2016 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team

2016 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football
NCAA Division II champion MIAA champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 29–3 vs. North Alabama
Conference	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Ranking
AFCA	No. 1
Record	15–0 (11–0 MIAA)
Head coach	Adam Dorrel (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Charlie Flohr (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Rich Wright (6th season)
Home stadium	Bearcat Stadium
Seasons ←  2015 2017 →

2016 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 NW Missouri State $^		11	–	0					15	–	0
No. 10 Emporia State ^		10	–	1					11	–	2
No. 21 Central Missouri ^		9	–	2					9	–	3
Fort Hays State #		7	–	4					8	–	4
Pittsburg State		7	–	4					7	–	4
Washburn #		7	–	4					7	–	5
Missouri Western		4	–	7					4	–	7
Central Oklahoma		3	–	8					3	–	8
Lindenwood		3	–	8					3	–	8
Missouri Southern		2	–	9					2	–	9
Northeastern State		2	–	9					2	–	9
Nebraska–Kearney		1	–	10					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant # – bowl participant (Wahsburn: Mineral Water Bowl, Fort Hays State: C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl Rankings from AFCA poll)

The 2016 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team represented Northwest Missouri State University as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) during the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Adam Dorrel, the Bearcats compiled an overall record of 15–0 with a mark of 11–0 in conference play, winning the MIAA title. They won the program's sixth NCAA Division II Football Championship with a win over North Alabama in the NCAA Division II Championship Game.

The Bearcats played their home games on the newly-renovated Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Missouri. ^[1] 2016 was the 100th season in school history. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 p.m.	at No. 24 Emporia State	No. 1	Francis G. Welch Stadium Emporia, KS		W 41–14	6,821
September 8	7:00 p.m.	Washburn	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO		W 41–7	7,501
September 17	1:30 p.m.	Nebraska–Kearney	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO		W 52–14	8,550
September 24	6:00 p.m.	at Missouri Southern	No. 1	Fred G. Hughes Stadium Joplin, MO		W 45–21	5,267
October 1	5:00 p.m.	No. 22 Central Missouri	No. 1	Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, MO		W 42–17	15,349
October 8	2:00 p.m.	at Central Oklahoma	No. 1	Wantland Stadium Edmond, OK		W 56–10	3,109
October 15	1:30 p.m.	Northeastern State	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO		W 74–29	7,296
October 22	1:30 p.m.	at Lindenwood	No. 1	Harlen C. Hunter Stadium St. Charles, MO		W 47–12	3,527
October 29	2:30 p.m.	Pittsburg State	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO (rivalry)	ASN	W 69–10	10,283
November 5	2:00 p.m.	at Fort Hays State	No. 1	Lewis Field Stadium Hays, KS		W 28–7	3,325
November 12	1:30 p.m.	Missouri Western	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO (rivalry)		W 44–3	7,542
November 26	1:00 p.m.	No. 9 Emporia State*	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO (NCAA Division II Second Round)		W 44–13	5,119
December 3	1:00 p.m.	No. 5 Harding *	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)		W 35–0	5,473
December 10	2:30 p.m.	No. 5 Ferris State *	No. 1	Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO (NCAA Division II Semifinal)		W 35–20	5,264
December 17	3:00 p.m.	No. 7 North Alabama *	No. 1	Children's Mercy Park Kansas City, KS (NCAA Division II Championship)	ESPN2	W 29–3	9,576
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from American Football Coaches Association Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[5]

Preseason

The Bearcats entered the 2016 season as the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, after finishing the 2015 season with a 15–0 record overall and in conference play. ^[6] On August 2, 2016 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Bearcats were chosen to finish in 1st place in both the Coaches Poll and in the Media Poll. ^{[7] [8]}

Sporting News released their Top-25 on May 25, 2016, landing Northwest Missouri State at #1. ^[9] On June 15, 2016, Lindy's NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 released its poll ranking Northwest Missouri State at #1. ^[10]

