TOPEKA, Kan. -- Northwest Missouri State controlled the tempo from the opening kickoff and handed Washburn a 34-7 loss in the MIAA opener at Yager Stadium. Washburn will step back out of MIAA play, traveling next weekend to face Colorado School of Mines next Saturday in Golden, Colo.

The Bearcats struck quickly in the first quarter with a pair of touchdown passes, building a 13-0 lead. The Ichabod defense held strong in the second quarter, keeping Northwest off the board, but the visitors extended their advantage in the second half behind a balanced offensive attack that finished with nearly 500 total yards.

Washburn's lone score came early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Justin Lewis connected with wide receiver D.J. Bell for a 69-yard touchdown strike down the sideline. The score pulled Washburn within 27-7.

The Ichabods finished with 143 yards of total offense, including 162 through the air. Lewis completed 14 of 30 passes, tossing for 162 yards with one touchdown. He was sacked five times, which contributed to Washburn's negative rushing total of –19 yards. Bell collected four passes for 86 yards highlighted by the long touchdown grab. He also added four kickoffs for 79 yards to finish the afternoon with 152 all-purpose yards.

Running back Ky Thomas contributed 10 yards on the ground and added a six-yard reception, while Lucas Oitker chipped in with four rushing yards and a six-yard catch.

Defensively, Washburn faced a heavy workload as Northwest dominated possession, holding the football for nearly 40 minutes compared to the Ichabods' 20. J.C. Heim led the Ichabods with a career-high 15 tackles with seven solo stops. L.J. Minner, Jr. had 13 tackles and Josh Grant had seven.

The Bearcats gained 495 total yards and converted 9 of 18 third-down attempts to sustain drives.

Jake Zeller's 10 punts were the most by and Ichabod since Ben Boswell had 10 against Pittsburg State on Oct. 11, 2003. The school high-water mark is 11.

The setback dropped Washburn to 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in MIAA play.