Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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A Robcat trample Don Black Award given to former walk-on. by Trevor Hayes Parade sirens and horns broke through the murmur of voices. As the day grew warmer, crowds filled Rickenhrode Stadium to see the Bearcats win. The Homecoming game against Mis.souri Southern State University looked to be a pushover with Southern limping into Rickenbrode at 1-5. Coach Rob Green assumed the reins of the Lions only a week before, after head coach Bill Cooke resigned. . ' Kn upset ot the No. 25 Bearcats could have provided the Lions with a needed spark to kick-start their season. Throughout the game. Southern tried unorthodox and sometimes bizarre tactics. Their lines yelled during snap counts in order to draw Bearcats offside. On kickoffs, the Lions would start running, back up and start over again. They o tried three take punts. The ' Cats were on top of their game in the first quarter, and when they saw the first fake punt, they were ready. Linebacker Chad Bostwick saw the pass coming and intercepted it. He returned a 45-yard touchdown after receiving a rattling block from cornerback Darryl Ridley on a Southern would-be tackier. Bostwick ' s touchdown came after freshman kicker Cory Paetznick ' s 24-yard field goal to ake the score 10-0. The Bearcats scored again 18 seconds into the second quarter. Running back Mike Fiech capitalized on wide receiver Morris White ' s third blocked punt in three weeks. :h bulled through Southern ' s defense for an easy 8-yard run into the end;one. The rest of the quarter was fairly quiet until the ' Cats got the ball back on their 8-yard line with about three minutes eft in the second quarter. Running back Shon Wells ran for 7 yards. Quarterback Josh Lamberson threw two consecutive passes to wide receiver Jamaica Rector and Wells for 8 yards, and 2 yards. After a short time out, Lamberson fired a bullet to Rector, who slipped passed the Lions secondary and then streaked down field for a 75-yard touchdown. |osh made a good throw, Rector said. It was just o ' er the safety ' s head, and 1 just took it to the zone. The Lions answered back with a 91 -yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the next play. After kicking the ball back to the Bearcats and letting them drive 51 yards, the Lions picked off Lamherson ' s pass and returned it 91 yards The touchdown quickly made it a close game at 24-14. During the wild second quarter, scoring ended with just 20 seconds before the half. Paetznick hit a 45-yard field goal, his longest of that day. Ecstatic over the kick, Paetznick lead the team off the field, and came on the field second after the half The ' Cats drove the ball into field goal range on their first two drives of the quarter. Paetznick hit both a 30-yarder and a 46-yarder, making it 33-14. The game slowed immensely during the third quarter witli eight penalties and four turnovers between the two teams Rector and Fiech both fumbled, and Lamberson threu another interception. Southern turned the ball over after an incomplete pass on another attempted take punt. Penalties and tumov ers plagued both teams in the fourth, but the Bearcats capitalized on a few of Southern ' s mistakes. After a fumbled punt return, cornerback Jason Chinn wrapped up the ball at the Southern 23-yard line. On a short gain by Lamberson and a pair of runs by running back Mitch Herring, the Bearcats were able to make the score 40-14. Herring ' s 12-yard sprint came only two and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. Bearcat starters were soon replaced by back-ups. The team didn ' t cross the goal line again until 1:17 left in the game. After several carries by running back Zach Sherman, the next seven points came on the legs of senior running back Bart Hardy to make it a final score of 47-14. The Don Black award for most valuable player during the game went to Bostwick. He ended the day with six tackles, two for loss, a sack and an interception for a 45-yard touchdown. Bostwick, a former walk-on, beat out Paetznick who scored the most points with 17 including his 46 and 47 yard field goals, and Rector whose six catches for 1 59 yards totaled half of the team ' s aerial attack. For him to make the play that he did on the interception and score a touchdown, it really makes you feel good, head coach Mel Tjeersdma said. It really sends a message to a lot of our young players. Here ' s a guy who wasn ' t even a scholarship player to start with. This is what can happen if you work hard, and if you believe in what your doing, and you believe in your teammates, and you believe in the program. Tjeersdma believed his program did well. He was proud of the whole team and the flashes of brilliance they showed on Homecoming. It ' s such a big event for our students, he said. There ' s a lot of things going on for the students, but that ' s kind of the icing on the cake — the Homecoming game, and to win that. Tony Glover, Jason c;hii player Juriny the Hiuiic i ' mi p u)ii) In t,ke r: loms White t . TIk- Re.itv.u I Missouri Southern the K.™e 47 to 14. .A laf-A M

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I ' boLball Came Attendance - 8,100 Penalties NWMSU - 10 for 52 yards MSSU - 10 for 115 yards Don Black Award winner-Chad Bostwidc 6 tackles (Isolo. 5 ast) 2 tackles for loss (8 yards) 1 interception (45 yard return) 1 sack (8 yards) Jamaica Rector 6 catches (159 yards, long - 75 yards) 56% of passing yards 1 touchdown (only passing TD) 4 punt returns (33 yards, long - 24 yards) Josh Lamberson 16 completions, 29 attempts, 2 interceptions passed for 249 yards (1 TD, long - 75 yards) 55% completion rate LineHiickcr Ryan Bowers i.itkclL-s ,i Mis« Southern pl.iycT Jurinj; .1 kickott return- Rnvcr reJ-shirted sophomore from Omahii. Neh. ! ivi Mik Dm- In a match against Missouri Southern, wiJe receiver Adam Otte treaks away from the cluster and sprints the ball toward the Bearcat end zone Otte eventually ran out of bounts, not only stopping the clock to buy the team more time, but to gain a first dmvn. fk ' K- M ki Dse JS Shv.Jew rt e

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