Scouting report: No. 10 Northwest Missouri State at Northeastern State

Brandon Zenner, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Oct. 22—No. 10 Northwest (5-1) at Northeastern State (2-5)

When: 1 Saturday

Where: Bearcat Stadium

Broadcast: TV — MIAA Network; Radio — 90.5 FM, 100.1 FM, 88.9 FM

When NORTHWEST has the ball

Northwest expects to get starting QB Braden Wright after missing since Week 1. The junior completed 13 of 25 passes for 96 yards and 1 TD in a Week 1 win at Fort Hays State before undergoing surgery for midgut volvulus — a twisting of the intestine — before Week 3. He's 1 of 8 D-II players with 4,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a career. He's 7th all-time in NW's offensive charts. Mike Hohensee, who started all 5 games in his absence, is 83-of-116 passing for 1,176 yards. His 71.6% completion percentage is 2nd in the nation, as is his 10.14 yards per attempt. Al McKeller is 9th in the nation with 807 yards rushing, leading to 5 TDs. Alec Tatum is 6th in the MIAA with 72.7 yards receiving per game, and only 2 players have more receiving scores than Kaden Davis (6). Northeastern State allows 42.6 points and more than 460 yards per game. Marques Williams is 4th in the MIAA with 64 tackles

Advantage: NORTHWEST

When NSU has the ball

The RiverHawks rank last in the MIAA at just 19 points per game and turned the ball over 7 times in last week's 57-24 loss at MWSU. Their 331 total yards and 110 yards rushing rank last. Northwest ranks 4th in the nation in scoring defense with just 9.5 points per game allowed, led by a rush defense allowing just 45 yards. The Bearcats are 2nd in pass defense at just 210 yards allowed per game. NW is 3rd in the MIAA with 15 sacks, led by 4.5 from Sach Howard and 3 from Sam Roberts, who has 8 total TFLs. J'Ravien Anderson leads the secondary with 2 INTs and 4 PBUs. Jackson Barnes has 7 TFLs and 43 total tackles.

Advantage: NORTHWEST

LAST TIME OUT

No. 14 Northwest 49, Northeastern 0 — The Bearcats ran for 7 total TDs, including 4 from Justin Rankin, while the defense tallied 2 TDs and a safety.

RECENT HISTORY

2018 — No. 11 Northwest 62, Northeastern 17

2017 — No. 1 Northwest 42, Northeastern 14

NOTABLE

Northwest is 10-0 all-time against Northeastern, scoring at least 40 points in every game. The RiverHawks have 14 points or less in 6 of those games. Northwest has enjoyed an average winning margin of 47.4 points in 8 MIAA games since 2012.

Brandon Zenner can be reached at brandon.zenner@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowZenner.