Northwest Missouri State battled Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium. A game between two nationally ranked teams (photo/Bearcats Athletics)
My take–There are some really good Division II football teams in the state of Missouri…and then there is Northwest Missouri State. They’re on a different level and after trailing at halftime, it just seems like when the Bearcats need to reach a certain level, they can turn it on and even a talented team like Central Missouri isn’t going to stop them.
Northwest Missouri State defeated Central Missouri, 42-17, on Saturday evening at Arrowhead Stadium in the 2016 Fall Classic. It marked the 13th time Northwest has played at Arrowhead. The Bearcats are 10-3 all time. It was the first time UCM has played at Arrowhead.
The Bearcats racked up 488 yards of total offense, 204 coming on the ground. UCM gained 285 total yards and were held to 84 on the ground. Phil Jackson II had 97 yards rushing on 15 carries with two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 13 yards giving him 110 total yards of offense on the day. Kyle Zimmerman was 24-of-33 with two touchdown passes. He threw for 275 yards and also ran the ball four times for 19 yards.
Northwest has now won 20 consecutive games, the third longest streak in program history.
The Mules (3-2) trailed 21-14 at halftime after going back and forth with Northwest in the first half, but the Bearcats outscored UCM 21-3 in the second half and out-gained the Mules 237-77.
Garrett Fugate finished the day 18-of-30 for 201 yards and two touchdowns with the one interception. Tyler Jones caught a team-high four passes for 34 yards. Kyle Echols had three for 63 with a TD and Zachery had three grabs for 42 yards and a score. Xavier Washpun was the leading rusher for UCM with 35 yards on 10 carries. The Mules were held to 84 rushing yards on 30 carries.
Story–NWMS and Central Missouri Athletics