MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State University football team rolled up 646 yards of total offense in scoring a 49-20 non-conference win over Texas A&M-Kingsville at Bearcat Stadium.
 
Northwest moved to 2-1 on the season, while TAMUK dropped to 1-1.
 
Northwest held a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter, before TAMUK rallied with 13 straight points to cut the Bearcat lead to 28-20. However, Northwest tacked on 21 fourth-quarter points to race away for the 29-point victory.
 
Luke Mathews caught a pair of first-half touchdown receptions from Chris Ruhnke and Zechariah Owens rushed for another as Northwest built a 21-7 halftime lead over the visitors from Kingsville, Texas.
 
Owens found paydirt again in the third quarter as he raced in for a 16-yard rushing score for his team-leading third ground touchdown this year.
 
TAMUK battled back with a touchdown and a pair of field goals to slice the lead to eight with 13:19 to play in the game.
 
The Bearcats answered almost immediately with a four-play, 75-yard drive that included a 28-yard pass play to Erwin Nash and 33 rushing yards for Quincy Torry. The Bearcats used some razzle-dazzle with a reverse flea-flicker that resulted in a 16-yard touchdown strike from Ruhnke to tight end Andrew Waltlke with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter.
 
The Bearcat defense forced a three-and-out and the Northwest offense kept churning. Northwest marched 66 yards in four plays, including a 42-yard passing play from Ruhnke to Jackson Miller. Dominic Myers got loose for a 26-yard scamper to the 12-yard line to setup Ruhnke's fourth touchdown pass of the day – a 12-yard toss to Nash for a 42-20 lead with 7:58 remaining in the game.
 
Northwest's defense got the ball back as TAMUK turned the ball over on downs with 5:04 to play. The Bearcats went 50 yards in four plays that was capped by a 40-yard touchdown run by Myers to give Northwest the 49-20 victory.
 
Ruhnke went 16-of-20 passing for 229 yards and four touchdowns. Owens went 6-of-9 passing for 112 yards. Nash latched on to a team-high five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
 
Myers and Torry each topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in their Bearcat careers. Myers toted the ball 10 times for 152 yards and a score. Torry rushed 15 times for 117 yards. The Bearcat offense rushed the ball 38 times for 305 yards – 8.0 per carry average.
 
Ben Einess and Shane Fredrickson tied for team-high tackle honors with seven each. Carter Edwards and Antwon Jenkins Jr. each got an interception on defense. Jacob Stockard recovered a fumble after Edwards forced it out. Edwards had six tackles on the day.
 
Northwest will be on the road next Saturday taking on the Missouri Southern Lions in Joplin, Mo. The Bearcats and Lions will kick at 4 p.m. for the MIAA contest.
 
NOTES: The 646 yards of total offense is the most for the Bearcats since a 670-yard output Sept. 10, 2022 against Lincoln … it's the first time since 2023 that the Bearcats have had two 100-yard rushers in the same game … Jay Harris (123) and Tank Young (109) rushed for 100-plus against Washburn in Topeka, Kan., on Oct. 28, 2023 … against TAMUK today, Dominic Myers (152) and Quincy Torry (117) each rushed for 100-plus in the 49-20 win … Northwest put up 305 yards rushing – the most since a 324-yard rushing effort on Oct. 7, 2023, vs. Central Oklahoma … quarterback Chris Ruhnke passed for a career-high four touchdown passes against the Javelinas … Northwest has won 86 straight games when leading at the half … John McMenamin is 8-0 all-time when leading at the half as a head coach (Wayne State and Northwest) … Northwest is 4-1 all-time against Texas A&M-Kingsville in the all-time series between the two schools.