Scouting report: No. 8 Northwest vs. No. 17 UNK
Oct. 29—No. 17 Nebraska-Kearney (7-1) at No. 8 Northwest (6-1)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bearcat Stadium
Broadcast: TV — MIAA Network; Radio — 90.5 FM, 100.1 FM, 88.9 FM
When NORTHWEST has the ball
While Mike Hohensee is 3rd in the nation in passing efficiency and has 1,319 yards for 15 TDs and 7 INTs, Braden Wright returned in a reserve role last week. The third-year starting QB hadn't played since Week 1 due to a gut surgery. Al McKeller leads the MIAA and ranks No. 5 in the nation in rushing yards per game (133.9 ypg). Jamar Moya added 181 total yards and 4 TDs — 2 rushing — last week. Alec Tatum is 5th in the MIAA at 72 yards receiving per game. He has 504 yards for 3 TDs. Kaden Davis leads the team with 6 INTs. Northwest ranks No. 1 in the nation in third-down conversions at 54.1%. UNK's defense currently ranks 2nd in the MIAA against the pass (117.8) and is tied for first in opponent completion percentage (53.8). Junior safety Darius Swanson and junior ILB Zach Schlager combine for 111 tackles, with Swanson also having a team-high 3 INTs.
Advantage: NORTHWEST
When UNK has the ball
Quarterback T.J. Davis is completing 65% of his passes for 197 yards per game, making him the nation's most efficient passer. He leads D-II in yards per attempt (12.1) and yards per completion (18.8). Favis also runs for 104 yards per game with a MIAA-leading 13 TDs. Montrez Jackson and Damien Cearns have also combined for nearly 600 yards and 5 TDs. UNK leads the MIAA with 36.6 points per game. UNK runs for 270 yards per game. Northwest ranks No. 2 in the nation in rushing defense by giving up only 42.1 rushing yards per game. They ranked No. 4 in scoring defense at 9.1 ppg. They're allowing 232.7 yards per game, ranking 6th in the nation. Sam Roberts has collected a team-best 11 TFLs, which ranks tied for 4th-best in the MIAA. Zach Howard ranks second in the MIAA with 4.5 sacks. Jackson Barnes leads the Bearcats with 48 tackles, adding 7 TFLs. Three different players have 6 PBUs.
Advantage: NORTHWEST
LAST TIME OUT
UNK 24, No. 7 Northwest — The Lopers jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the 3rd quarter and forced a fumble with 2 minutes to play to upset Northwest.
RECENT HISTORY
2018 — No. 13 Northwest 27, UNK 13
2017 — No. 1 Northwest 13, UNK 0
NOTABLE
Northwest owns a 12-4 lead in the all-time series with Nebraska-Kearney. ... Northwest is ranked 5th in Ruper Region 3 with UNK ranked 7th. ... Northwest will celebrate Homecoming and honor its M-Club Hall of Fame inductees. Northwest has lost twice on Homecoming since 1995. The Don Black Award is presented to the Homecoming game MVP.
Brandon Zenner can be reached at brandon.zenner@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowZenner.