On August 15, the American Football Coaches Association released the Preseason Division II Poll, ^[11] landing Northwest Missouri State at #1. ^[12]

On August 22, D2football.com released its Top 25 poll, ranking Northwest Missouri State 1st. ^[13]

Game summaries

Regular season

Emporia State

See also: 2016 Emporia State Hornets football team

Northwest Missouri State at Emporia State

1 2 3 4 Total •#1 Northwest Missouri State 3 17 14 7 41 #24 Emporia State 7 0 0 7 14 Date: September 1 Location: Francis G. Welch Stadium, Emporia, KS Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:59 Game attendance: 6,821 Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C) Referee: Craig Helser

Washburn

See also: 2016 Washburn Ichabods football team

Washburn at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total Washburn 0 7 0 0 7 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 17 0 14 10 41 Date: September 8 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:54 Game attendance: 7,501 Game weather: Overcast, 80 °F (27 °C) Referee: Sean Johnston

Nebraska–Kearney

See also: 2016 Nebraska–Kearney Lopers football team

Nebraska–Kearney at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total Nebraska–Kearney 7 0 7 0 14 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 10 28 7 7 52 Date: September 17 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:30 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:01 Game attendance: 8,550 Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C) Referee: Brian Moore

Missouri Southern

See also: 2016 Missouri Southern Lions football team

Northwest Missouri State at Missouri Southern

1 2 3 4 Total •#1 Northwest Missouri State 0 28 7 10 45 Missouri Southern 13 0 8 0 21 Date: September 24 Location: Fred G. Hughes Stadium, Joplin, MO Game start: 6:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:58 Game attendance: 5,267 Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 85 °F (29 °C) Referee: Danny Harris

Central Missouri

See also: 2016 Central Missouri Mules football team

Central Missouri at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total #22 Central Missouri 7 7 0 3 17 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 7 14 7 14 42 Date: October 1 Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO Game start: 5:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:49 Game attendance: 15,349 Game weather: Cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C) Referee: Dwight Neibling

Central Oklahoma

Northwest Missouri State at Central Oklahoma

1 2 3 4 Total •#1 Northwest Missouri State 14 28 14 0 56 Central Oklahoma 0 10 0 0 10 Date: October 8 Location: Wantland Stadium, Edmond, OK Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 3,109 Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C) Referee: Danny Harris

Northeastern State

See also: 2016 Northeastern State RiverHawks football team

Northeastern State at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total Northeastern State 6 9 14 0 29 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 21 25 21 7 74 Date: October 15 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:30 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 7,296 Game weather: Overcast, 70 °F (21 °C) Referee: Sean Johnston

Lindenwood

See also: 2016 Lindenwood Lions football team

Northwest Missouri State at Lindenwood

1 2 3 4 Total •#1 Northwest Missouri State 14 17 0 16 47 Lindenwood 6 0 0 6 12 Date: October 22 Location: Harlen C. Hunter Stadium, St. Charles, MO Game start: 1:30 pm CDT Elapsed time: 2:54 Game attendance: 3,527 Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C) Referee: Sean Johnston

Pittsburg State

See also: 2016 Pittsburg State Gorillas football team

Pittsburg State at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total Pittsburg State 0 3 7 0 10 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 14 27 14 14 69 Date: October 29 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 2:30 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:12 Game attendance: 10,283 Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C) Referee: John Adams Television network: American Sports Network

Fort Hays State

See also: 2016 Fort Hays State Tigers football team

Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State

1 2 3 4 Total •#1 Northwest Missouri State 14 0 0 14 28 Fort Hays State 0 0 0 7 7 Date: November 5 Location: Lewis Field Stadium, Hays, KS Game start: 2:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 3,325 Game weather: Partly cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C) Referee: Craig Helser

Missouri Western

See also: 2016 Missouri Western Griffons football team

Missouri Western at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total Missouri Western 0 3 0 0 3 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 10 7 10 17 44 Date: November 12 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:30 pm CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 7,542 Game weather: Sunny, 50 °F (10 °C) Referee: Dwight Neibling

