2005 Division-2 national runner-up Northwest Missouri State begins its season Saturday. The Bearcats lost to Grand Valley State 21-17 in last year’s National Championship game. This season, Northwest comes in ranked third in the nation and is expected to win the MIAA conference.
Saturday, the Bearcats host Minnesota-State Mankato at 1 p.m. from Bearcat Stadium. It’ll mark the 16th time the two teams play each other with MSMU leading the series 8-7, but MSMU is 4-3 at home. Both teams met in last season’s opener, the Bearcats won 24-21 in overtime, the sixth straight time they defeated MSMU.
The Mavericks already have a game under their belts, a 34-16 win over Truman State.