By Bob Still
The radio was blasting what turned out to be a prophetic weather alert for the NCAA Division II Football Championship in Kansas City, Kansas on December 17. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Let It Snow” played over and over in the heads of the 9,576 fans that braved the conditions. It was a bone chilling 13 degrees with a wind chill of -4 at kickoff. The wind was blowing out of the northwest – another omen.
For the second consecutive year and third in the last four, the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats rolled to a 29-3 victory over the Northern Alabama Lions. It was predictable before kickoff that this game would come down to who had a more successful running attack. With the winds gusting at more than 17 miles per hour and snowflakes the size of quarters, field conditions began to look like a skating rink. So, that old sports cliché’ applied, “Defense wins championships.”
Northern Alabama’s offense was simply brick-walled on the ground by Northwest’s massive front four. The Lions 33 rushing attempts netted an average of 0.7 yards per carry – a total of 22 yards of rushing offense compared to the Bearcats 226 yards on 40 attempts (5.7 average per rush).
There were other defining statistics such as turnovers. Northern Alabama lost two of five fumbles while NWMSU coughed up the ball three times but lost it only once. Both quarterbacks threw one interception.
“I’m proud of how our kids played today,” said Northwest’s Head Coach Adam Dorrel. “The upperclassmen have been leaders on and off the field all year long and each and every kid on this team contributed.”
It was Dorrel’s fourth national title in six years at the Midwest Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) school. The undefeated Bearcats finished their 2016 season 15-0, matching last year’s record and now have extended college football’s longest winning streak to 30 games. The NCAA DII record is 40 games by Grand Valley State (8/27/05 – 12/1/07).
In his six seasons as head coach, Dorrel accumulated a 76-8 (.905) winning percentage. The Bearcats won the last four MIAA Conference titles. Dorrel was named MIAA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career this season. It’s an impressive enough resume that Abilene Christian University came calling and landed Dorrel to be their head coach in 2017.
It’s easy to throw a lot of superlatives at the Northwest football program. They may truly be a football dynasty but only time will tell. The statistics this school’s football program is compiling shows a trend toward that accomplishment. The school now stands atop the mountain of DII football titles with six – more than any other program.
So what now for the Bearcats? It seems the rich get richer.
On Monday, December 19, less than 48 hours after placing that national championship trophy in the glass case at the Bearcat Athletic Department, Athletic Director, Mel Tjeerdsma , announced that Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, Rich Wright, would be the new Head Coach to lead the Bearcats in 2017. Additionally, all the Bearcat football assistant coaches were returning as well.
See you next December.