(Maryville, MO) — NW Missouri St. has not opened a season with two straight losses since 1995 so a lot is on the line this Saturday as the Bearcats play at Nebraska-Kearney.
Last week, Minnesota St. threw the Bearcats out of the Top 25 with a 36-22 victory. NW Missouri St. made a furious comeback after trailing 29-0 but came up short. After a slow start, QB Chris Ruhnke hit on some big plays and finished 15-24 passing for 268 yards and 3 TD. He connected on TD passes of 43, 80 and 13 all in the second half. Ruhnke was sacked four times and Minnesota St. shut down the Bearcats running game — NW Missouri St. had a net loss of 17 yards rushing in the game.
Other highlights for NW Missouri St. — Junior wide receiver Luke Matthews captured his first 100-yard receiving game with his five-catch, 140-yard performance against the Mavericks. Senior defensive back Tre’on Jones secured his first interception of the season and third pick of his career. Defensively, Juniors Shane Fredrickson and Carter Oleson each recorded 10 tackles in the season-opening contest — Fredrickson notched 10 solo stops, while Olesen tallied five solos and five assisted tackles.
Nebraska-Kearney won their opener 18-6 against Chadron St. The Lopers had a balanced offensive attack with 168 rushing and 180 passing. Junior Isaiah Harris from Omaha ran 23 times for 121 yards. Graduate Senior Reagan Jones was 12-21 passing for 180 yards and 2 TD. Nebraska Kearney had 3 interceptions in the game and Chadron St. was held to just 213 yards of total offense — Kearney Senior DL Quilian Felton, a JC transfer, had 9 tackles up front and 1.5 TFL.
Game time this Saturday is 7:00 pm in Kearney, Nebraska.
