ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Football (3-7, 2-6 MIAA) lost to No. 8 Northwest Missouri State, 45-13, on Senior Day at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph.
The Griffons got down 14-0 in the first quarter, but got on the board with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Isaiah Tate to Victor Taylor Jr. with 10:31 to go in the second quarter, making it 14-7.
Northwest (8-1, 7-1 MIAA) punched in a touchdown with 1:44 left before halftime to go up 21-7 at the break.
The Bearcats, who have taken 13 in a row from the Griffons in this series, took control with a 75-yard touchdown run by Quincy Torry on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, leading 28-7 at that point.
Northwest scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to take control. MoWest quarterback Skyler Cassel engineered one last scoring drive before game's end, connecting with Mickhi Mitchell for an 18-yard score as time expired.
The Griffons threw for 289 yards, but were outgained in rushing yards 418-52. Northwest outgained MoWest in total offense 549-341.
Cassel completed 11-of-23 passes for 121 yards. He had a touchdown and two INTs. Tate went 11-of-19 for 168 yards with a touchdown and a pick. He also lost a fumble. Northwest recorded eight total sacks on the day.
Taylor Jr. led the Griffs with 69 yards receiving. Malik Moore had a team-best six catches for 67 yards. Crew Myers caught two passes for 40 yards, putting him up to 1007 receiving yards this season. He becomes just the fourth Griffon receiver to have a 1000-yard season and the first since Cedric Houston in 2009.
Torry torched the Griffon defense with 252 yards rushing on 12 carries, scoring three times. The Bearcats averaged a staggering 12.3 yards per carry on the ground. John Pargo Jr. and Ken Pierre-Charles each had seven tackles. Mayes Doggan and Zaidun Edwards each had an interception.
MoWest ends the 2026 season with a trip to Central Oklahoma (4-6, 3-5 MIAA). Kickoff from Chad Richison Stadium in Edmond is set for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and available to watch on the MIAA Network.
UCO lost at Missouri Southern Saturday, 23-14.
