards of total offense.
 
The Bearcat defense forced four turnovers and the special teams added a blocked punt for a touchdown as Northwest surpassed the 50-point mark for the second time this season.
 
Shane Fredrickson was credited with a team-best seven tackles. Kobe Clayborne and Carter Olesen each recorded quarterback sacks. Trevion Traylor recovered a fumble, while Olesen, Josh Turner and Jianni Angulo secured interceptions.
 
The Bearcat defense made the first big play of the game when Olesen recorded his first interception of the season. Olesen's pick gave Northwest the ball at the Washburn 28-yard line.
 
Hohensee hit tight end Zach Atkins on a 23-yard passing play to the five-yard line. Hohensee nearly scored on a run but was ruled down at the one. Harris scored on the next play to give Northwest a 7-0 lead with 9:36 to play in the first quarter.
 
Hohensee threw an interception on Northwest's second drive of the game to give Washburn the ball at the 8-yard line. The Bearcat defense stiffened and held the Ichabods to a 31-yard field goal. WU's Trenton Brehm's field goal cut the Northwest lead to 7-3 with 4:34 to play in the opening quarter.
 
Hohensee tossed his second pick of the first quarter to give the ball back to Washburn at the Northwest 21-yard line. The Ichabods cashed this turnover into a touchdown on a 19-yard passing play from Sam Van Dyne to Tyce Brown with 1:49 left in the first quarter. The touchdown pass gave Washburn a 10-7 lead.
 
The Bearcat offense cleaned things up on its next possession with an 8-play, 75-yard drive that was capped with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Hohensee to Trevon Alexander. Alexander's score came with 13:44 left in the second quarter and gave Northwest a 14-10 lead.
 
Following a three-and-out by Washburn on its ensuing possession, Northwest took over at its own 40-yard line after a 40-yard Ichabod punt.
 
Northwest marched 60 yards in seven plays with a similar result as Hohensee hit Alexander for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 8:38 left in the half. Alexander's score put Northwest on top, 21-10.
 
The Bearcat offense continued to roll as the second quarter wound down. Northwest used seven plays to go 62 yards for its fourth touchdown of the first half. Harris scored his second one-yard touchdown of the half with 3:48 before intermission to give Northwest a 28-10 advantage. Harris carried five times on the drive.
 
Northwest's special teams put the finishing touches on the first half when Tre'on Jones blocked a punt and scooped it up from five yards out for a touchdown. The blocked punt return for a touchdown gave Northwest a 35-10 lead with :09 left in the half. It was the first blocked punt return for a touchdown for the Bearcats since Peyton Plunkett returned one 21 yards against Central Missouri on Sept. 18, 2021.
 
Northwest held Washburn to three first downs in the first half. Washburn put up 95 yards of total offense in the opening 30 minutes.
 
Washburn marched 91 yards in 10 plays on its first possession of the second half to cut the Northwest lead to 35-17 with 7:38 left in the third quarter. The Ichabods's Percy Russell scored from a yard out for the first score of the second half.
 
Following Washburn's score, the game entered a 38-minute lightning delay.
 
After the delay, Northwest drove the ball 75 yards for its sixth touchdown of the game. Hohensee hit Tank Young in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard scoring strike with 3:25 left in the third quarter. Young's second touchdown reception of the season left the Bearcats on top, 42-17.
 
Washburn dented the scoreboard in the fourth quarter on a 98-yard touchdown pass from Van Dyne to Maury Sullivan. Sullivan's touchdown cut the Northwest lead to 42-24 with 13:28 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Jianni Angulo secured an interception, his second of the season, to put the Bearcats back in scoring position. Noah Guastella added to the Bearcat point total with a 37-yard field goal with 11:18 left in the fourth quarter. Guastella's three-pointer put Northwest on top, 45-24.
 
The Ichabods struck for another touchdown pass with 6:31 left in the fourth quarter. WU's Van Dyne hit D.J. Bell on a 20-yard score on a 4th-and-5. WU's touchdown pulled the Ichabods to within 45-31.
 
The Bearcats put the finishing touches on the victory when Harris scored a five-yard run with 1:54 to play. Harris has scored 12 rushing touchdowns this season.
 
Northwest will travel to Northeastern State to take on the RiverHawks next Saturday at 2 p.m. in Tahlequah, Okla.
 
 NOTES: Northwest owns a 34-7 lead in the all-time series with Washburn … Northwest has won 17 of the last 18 meetings with Washburn … Trevon Alexander's two first half touchdowns give him 10 touchdown receptions as a Bearcat … Mike Hohensee has passed for 53 career touchdowns to rank No. 8 in school history as he surpassed Greg Teale's total of 52 from 1993-1996 … Northwest tallied three interceptions from Jianni Angulo, Josh Turner and Carter Olesen … Northwest is 40-1 under head coach Rich Wright when scoring 30 or more points … it is the 14th time Northwest has scored 50 or more in a game for Coach Wright.