MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State University football team came up with a 59-0 shutout of the Lincoln Blue Tigers in front of 5,215 fans at Bearcat Stadium on Family Weekend.

Northwest racked up 481 total yards, while limiting Lincoln to 50 total yards. Northwest tallied 25 first downs and held Lincoln to only seven first downs. Lincoln had two first downs rushing, three first downs through the air and two via penalty.

Quarterback Chris Ruhnke accounted for four first-half touchdowns and the Bearcat defense pitched the 10th shutout of head coach Rich Wright's tenure.

Running back Jay Harris collected his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game with a 105-yard performance that included a touchdown against the Blue Tigers.

Wide receiver Kashan Griffin caught a team-best four passes for 61 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

The Bearcats jumped all over the Blue Tigers in the first quarter with a flurry of touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead. Tank Young scored a 30-yard rushing touchdown on Northwest's third offensive play of the game. Following a shanked punt by Lincoln, Harris scored on the third play of the ensuing drive to give Northwest a 14-0 lead after six plays. 

Ruhnke scored his first collegiate touchdown on a wild play at the goal line. Harris took the handoff and was getting tackled for a loss when he pitched the ball back to Ruhnke who found a hole over the left side and walked into the end zone to give Northwest a 21-0 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter.

The Bearcat onslaught continued in the second quarter with three more touchdowns before the half. Griffin got in the scoring column with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Ruhnke with 12:54 to play. Griffin then latched on to his second receiving score of the day on a 26-yard strike from Ruhnke with 9:58 to play in the half. Wide receiver Jamar Simpson notched his first touchdown as a Bearcat when he hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Ruhnke with 0:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Redshirt freshman transfer running back Wentric Williams III saw his first action as a Bearcat and he was also able to find the end zone.  Williams scored on a four-yard rush with 10:26 left in the third to put Northwest up 49-0. Williams had 15 carries for 42 yards in his debut.

Noah Guastella drilled a 22-yard field goal in the fourth as Northwest went over the 50-point mark for the 57th time in program history. Guastella's three-pointer gave Northwest a 52-0 advantage with 11:19 to go in the game. 

Redshirt freshman running back Eric Richardson scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 12-yard run with 4:57 left in the fourth quarter. Richardson carried the ball nine times for 71 yards in his debut. 

Northwest will be back in action next Saturday at Central Missouri. Kick is set for 1 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo.

NOTES: Northwest leads the all-time series with Lincoln, 18-7-1 ... Northwest has won five straight games in the series ... Lincoln lost for the 30th straight time, which is the second-longest active losing streak in NCAA football ... since 2001, Northwest is 121-11 at Bearcat Stadium ... Northwest is 47-0 when leading at the half under head coach Rich Wright ... the Bearcats have won 75 straight games when leading at the break ... Northwest is 37-0 when scoring 30 or more points under Coach Wright ... Rhett Jordon was credited with a blocked punt ... Clayton Power was credited with a blocked field goal ... Ruhnke was 12-of-16 passing for 170 yards and three touchdowns.