Jarrod James

Halloween is this Saturday, and there are some big #D2FB matchups on the schedule. 🎃🏈

Big one in Maryville Saturday. No. 8 @esuhornetsfb (8-0) visits No. 11 @NWBearcat_FB (6-1) in a matchup with major implications for the MIAA title race and Super Region Four playoff picture. #D2FB

No. 14 Northwest Missouri State hosts No. 24 Central Missouri Saturday in Maryville, and the coaching history behind this matchup is pretty remarkable. Both head coaches played quarterback for Mel Tjeerdsma at Northwest. UCM head coach Josh Lamberson was recruited by Tjeerdsma and played from 2001-05, going 25-6 as a starter and leading Northwest to the 2005 national title game. He completed 33 passes in that championship game, setting a title-game record, then stayed in Maryville as a GA and quarterbacks coach from 2006-08. Northwest head coach John McMenamin played from 1998-2002 after then-offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda recruited him out of Elkhorn. McMenamin won two national titles as a Bearcat and still holds Northwest’s single-game records for passing yards and total offense. Both came against Central Missouri. Svoboda is another major connection between the two. After becoming UCM’s head coach, he hired Lamberson as his offensive coordinator from 2010-14. That run included Harlon Hill winner Eric Czerniewski and back-to-back playoff appearances. McMenamin later took over the same job, serving as UCM’s OC from 2015-19 and directing the No. 1 total offense in Division II in 2019. Svoboda will be there Saturday, too. He’s now the color analyst on UCM’s radio broadcasts. And it goes well beyond the two head coaches. Northwest DC Chad Bostwick played linebacker for Tjeerdsma from 2001-04 and worked as a GA in 2005-06. His brother Scott was Tjeerdsma’s longtime defensive coordinator and was selected to succeed him as Northwest’s head coach before passing away prior to the 2011 season. Northwest special teams coordinator and DB coach Jake Willrich was a GA under Tjeerdsma in 2003-04. On the other sideline, UCM defensive coordinator Rich Wright coached defensive line and special teams under Tjeerdsma from 2004-10. Wright eventually became Northwest’s head coach from 2017-24, going 65-22 with three MIAA titles and five straight playoff appearances. During his years in Maryville, he was part of 12 MIAA championships and four national championship teams. UCM DB coach Brandon Clayton played for Tjeerdsma from 2005-08, appearing in four national title games, then later spent nine years coaching at Northwest under Wright. UCM special teams and linebackers coach Neil Novak also spent time in Maryville, working as a Northwest GA under Wright in 2017-18 before returning to his staff in 2024. Now McMenamin and Lamberson meet as opposing head coaches on Mel Tjeerdsma Field. UCM comes in 4-1 and 3-0 in the MIAA after a 33-31 win over Central Oklahoma. Northwest is 3-1, has won seven straight at Bearcat Stadium and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season. It will be the 11th meeting between the programs with both ranked in the AFCA Top 25. Northwest is 9-1 in the previous 10. Northwest will also welcome back its 1996 and 2016 national championship teams for reunion weekend. No. 24 Central Missouri at No. 14 Northwest Missouri State. Saturday. 1:30 PM CT. #D2FB

Northwest Missouri State will wear black helmets for the first time in program history Saturday against Missouri Southern. The Family Weekend lids were made possible by the Bearcat Former Player Association. Full article: kxcv.org/sports-news/2026-09…

[ @WayneStFootball vs. @UMD_Football ] Saturday, we’re hitting the road for Wayne, America (Nebraska). We’ll be there from the tailgate through postgame, capturing the full game-day experience. #D2FB