****The Official Northwest Missouri State vs North Alabama Game Thread****

[Reaper16]

ESPN 2, 3:00pm Saturday 12/06

The Division II football national semi-finals are here. North Alabama comes up to Maryville to take on the Bearcats for a chance to avenge UNA's 2005 home semi-final defeat at the hands of Northwest. Josh Lamberson threw a TD pass with 25 seconds left to lead the Bearcats to a 25-24 victory back three years ago.

This year is all screwed up. Northwest, I thought, was looking at a re-loading year after losing Xavier Omon, Mike Peterson, and a shit-load of defensive starters. Surprise, surprise, this young NW team is one win away from the national title game for a 4th consecutive year. This Bearcat team has gelled around La'Ron Council's 32 TDs and the solid QB combo of Joel Osbourn and the mobile Blake Bolles. The defense keeps getting better -- last week, NW upset the best D2 offense I've ever seen. Abeliene Chistian had scored 92 points the week previous; NW went into Texas and held that offense to 34 points (the first time ACU was held under 40 all season).

The Game:

Both teams are talented, and are playing at peak-level right now. UNA is more athletic than NW. Their QB, Milwee, is a Harlon Hill award finalist. He can spread the ball around and rush the ball himself with success. NW's Dline will need to apply constant pressure to make up for the fact that UNA's WR corps are bigger and faster than NW's Dbacks.

UNA's rush defens is suspect, which will be a key facter considering how effective LaRon Council has been for NW. NW is very, very balanced. They will use both the run and the pass, not relying on the run like they did when Omon was not a Buffalo Bill. UNA's Dbacks and linebackers are very oppuntunistic; it seems as if they haul in every turnover chance. NW doesn't turn the ball over, in fact they have zero interceptions thrown in the last 6 games. That streak of protecting the ball HAS to continue.

Overall, I think Northwest can win it. But it won't be easy. At all. UNA is a big-time program. Whichever team can be the most balanced offensively will win; neither team is very good when they are one-dimensional.

[Skip Towne]

Yeah, those directional schools are a big draw.

[Reaper16]

BTW - in the other national semi-final, California (PA) returns to the semi-finals, where they will play the undefeated, Cinderella Minnesota-Duluth team.

All of the # 2 seeds beat the #1 seeds last week, that's 4 road playoff wins, and at the regional final round no less. Cal beat Bloomsburg, UNA knocked off GSC conference champion Delta State, NW upset the juggernaut ACU, and Minnesota-Duluth managed to upset super-power Grand Valley State in double-overtime.

[Reaper16]

Yeah, those directional schools are a big draw.
And it's a shame. I think most football fans would eat D2 football up if they knew about it. The quality of play is consistently better than most FCS (1-AA) play. There are very talented teams in D2, comprised of real student-athletes. Plus, they use a damn playoff! D2 football has nearly all the positives of BCS football without the bullshit. If people watch D2 football, they will be impressed.

BTW -- two Chiefs rookie defensive backs, Brandon Carr and Maurice Leggett, are Division II players. The world champion NY Giants have two D2 players playing important parts on the team (TE Kevin Boss and DE Dave Tollefson). I could go on.

[beavis]

Yeah, those directional schools are a big draw.

Enough of a draw for you to click and make an ignorant post on the thread.

[Iowanian]

Brandon Carr played against the bearcats in a playoff-finals game last year or the year before I believe.

[Demonpenz]

And it's a shame. I think most football fans would eat D2 football up if they knew about it. The quality of play is consistently better than most FCS (1-AA) play. There are very talented teams in D2, comprised of real student-athletes. Plus, they use a damn playoff! D2 football has nearly all the positives of BCS football without the bullshit. If people watch D2 football, they will be impressed.

BTW -- two Chiefs rookie defensive backs, Brandon Carr and Maurice Leggett, are Division II players. The world champion NY Giants have two D2 players playing important parts on the team (TE Kevin Boss and DE Dave Tollefson). I could go on.

ROBINSON ON THE COLTS IS FROM MO WEST DAMNIT!

[Reaper16]

ROBINSON ON THE COLTS IS FROM MO WEST DAMNIT!
He's been a very good role player for them, too. Indeed.

[Cornstock]

Mel Tjeerdsma is one of the best college coaches out there. Hes won everywhere hes ever been going back to when he was offensive coordinator at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. The way he gets his players to give everything is truly amazing.

[Reaper16]

Bump.

I know that, like, none of you are going to watch this over the Alabama-Florida game. They're both on at the same time, which is terrible.

Maybe you can flip this game on during commercial breaks? It's great football. I promise.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Shove that hickory stick up your ass, you Northwest bastard :harumph:

[eazyb81]

Still can't believe NWMSU beat Abilene Christian after they set the record for most points ever scored in a game.

Hopefully the Bearcats stop their extended impression of the Buffalo Bills and actually win a damn championship this year.

[Reaper16]

Still can't believe NWMSU beat Abilene Christian after they set the record for most points ever scored in a game.

