WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The No. 21-ranked University of Central Missouri Mules scored a wild 41-38 victory over the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats at Walton Stadium.
 
The Mules led 24-3 at the break, but the Bearcats battled back to even the score at 24-24 in the third quarter. UCM edged Northwest in the fourth quarter with a 17-14 advantage to hold on for the three-point win.
 
UCM put up 568 yards of total offense and 35 first down. Northwest put up 410 yards of total offense and gained 19 first downs.
 
UCM quarterback Zach Zebrowski completed 33-of-55 passes for 412 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked six times and threw one interception. UCM wideout Arkell Smith caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a score.
 
Bearcat quarterback Mike Hohensee threw for 261 yards on 15-of-23 passing. Hohensee tossed three second-half touchdown strikes.
 
Northwest sophomore running back Jay Harris extended his streak of 100-yard rushing games to five. Harris ran the ball 18 times for 108 yards and a score.
 
Bearcat senior wide receiver Kashan Griffin nabbed a team-best six receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. John Giagiari caught a 45-yard touchdown pass in the final minute to tally his first Bearcat touchdown reception.
 
Josh Turner accounted for a team-best 10 tackles. Clayton Power notched eight stops and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Kobe Clayborne nabbed two quarterback sacks and a forced fumble to go along with three tackles.
 
UCM moved its season mark to 4-1 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA. Northwest fell to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in league games.
 
The contest started strong as Clayborne recorded a strip sack of UCM quarterback Zach Zebrowski and Bearcat linebacker Andrew Dumas fell on the loose ball to give Northwest a short field. However, two plays into the drive, wide receiver Ra'Shoud Shelton coughed up the football after a 13-yard reception at the UCM 10-yard line to give the ball back to the Mules.
 
UCM then drove from its own 10-yard line to the Bearcat five, but a sack by Jake Fisher pushed the ball back to the 12-yard line. The Mules went for it on fourth and goal as the pass went incomplete.
 
UCM's right guard Gabe Clark scored the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard plunge with 3:25 left in the first quarter. The touchdown capped a 14-play, 82-yard drive. The drive was extended when Bearcat head coach Rich Wright was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as the Mules were about to face a 4th-and-10 at the 20-yard line.
 
Northwest put up its first points of the day on a 27-yard field goal from Noah Guastella with 12:44 left in the first quarter.
 
UCM would then put up 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 24-3 lead into the break.
 
Arkell Smith caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Zebrowski with 11:29 left in the second to push the UCM lead to 14-3.
 
The lead grew to 17-3 on a 26-yard field goal from Luke Dobson with 5:39 left in the half. To give UCM a 17-3 advantage.
 
UCM's Marcellous Hawkins scored on a nine-yard run with 4:58 remaining in the second quarter to up the Mule lead to 24-3.
 
Bearcat running back Jay Harris got on track in the third quarter as he ripped off a 46-yard run on the first possession to take the ball to the UCM 24-yard line. Northwest quarterback Mike Hohensee hooked up with Kashan Griffin for a 15-yard touchdown passing play to cut the UCM lead to 24-10.
 
Linebacker Carter Edwards stripped Zebrowski and recovered the loose ball to give the ball back to Northwest at the 33-yard line on the ensuing UCM drive. Northwest cashed in the mistake with a 6-yard touchdown run by Jay Harris with 8:19 left in the third quarter. The Bearcat touchdown was set up by a 46-yard passing play from Hohensee to Trevon Alexander.
 
The Bearcat defense came up with a three-and-out to put the ball back in Northwest's hands. A nine-yard punt return by Griffin gave Northwest a short field at the 43-yard line. The Bearcats drew even with the Mules on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hohensee to Alexander with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter.
 
UCM attempted a sky-kick on its kickoff but Northwest's Andrew Waltke secured the ball after a bounce at the 40-yard line. Following a 38-yard passing play from Hohensee to Griffin, Jackson Miller tossed a 22-yard touchdown strike to Shelton to even the score again at 31-31 with 14:10 to play in the game.
 
The Mules took a 38-31 lead on a 30-yard touchdown run by Hawkins with 5:04 to play in the game. The score capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive.
 
UCM's Jaden Dawson picked off Hohensee on Northwest's next drive at the 34-yard line to stymie a Bearcat attempt to tie the game. Dawson's pick came with 4:26 to play in the game.
 
UCM looked to ice the game with a 41-yard field goal by Dobson with 1:52 to play. Dobson's field goal gave UCM a 41-31 lead.
 
Northwest marched right back down the field and scored on a 45-yard passing strike from Hohensee to Giagiari. The Giagiari touchdown cut the UCM lead to 41-38 with 0:58 left in the game.
 
Bearcat kicker Cole Lammel's onside kick was recovered by UCM and the Mules were able to run out the clock and claim the win.
 
Northwest will return home for next Saturday's game against the University of Central Oklahoma. Kick is set for 1:30 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium.
 
NOTES: Northwest saw a streak snapped of 84 straight games of winning a game when scoring 30 or more points … head coach Rich Wright was 37-0 entering Saturday when the Bearcats scored 30 or more points … Northwest holds a series lead against UCM, 63-36-2 … UCM snapped a losing streak of nine straight in the series to Northwest.