ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western football grabbed a 13-9 second quarter lead against Northwest Missouri State, but the Bearcats scored 21 unanswered points and ultimately held off the Griffons in a 33-23 result at Spratt Stadium on Saturday in St. Joseph.

Missouri Western (3-7, 2-7 MIAA) battled hard early on, trailing only 16-13 at halftime. The Griffons got the ball to start the second half, but Western was held to a punt on each of their first four drives to begin the third quarter.

Northwest (6-4, 5-3 MIAA), meanwhile, scored touchdowns on each of their first two series of the second half to go up 30-13 with 4:20 to go in the third quarter. After the Bearcats blocked a punt late in the third quarter and took over deep on the Griffons' side, it appeared the Bearcats were in position to possibly put the game away.

However, Noah Guastella missed a 36-yard field goal attempt off the right upright, giving Missouri Western a chance to cut into its deficit. The Griffons did, as Cody Watson connected on a 37-yard field goal, his third of the day, to cut the deficit to 30-16 with 11:55 to play.

Missouri Western's defense then came up with some key stops, as Northwest punted on four straight possessions in the fourth quarter. The Griffons got it to within a touchdown when Branden Berwald connected with Jake Berrey for a 41-yard touchdown, making it 30-23 with 5:57 to go.

The Griffons, after a Northwest three-and-out, set up shop at their own 46-yard line, down 30-23 with still 3:40 play and all three timeouts. On the second play of the drive, however, Berwald threw a pass toward the sideline intended for Tyler Carey, which was picked off and returned 28 yards by Austin McKinney.

Thanks to a holding call, Northwest settled for a 22-yard field goal to go up 33-23 with 1:26 to go. The Griffons had one last possession, but ran out of time, as they were operating without timeouts at that point.

Berwald completed 26-of-51 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Berwald was sacked five times in the game. Jonas Bennett turned in his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season, hauling in 11 passes for 113 yards. Traveon James had a 16-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter - his first TD catch of the season.

Defensively, Kienen Gaskin and TreVon Holmes each had eight total tackles to lead MWSU. Desmond Green had his fourth interception of the season in the first half. Cody Watson had a great day, connecting on all three field goal attempts, including a career-best of 53 yards in the first quarter.

Watson becomes the first kicker since Greg Zuerlein in 2011 to hit multiple 50+ yard field goals in the same season. Watson also tied Dustin Strickler for most field goals made in a Griffon career with now 41 total.

Northwest limited MWSU to just 22 total rush yards on 21 carries. On the offensive end, Northwest's Tank Young had a big day, running the ball 20 times for 135 yards and two scores. He also hauled in six passes for 92 yards, giving him 227 all-purpose yards. Chris Ruhnke, Northwest's signal caller, completed 20-of-32 passes for 225 yards, a touchdown and an interception. 

Missouri Western concludes its season next Saturday when they welcome the Quincy Hawks (6-3, 5-3 GLVC) to Spratt Stadium for a non-conference battle. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and on the MIAA Network.