Hopefully the Bearcats stop their extended impression of the Buffalo Bills and actually win a damn championship this year.
That would be nice. I'm not counting my chickens yet, though. UNA is a good-ass team. Do I think NW will win? Yeah. UNA is not as good as ACU, but ACU kind of had an off-day. I can see UNA upsetting the Bearcats.

[Reaper16]

Shove that hickory stick up your ass, you Northwest bastard :harumph:
We might as well. Its been in Maryville for so long -- it doesn't look to leave the town anytime soon -- we ought to do something else with it.

[Reaper16]

One last bump before I go out to the stadium.

"All my life I wanna' be a Bearcat! Hoo-Ha! Hoo-Ha! Go, go, get 'em, get 'em, and when you got 'em say Hoo-Ha! Hoo-Ha!"

[KChiefs1]

This isn't for the championship right?

[1ChiefsDan]

I'll be watching the game - as hard as it is to do I will be rooting for NWMS.

go bearcats (I just threw up a little in my mouth)

If Pitt State had any defensive backs NWMS wouldn't be playing in this game.

[1ChiefsDan]

This isn't for the championship right?No winner of this game goes to the championship

[Coach]

If you are unable to have ESPN2, if you go to Northwest Missouri St's athletic website, they have the live audio broadcast of today's game for free.

[ChiefsCountry]

With Duluth going to the championship game I think it shows how dominate all the Dakota schools were in the NCC.

[1ChiefsDan]

NWMS 3 NA 0

[1ChiefsDan]

NWMS 10 NA 0

[1ChiefsDan]

NWMS 17 NA 0
I think NA is only averaging around 20 yrds per punt - into a 30 mph wind

NWMS is about to score again.

[ChiefsCountry]

20-0 Northwest

[Bearcat]

20-0... wow.

[1ChiefsDan]

NWMS 20 NA 0
2:53 left in the 1st

[1ChiefsDan]

NWMS worst starting field postion is the 49 of NA.:eek:

[OnTheWarpath15]

I bet Reaper is shitting his pants right about now.

Couldn't have expected this.

[1ChiefsDan]

NA got the wind at their backs and their first score.

NWMS 20 NA 7

[1ChiefsDan]

What a bs reversal on the call. The kid caught and then fumbled

[1ChiefsDan]

Haha - NA muffed the snap on their field goal try.

[1ChiefsDan]

NWMS 27 NA 7
NWMS picked off NA and ran it back to the 1.
1:03 left in the 1st half

[Bearcat]

Good half, from what I saw... hopefully they can put this one away and get it done next week. The unfinished business has to be incredibly frustrating for the coaches and upperclassmen.

[Reaper16]

Well, that wasn't the competitive game that I expected, but I'm ecstatic with the results!

Me posting with frozen fingers after NW wins a national semi-final has become an annual tradition here, heh. Duluth is surprising everyone this season. I feel the same about the matchup next Sat for the national title that I did about the matchup w/ UNA. I think NW will win, but I can easily see them losing, too.

Ah, happiness. Time to unthaw.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Well, that wasn't the competitive game that I expected, but I'm ecstatic with the results!

Me posting with frozen fingers after NW wins a national semi-final has become an annual tradition here, heh. Duluth is surprising everyone this season. I feel the same about the matchup next Sat for the national title that I did about the matchup w/ UNA. I think NW will win, but I can easily see them losing, too.

Ah, happiness. Time to unthaw.

Congrats, Reaper.

A pure playoff. Has to be fun.

[Reaper16]

Congrats, Reaper.

A pure playoff. Has to be fun.
It really is. D1 would benefit so much from a playoff.

[Ultra Peanut]

Shove that hickory stick up your ass, you Northwest bastard :harumph:MOMMY DADDY STOP FIGHTING

[Reaper16]

The score was misleading, I think. I said earlier in this thread that the team that becomes one-dimensional will lose. Well, UNA became one-dimensional way too early on account of NW making them play into the wind for the 1st quarter. That 1st quarter saw UNA unable to pass the ball, so the Bearcat defense was able to key in on the run. NW jumped out to a 20-0 1st quarter lead and never looked back. If NW had to start the game playing into that wind then the game might have turned out very differently.

It reminded me of a typical Grand Valley State playoff game. They always make their opponents deal with the nasty wind there and that team quickly finds itself in an insurmountable hole.

[tmax63]

NWMSU was pretty one-dimesional too. They ran the ball down their throats. Been a long time since I'd visit my friends on the ambulance crew and breathe oxygen during halftime to sober up.

[Coach]

Should be a good game. Hopefully this time, NWMSU can win it this time.

[steelyeyed57]

Go CATS! Finally get that elusive win in Florence! Anybody going down? I can't make it, I don't think, but would love to see it, if we can pull it off.

[Reaper16]

NWMSU was pretty one-dimesional too. They ran the ball down their throats. Been a long time since I'd visit my friends on the ambulance crew and breathe oxygen during halftime to sober up.
Well, yeah. They were one-dimensional with a gigantic, insurmountable lead. That's a massive difference from being one-dimensional in a close, competitive game.