NORTHWEST
MISSOURIAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
VOL. 110, NO. 11
@THEMISSOURIAN
HOMECOMING KINGS?
JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN
In a file photo from The Missourian, Northwest football senior wideout Alec Tatum celebrates after scoring his second touchdown of the game during the fourth quarter of the Bearcats’ 38-0 win against Central Oklahoma Sept. 25. Tatum finished with 205 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 11 receptions en route to a career-best performance against the Bronchos. JON WALKER Sports Editor | @ByJonWalker
I
n the days leading up to Northwest football’s 2019 meeting with Nebraska-Kearney, then-third-year coach Rich Wright was preparing to face an option-based offense for the second time in as many weeks. The Bearcats were on the heels of a 38-17 win against Pitt State at Arrowhead Stadium, but Wright knew he was going to be presented with a different challenge when scheming for the Lopers. “They’ve got two quarterbacks they utilize,” Wright said Oct. 15, 2019. “The redshirt freshman is very talented.” That redshirt freshman was
No. 8 Northwest eyes MIAA’s driver seat against No. 17 Nebraska-Kearney T.J. Davis, a then-first-year player making his debut in the gauntlet of the MIAA. Davis, who was the backup behind senior Alex McGinnis, threw for 125 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 115 yards and another score en route to the Lopers handing the Bearcats their first loss of the season with a 24-17 defeat. Following a two-week road trip
— resulting in a 17-16 Week 6 loss to Washburn Oct. 16 and 59-7 win against Northeastern State in response Oct. 23 — Wright is, once again, preparing for Davis, now a sophomore who is perhaps the most explosive player in the MIAA this season. It’ll be a revenge game two years in the making when the No. 8 Bearcats (6-1) host No. 17
Kearney (7-1) for a homecoming matchup Oct. 30 in Bearcat Stadium with first place in the MIAA hanging in the balance. “We’re just excited for the opportunity to get back home, play against a great MIAA opponent,” Wright said Tuesday afternoon. “One of the things we talk about within the process is trying to put yourself in position at the end of the season to play for big things, and we have that opportunity, again.” Davis, Wright said Oct. 26, had his “coming out party” against the Bearcats two years ago, a performance that foreshadowed the havoc he was set to wreak across the league.
SEE REVENGE | A8
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