With their win over Missouri Western, the Bearcats clinched their fourth straight conference title. ^[14]

Postseason

Emporia State

See also: 2016 Emporia State Hornets football team

Emporia State at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total #9 Emporia State 0 13 0 0 13 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 17 14 3 10 44 Date: November 26 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 5,119 Game weather: Sunny and clear, 51 °F (11 °C) Referee: Craig Hesler

Entering postseason as the No. 1 team, the Bearcats earn a bye during the first week of playoffs and will play the winner of the Emporia State and Minnesota–Duluth game. ^[15]

Harding

Harding at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total #5 Harding 0 0 0 0 0 •#1 Northwest Missouri State 10 12 3 10 35 Date: December 3 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 1:00 pm CST Elapsed time: 2:22 Game attendance: 5,473 Game weather: Clear and cool, 40 °F (4 °C) Referee: Bob Rose

Ferris State

Ferris State at Northwest Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total #15 Ferris State 0 0 0 0 0 #1 Northwest Missouri State 0 0 0 0 0 Date: December 10 Location: Bearcat Stadium, Maryville, MO Game start: 2:30 pm CST

Personnel

Coaching staff

Along with Dorrel, there are 12 assistants.

Name	Position	Seasons at NWMSU	Alma Mater
Adam Dorrel	Head coach	6	Northwest Missouri State (1998)
Rich Wright	Assist. Head Coach – Defensive Coordinator	6	Dana College (1995)
Charlie Flohr	Assist. Head Coach – Offensive Coordinator	11	Dakota State (2002)
Joel Osborn	Assist. Head Coach – WR/Recruiting Coordinator	6	Northwest Missouri State (2009)
Chad Bostwick	Assist. Head Coach – Linebackers	6	Northwest Missouri State (2005)
Brandon Clayton	Assist. Head Coach – Defensive backs	2	Northwest Missouri State (2009)
Ryan Gent	Assist. Head Coach – Tight Ends/Running backs	3	Iowa State (2013)
Ross Sharp	Director of player personnel	3	Northwest Missouri State (2014)
Scott Reilly	Graduate Assistant – Offensive Line	3	Northwest Missouri State (2016)
Andrew Pitts	Graduate Assistant – Defensive Backs	1	Northwest Missouri State (2016)
Justin Mulloy	Graduate Assistant – Quarterbacks	1	Minnesota (2014)
Brock Sherman	Graduate Assistant – Defensive Line	1	Northwest Missouri State (2016)
Tucker Peve	Football Equipment Manager	4	Northwest Missouri State (2017)
Reference: [16]

