College football playoffs: Bearcats’ big start too much for Bulldogs

Nov. 30--MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Northwest Missouri State did today what no team has done to Minnesota Duluth in a long time: Shut down the Bulldogs.

By the time UMD woke up, it was too late.

Northwest Missouri scored the first 31 points en route to a 45-21 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs before 4,514 at Bearcat Stadium.

Fourth-seeded UMD (11-2) was held scoreless in the first half for the first time this season. The Bulldogs weren't able to get their vaunted rushing game going, with 27 carries for just 66 yards in the half. Top-seeded Northwest Missouri (12-0) wasn't much better but was able to piece together a quick-strike touchdown drive just before the half.

Northwest Missouri will host the Super Region Three title game next week.

The Bearcats got the ball to start the second half and quickly pieced together a six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. The rest of the quarter would be much of the same as Northwest Missouri led 31-0 going into the fourth quarter.

That's when UMD mounted a furious rally with 21 unanswered points. The Bulldogs nearly pulled to within one score with 6:25 to play, but a two-point conversion pass fell incomplete. Leading 31-21, the Bearcats put the game away with a touchdown drive on their ensuing drive and added an insurance TD with 1:46 remaining.

UMD certainly had its share of chances to make the game closer if the Bulldogs could have converted opportunities in the first half.

UMD intercepted the Bearcats twice and converted two fake punts in the first half, only to fumble the first one away and end up trailing 10-0 at halftime. The Bulldogs also made uncharacteristic plays that kept the score from being the other way around in the first half.

UMD missed a 32-yard field wide right, which may have been deflected. Later, the Bulldogs went for it on fourth and goal on the three only to get stuffed. After that, it was all Northwest Missouri. The Bearcats, with backup quarterback Brady Bolles providing a spark, marched the other way to take a 3-0 lead 2:11 before the half and quickly got the ball back as UMD's offense continued to struggle.

Bolles is the younger brother of Blake Bolles, who guided Northwest Missouri to the 2009 national title and quarterbacked the Bearcats in their 17-13 loss at UMD in the 2010 national semifinals, the Bulldogs' legendary "Ice Bowl" game.

UMD was making its sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance while Northwest Missouri is the midst of its 10th straight, the best in DII football.

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