Joplin, Mo. --  The Missouri Southern football team will play its final home game of the season this Saturday as the Lions play host to 6th-ranked Northwest Missouri on Senior Day. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is set for 2 pm. 

Game Information
Team Records: MSSU 3-6, 3-6 MIAA | NWMSU 7-1, 7-1 MIAA
Date: Saturday, Nov., 6
Kick-Off: 2:00 pm, CT
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Site: Fred G. Hughes Stadium  (7,000)
Series Record: Northwest leads 27-4
Coaches: Atiba Bradley (4-6, overall/at MSSU) | Rich Wright (38-9 overall/at NWMSU)

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Fox Sports Joplin 101.3, 101.7 and AM 1560; - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Live Coverage: www.mssulions.com/coverage 
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball
Lions on Instagram: @mososports

The Series: Northwest holds a 27-4 record against the Lions. Southern won last in 1994, 34-9 at Hughes Stadium, the only win at home in the series. Southern is 3-13 in Maryville, and 1-14 at home, but haven't beat the Bearcats since 1994. The Bearcats own the longest current winning streak against the Lions at 25-straight games.

The Dish On The Bearcats: The Bearcats are ranked 6th in Division II and are coming off a 66-13 win over then No. 13-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. Northwest has outscored its opponents by an average of 27 points per game this year. The Bearcats are a balanced offense, averaging 220 yards on the ground and 248 in the air for 468 per game. Sophomore quarterback Mike Hohensee leads the offense for the Bearcats. He has thrown for 1,589 yards on 112-for-153 with 18 touchdowns on the year and seven interceptions. AJ McKellar is a workhorse on the ground with 168 carries for 1,028 yards and nine scores. Jamar Moya has 23 carries for 251 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Through the air, Alec Tatum, son of former Lions head coach Bart Tatum, leads the team with 44 receptions and 606 yards. He has three scores on the year. Kaden Davis has 21 catches for 348 yards and six touchdowns, while Imoni Donadelle has 14 receptions for 266 yards and three scores. Defensively, Jackson Barnes has 56 tackles with seven for a loss, including a pair of sacks, an interception, six pass break ups and a forced fumble. Dedrick Strambler has 33 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Samuel Roberts has 30 stops and a team-high 11 TFL and four sacks. Isaiah Nimmers and J'Ravien Anderson lead the team with two interceptions. The Bearcats will be back in action next week as Northwest hosts Emporia State for Senior Day at 1:30 pm from Bearcat Stadium.

A Victory vs. The Bearcats Would: stop a 25-game winning streak for Northwest Missouri against the Lions. The win would also be the first four-win season for MSSU since 2014.

NFL Representation: The Lions will have Brandon Williams as the lone MSSU alum in the NFL this season. Williams has blossomed into one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL and in 2017 became one of the highest-paid, as well, signing a five-year, $54 million contract.

NFL Executive: Former Lion and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash is in his third season serving as the NFL and NFLPA's Appeals Officer. He hears all appeals for the NFL regarding on-field player discipline. Thrash played 12 seasons in the NFL for the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles.

Lions On Radio: The Lions will partner with Fox Sports Joplin this year as Southern can now be heard on three separate FM stations, as well as an AM station. Fox Sports Joplin will air the Lions' games on 101.3 and 101.7 FM, as well as AM 1560.

Lions On TV: Missouri Southern's KGCS will air every Lions home game live this year during the season. They will also re-broadcast the games on Sunday evenings at 6 pm.   

Lions On The Web: All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA Network. Fans can go to www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions to view live and on-demand games.

Streaming Options: Fans now have even more options to view the Lions online in their homes and on the road. Not only can you view on your computer, fans can now view The MIAA Network on its over the top apps for either Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Android TV.   

New Head Coach: Former Lion Atiba Bradley will be the new head coach for the Lions this year. Bradley played for the Lions and graduated in 2005. He was a student assistant in 2006 and returned as an assistant coach before making other coaching stops at Missouri, Quincy, South Dakota and McKendree.

Defensive Lineage: Three former Lions' defensive coaches, all whom current head coach Atiba Bradley and assistant coach Joe Bettasso learned under, are in high-profile positions. Scottie Hazelton (04-05) is the Defensive Coordinator at Michigan State, Brian Ward (2005) is the Defensive Coordinator at Nevada and Todd Wash (2004) is the Defensive Line Coach for the Detroit Lions in the NFL.

