TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods fell to No. 6-ranked Northwest Missouri 38-17 on a muggy night in Yager Stadium on Thursday. Washburn returns to the road next Saturday for another top-10 battle when they will face Fort Hays State.
The Bearcats took an opening 7-0 lead, but back to back touchdowns by the Ichabods pushed Washburn (1-1, 1-1 MIAA) out in front 14-7. In the first score, James Letcher, Jr., capped a seven-play, 74 yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown reception with 5:35 to play in the first quarter. Washburn then went up 14-7 on a 39-yard touchdown strike from Blake Peterson to James Brania-Hopp with 10:09 to play.
Northwest (2-0, 2-0 MIAA) tied the score with 7:11 to play in the half as the teams entered the break knotted at 14-14.
To open the third quarter, the Ichabods went on a 44-yard drive and went up 17-14 after Perry Schmiedeler connected on a 35-yard field goal with 11:54. The Bearcats came back with an 11-play, 77-yard drive to go up 21-17 with 7:08 to go in the third quarter.
Northwest pushed its lead to 24-17 with 2:38 to play in the third quarter on a 39-yard field goal. The Bearcats would add two more scores in the fourth quarter to put the final margin at 21 in the 38-17 win.
Austin Tillman led the Ichabods with 16 tackles including 11 solo tackles. Derrick McGreevy had nine tackles and Corey Ballentine, Heath Tucker and Garret Barnett-Kruger each had six.
On the offensive side, Peterson had 275 yards with two touchdowns completing 17 of 33 passes, but was sacked five times. Hunter Browning led the Ichabods with 24 rushing yards on six carries. Washburn was held to 51 rushing yards on 35 attempts.
Letcher, Jr., finished with five catches for 85 yards and the score and Will Hamilton had five catches for 65 yards and James Brania-Hopp had three catches for 94 yards and a score. Brania-Hopp had 128 all-purpose yards leading the Ichabods.
Washburn was outgained 509 to 326 in the game by the Bearcats with 276 coming on the ground for Northwest.