MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods rallied to take a 30-29 lead with 24 seconds to play but No. 16 Northwest Missouri traveled 43 yards in three plays after a 38-yard kickoff return to kick a 36-yard field goal to take a 32-30 lead with two seconds to play as the Ichabods fall in a heartbreaker as the multi-lateral kickoff return was unsuccessful as Washburn falls to 4-3 on the season. The Ichabods will be back in action on Oct. 22 hosting Central Oklahoma on Washburn's Homecoming game.
 
The Ichabods took the one-point lead on a 10-yard run by Kellen Simoncic with 18 seconds to play on a 4^th and goal. However a big kickoff return by the Bearcats put Northwest (5-2) in position and after pass plays of 20 yards and 23 yards to the Ichabod 19 setting up the go-ahead field goal.
 
Washburn led 24-23 with 7:15 to go in the game when Simoncic hit Peter Afful on a 28-yard touchdown pass finishing off a 78-yard, five-play drive. However Northwest came back on an 11-play, 70-yard drive taking a 29-24 lead after the two-point conversion pass failed.
 
With 11:52 to go in the game, Simconcic hit Tyce Brown for his first touchdown reception of his career as the Ichabods cut into the Bearcat lead at 23-17 after neither team scored in the third quarter.
 
The Ichabods were down 2-0 when Northwest recorded a safety against the Ichabods and then would go up 9-0 on a touchdown pass with 3:49 to play in the opening quarter. Washburn got on the board on a 33-yard field goal by Kameron Lake with 14:12 to play in the first half.
 
On the following drive, the Bearcats had a 75-yard drive going up 16-3 with 11:58 to play in the half. However the Ichabods scored their first touchdown of the game on a 30-yard strike from Simoncic to Afful with 32 seconds to go, but the Bearcats scored right before the half on a 63-yard, three-play drive to go up 23-10 as time expired in the first half.
 
Simoncic finished 26 of 40 for 314 yards and three touchdowns but was sacked seven times completing 14-straight passes at one point. Hunter Browning rushed for 52 yards and 11 attempts while James Letcher, Jr., who became Washburn's all-time leader in receptions, had eight catches for 129 yards. Afful had five catches for 78 yards and two scores.
 
Letcher raised his career total to 197 receptions passing Ichabod Hall of Famer Sam Sissom who had 191 in his Washburn career. Letcher also passed the 5,000-yard mark in all-purpose yards at Washburn moving his total to 5,023 yards, now trailing Washburn's all-time leader, Hall of Famer Troy Slusser, who had 5,210 yards.
 
Grant Bruner, the nation's leading tackler, had 14 tackles including 12 solo stops.
 
Both teams had 25 first downs as the Bearcats outgained the Ichabods 439 to 357. Washburn was 8 of 15 on third downs holding the Bearcats to 5 of 11 conversion attempts.