MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods battled back from a 24-3 deficit midway through the third quarter, scoring three straight touchdowns to pull within seven, but could not complete the comeback in a 31-24 loss to No. 7 Northwest Missouri in its MIAA opener at Bearcat Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Washburn returns to Yager Stadium facing Central Oklahoma with a noon kick on Sept. 19.
Opening the game Northwest Missouri struck first with a 76-yard drive capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Zechariah Owens to Cooper Warren with 7:06 left in the opening quarter. Washburn (1-1-1) answered with a 36-yard field goal from
Aidan Battle early in the second quarter after a 10-play, 51-yard drive, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
The Bearcats (2-0) created separation late in the first half. A 45-yard touchdown run by Jaron Cannon Jr. extended the lead to 14-3 with 3:59 left in the second quarter, and after Northwest intercepted a Washburn pass and returned it to the Ichabod 4-yard line, the Washburn defense stiffened and forced a field goal, limiting the damage to make it 17-3 at halftime.
Northwest opened the second half with a four-play, 75-yard drive to take a 24-3 lead, highlighted by a 64-yard quarterback scramble by Owens before he found Jaidyn Doss for a six-yard touchdown pass. Washburn responded immediately.
Logan Madden connected with
Tre Calhoun for a 45-yard gain and then a 25-yard touchdown pass, capping a four-play, 76-yard drive. Later in the quarter, Madden led an eight-play, 65-yard march that ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Calhoun, trimming the margin to 24-17.
After Northwest answered with a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to go back ahead 31-17, the Ichabods mounted one more charge. Early in the fourth quarter,
J.C. Heim forced a fumble from Owens, with
Jayson Green recovering at the Bearcat 32-yard line. Seven plays later, Madden found Calhoun from three yards out to pull Washburn within 31-24 with 8:12 remaining.
The Washburn defense gave the offense another opportunity, forcing Northwest to go three-and-out on its next possession. The Ichabods drove to the Bearcat 11-yard line in the final minutes, but were stopped on fourth down after a pass into the endzone was incompete, allowing Northwest to run out the clock.
Northwest managed just 321 total yards through three quarters, with 179 of those yards coming on three plays: Cannon's 45-yard touchdown run, Owens' 64-yard scramble and the 21-yard completion to Karsten Pate that ignited the Bearcats' final touchdown drive. Through three quarters, Washburn held Northwest to 142 total yards in the first half and only 58 passing yards in the third quarter while continually forcing long-yardage situations. The defense also came up with the game's lone takeaway for Washburn as Heim forced the fourth-quarter fumble recovered by Green.
The Ichabods outscored Northwest 21-14 in the second half, outgained the Bearcats 270-215 and held the ball for 18:20 compared to 11:40 for Northwest. Washburn converted 6-of-8 third-down attempts after halftime while Northwest was just 2-of-5. In the fourth quarter, Washburn limited the Bearcats to only 36 total yards and no points while possessing the ball for 10:29 of the final 15 minutes.
Calhoun turned in a historic receiving performance in school history, catching nine passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns becoming the first Ichabod since J.J. Brainia-Hopp to have three touchdown receptions in a game against Emporia State on 10/27/2018. Madden threw for 366 yards and three scores, completing 27 of 48 passes.
Cam Robinson added 140 all-purpose yards, rushing for 58 yards on 13 carries and catching four passes for 82 yards. Nathan Lewis Jr. hauled in five catches for 53 yards, while
Jayden Norman added four receptions for 46 yards.
Defensively, Heim led the Ichabods with 11 tackles, forced a fumble and added a tackle for loss.
Brody Hayes recorded nine tackles,
Reece Watkins finished with five stops, and
Gage Depee totaled five tackles with a tackle for loss. Elijah Clark-Boyd recorded Washburn's lone sack.
Team Statistics
| Category |
Washburn |
Northwest Missouri State |
| Total Offense |
427 |
357 |
| Rushing Yards |
61 |
225 |
| Passing Yards |
366 |
132 |
| First Downs |
28 |
18 |
| Time of Possession |
35:37 |
24:23 |
| Third Downs |
8-of-15 |
4-of-12 |
| Turnovers Lost |
1 |
1 |
| Penalties |
7-57 |
5-50 |