Roster

2016 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Dre Washington Sr WR 2 Jordan Bishop Jr RB 7 Cameron Wilcox Jr WR 8 George Sehl Sr RB 10 Emanuel Jones So WR 12 Randy Schmidt Jr WR 13 Shawn Bane Jr. So QB 15 Jonathan Baker Jr QB 16 Kyle Zimmerman Sr QB 17 Zach Martin Jr WR 18 Sha'Corey Foster So WR 19 Cody Massey So WR 22 Haden Bryant Jr WR 25 Quincy Woods Fr RB 26 Chase White So RB 28 Phil Jackson II Sr RB 32 Jordan Grove Jr RB 34 Brody McMahon Fr QB 37 Jayden Johnson Fr FB 42 Clay Meinders Fr TE 48 Clayton Wilson Jr OL 53 Scott Gourley Jr OL 58 Chase Thomas So OL 59 Joey Ziegler Fr OL 60 Myles Ehlke Jr OL 62 Chase Sherman Sr OL 64 Kyle Meyer Sr OL 65 Tim Otting Fr OL 66 Jamie Thieman Sr OL 69 Max Moore So OL 70 Trey Kothe So OL 71 Anthony Enriquez Fr OL 72 Sam Gull Jr OL 74 Zach Flott So OL 75 Jackson Morrison So OL 76 Jacob Cacek Fr OL 77 Jonathan Ortiz Fr OL 78 Landon Kubicek Jr OL 79 Ryan Huff Jr WR 80 Shane Williams Jr TE 81 Austen Eskew So TE 82 Marqus Andrews Fr WR 83 Darby Raines Jr TE 84 Ryan SPelhaug Fr TE 85 Jordan Klingman Fr TE 86 Kyle Raunig Fr TE 90 T.J. Schieber Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 3 Edward Richey Jr LB 4 Jarrod Bishop Jr S 5 Jack Young Sr S 6 Kevin Berg Sr CB 9 Marcus Jones Jr DT 11 Collin Bevins Sr CB 14 Chama Pierre So CB 20 Anthony Lane So CB 21 Wes Smith Jr S 23 Najeem Hosein So S 24 Trent Nally So CB 27 Jack Richards So S 29 Jake Marshall Fr DB 31 Joe Straws Fr LB 33 Brandon Minor Jr LB 35 Breyon Dennis So LB 36 Cole Bixler So CB 38 J'Ravien Anderson Fr LB 39 Cole Bonde Jr DE 40 Spencer Phillips Fr FS 41 Jacob Gassman Fr LB 43 Jacob Vollstedt Sr LB 44 Matt Connelly So LB 45 Nick Hess So LB 46 Eli Keller Fr LB 47 Jamaal Brazil Fr LB 51 Andy Hessler Fr LB 54 Michael Sorfonden Fr LB 55 Cole Forney  Sr LB 56 Ben Althoff So DE 57 Myles Scott Fr DE 63 Mike Ehlke Fr DT 68 Caleb Mather Jr DE 73 Cass Weitl Sr DL 91 Zach Pierce Fr DE 92 Bobby Gruenloh Jr DE 93 Curt Mueller Fr DE 94 Keaton Hulett Jr DT 98 Brent Morrow So DT 99 Ben Spaeth Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 30 Ben Trewyn Sr P 50 Anthony Babida Jr LS 54 Michael Sorfonden Fr K 88 Simon Mathiesen Sr P 95 Matt Thorman So	Head coach Adam Dorrel Coordinators/assistant coaches See coaching staff Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 2016-08-26

References

1. "Northwest Missouri State University – Bearcat Stadium". May 7, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
2. "2016 Northwest Missouri State Football Quick Facts" (PDF). August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
3. "Adam Dorrel biography" . Retrieved August 26, 2016.
4. White, Kevin (June 27, 2013). "Rich History of Bulldog Athletics in MIAA" . Retrieved August 26, 2016.
5. "Northwest Missouri State University – 2016 Football Schedule" . Retrieved August 26, 2016.
6. "Northwest Missouri State beats Shepherd 34-7, wins Division II national championship". December 19, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
7. "NWMSU Tops Football Polls". August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
8. "Northwest Tops MIAA Preseason Polls". August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
9. "Emporia State Football is in Sporting News Preseason Top 25" . Retrieved August 4, 2015.
10. "Emporia State University Athletics - Emporia State Football Ranked #12 in Lindy's Preseason Rankings". June 15, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
11. "Northwest Missouri State No. 1 in Preseason AFCA Poll". August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
12. Weast, Donald (August 15, 2016). "Emporia State Football Ranked in AFCA Top 25 to Start Season" (Press release). Retrieved August 26, 2016.
13. "Top 25 Poll". D2football.com. August 22, 2015. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
14. MIAA Scoreboard (November 12, 2016). "Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association - NWMSU Football Wins Fourth Straight MIAA Title". Themiaa.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
15. MIAA Scoreboard (November 13, 2016). "Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association - Three MIAA Teams Make NCAA Division II Football National Tournament Field". Themiaa.com. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
16. "Northwest Missouri State University – 2016 Football Roster" . Retrieved August 26, 2016.