Top Ranked Northwest Missouri Upset In Opener

Coming off their 2009 National Championship, the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri were touted as likely to repeat as National Champions. The main power of the Bearcats was their prolific offense, and Northwest Missouri had many fans drooling over the offensive production that were to come.

The only problem is that someone forgot to tell the Javelinas from Texas A&M-Kingsville.

TAMUK held the Bearcats to a mind-boggling 189 yards in the No. 14 Javelinas' 16-7 upset win over No. 1 Northwest Missouri State.

This marks the fourth consecutive season-opening loss for NWMSU.

TAMUK quarterback Nate Poppell led the charge going 26-of-38 passing for 258 yards. Leading 10-7 at halftime, the Javelinas opened the second half with a touchdown drive, which was all they needed as they refused to allow a single Bearcat score after halftime.

Northwest may have exposed a weak spot in their armor, as they ran their ground attack by committee. An All-American back like LaRon Council isn't easy to replace, and the Bearcats anemic numbers (15 rushes for 63 yards) attest to that fact.

The Javelina defense also harassed Bearcat quarterback All-American Blake Bolles, accumulating seven sacks. Bolles was 17-of-29 for 140 yards. Bolles connected with Jake Soy for a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter, giving the Bearcats a 7-0 lead. Unfortunately for the top-ranked team in Division II, that would be all the scoring they could muster.

The Javelinas also controlled the ball for most of the game. Northwest Missouri State had 11 possessions—six of which were three-and-out. The Bearcats also had trouble keeping their hands on the ball. In addition to the one interception thrown by Bolles, the Bearcats had four fumbles, although only one was lost. Numerous big-play drops from Northwest wideouts only exacerbated the problems for the Bearcats.

The Bearcats look to recover next week on the road against Nebraska-Omaha in their conference opener. NWMSU is currently sporting a 37-game MIAA win streak. It's also important to note that even though the Bearcats have lost their last four season openers, they have gone on to win the rest of their regular season games, and have made the NCAA Division II National Championship game in each of those seasons, winning the title in 2009.