Green And Gold Alums: The Lions have four members of their staff that were either players or earned a degree from Missouri Southern. Head Coach Atiba Bradley, as well as Defensive Coordinator Joe Bettasso and Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Matt Rahl all played for the Lions, while Director of Operations, Rylee Hartwell is a MOSO grad.

Have A Game Brian: Senior wide receiver Brian Boyd Jr. became the first Lion since Landon Zerkel in 2011 to catch three touchdown passes in the same game when he did just that against Lincoln this past week. Boyd's 169 yards in the game is also tied for 9th-most in a single game at Southern. Boyd moved up the charts with 176 yards against MWSU, good for 7th-most in a single game at MSSU.

Thank You Very Much: Southern defensive back Dylan Bolden had a pair of interceptions at Central Oklahoma and both were key in the win. Bolden's first was a 27-yard pick six for the Lions' first score and his second was after Southern had gone ahead late and secured the win. The pick-six was the first time since Jaylon Alexander had one in 2019 against Northwest Missouri and it was the first time since 2015 for a player to have multiple interceptions.

I'll Take That: Dylan Bolden is one of just seven players in Division II with two interceptions returned for a touchdown this season. It ties a single-season MSSU record. Bolden picked up his second pick-six at Lincoln in week six.

4th Quarter Comeback: The Lions posted their second fourth-quarter comeback this season as Southern defeated Central Missouri in week seven on a game-winning field goal from Nick Williams.

Young Guns: Nathan Glades ranks 10th nationally among freshmen in Division II in rushing yardage. Glades is fourth overall in the MIAA in that category (regardless of class). Dawson Herl ranks fifth nationally among freshmen in DII in passing yardage and is sixth in the MIAA (regardless of class).

National Rankings: Dylan Bolden is seventh nationally in Division II in total interceptions with five, while Richard Jordan ranks sixth in forced fumbles and 13th in solo tackles. Bolden is 12th in interceptions per game, while Nick Williams is 13th in field goals per game and Brian Boyd Jr. is 22nd in yards per reception.

National Rankings II: The Lions lead Division II in blocked punts allowed (fewest), while ranking fourth in turnovers lost (fewest), fifth in passes had intercepted (fewest), 19th in fumbles lost (fewest), 20th in defensive touchdowns, 22nd in kickoff return defense and turnover margin and 28th in sacks allowed (fewest).

Turnover U: The Lions have forced 11 turnovers this season and have given up only five, ranking the Lions as one of the best teams in Division II in turnover margin.

MIAA Rankings: The Lions lead the MIAA in turnovers lost (fewest), blocked punts allowed (fewest), turnover margin and passes had intercepted (fewest), while ranking in the top five in 18 total categories.

MIAA Rankings II: Richard Jordan Jr leads the MIAA in forced fumbles, while Dylan Bolden leads the MIAA passes defended, while Nick Williams is 2nd in both field goal percentage and field goals per game, Bolden is second in interceptions per game and Jordan is second in total tackles. Brian Boyd Jr. is third in receiving yards and yards per reception.

Uncanny Accuracy: Dawson Herl threw his first interception of the year at Lincoln in week six. Up until that point, Herl had thrown 138-straight passes without throwing a pick, setting a new MSSU school record.

Freshman Herler: Dawson Herl is moving up the ladder in passing touchdowns by a freshman at Southern. Herl has nine this year and is third in a single-season behind Nathan Emert (24, 2004) and Adam Hinspeter (15, 2005). Herl also became the first freshman quarterback since Hinspeter in 2005 to throw for 300 plus yards in a game when he picked up 308 at Emporia State.

Mr. 200: Richard Jordan, Jr. went over the 200 tackle plateau against Fort Hays State. Jordan has 271 in his career at Southern, ranking ninth all-time at MSSU.

Kick It Nick: For the second-time this season, Nick Williams had three field goals in a game as Williams kicked the game-winner against Central Missouri as part of three against the Mules in week seven.

This Week's Officials: The officials as assigned by the MIAA this week are as follows: referee: James Brookhart, umpire: Manu Preston, linesman: Heath Roberts, line judge: David Burge, side judge: Mark Brull, field judge: Ryan Pinkall, back judge: Michael Meenen, center judge: Armando Espinoza.

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has two teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Northwest Missouri is 6th, while Nebraska-Kearney is 25th. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has four teams in the top ten and has six teams in the top 25. There are nine teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Joplin area on Saturday calls clear skies There will be a high of 63 with winds out of the southwest at 11 MPH and an 5 percent chance of rain.