KEARNEY, Neb. – The Northwest Missouri State University football team fell to 0-2 after a 21-14 setback at the University of Nebraska-Kearney Saturday at Cope Stadium.
 
UNK held Northwest scoreless in the second half and took advantage of a few Bearcat miscues to win for only the fifth time in 20 meetings between the two schools. It is Northwest's first 0-2 start since the 1995 season.
 
UNK quarterback Reagan Jones rushed for 74 yards and threw for 141 yards and accounted for all three touchdowns in the win.
 
Northwest struck first when Chris Ruhnke connected with Eric Richardson for a 10-yard passing touchdown with 8:04 left in the first quarter. The score capped an 8-play, 72-yard drive. Ruhnke was 4-of-5 passing on the drive for 64 yards and completions to four different Bearcat receivers on the scoring drive.
 
The Lopers evened the score at 7-7 on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Reagan Jones to Zane Schawang with 2:48 left in the first quarter.
 
Northwest re-took the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ruhnke to Zach Atkins on the final play of the first quarter. The drive got going on a 41-yard shovel pass from Ruhnke to Tank Young.
 
The Bearcats were looking to add to the seven-point lead, but UNK's David Lilly stripped Atkins after a catch at midfield to give the ball back to the Lopers with 3:31 left in the half.
 
With 1:39 left in the second quarter, Jones called his own number and scampered into the end zone for a two-yard score. Jones's touchdown knotted the contest at 14-14.
 
Northwest looked to take advantage of a personal foul penalty on UNK and a tipped pass that was caught by Atkins to score before the half. But the Bearcat drive stalled at the 33-yard line and Noah Guastella's 50-yard field goal with :02 left went wide left to leave the matchup tied at the half, 14-14.
 
UNK's Jones broke the pocket and scored a 12-yard touchdown run to give the Lopers a 21-14 lead with 2:02 left in the third quarter. The Loper scoring drive consisted of 10 plays and went 80 yards.
 
Northwest's offense sputtered in the second half and mustered only 88 yards of offense. Northwest went 2-8 on third down conversions in the final 30 minutes.
 
Northwest's final drive accounted for 73 yards on 13 plays, but came to a halt with :30 left when Ruhnke was intercepted in the end zone on a fourth-down attempt to tie the game.
 
UNK kneeled on the ball for three plays to wind the clock down and take the 21-14 victory.
 
Ruhnke passed for 311 yards on 25-of-38 passing. He tossed a pair of touchdowns to Atkins and Richardson. Ruhnke threw two interceptions in the loss.
 
Atkins led the receivers with four receptions for 73 yards. Luke Mathews nabbed a team-high five receptions.
 
Carter Edwards, Parker Bowen and Andrew Dumas tied for team-high tackle honors with five stops.
 
NOTES: Northwest fell to 45-3 when scoring first under head coach Rich Wright … Northwest is 3-3 under Wright when tied at the half … Eric Richardson scored his second career collegiate touchdown … Richardson scored a rushing touchdown in the 2023 season … today's score was his first receiving touchdown as a Bearcat … Zach Atkins was credited with his second career touchdown reception in the first quarter … defensive lineman Langden Kitchen recorded his first career sack in the second quarter.