Northwest Missouri State defensive linemen Micah Wilson and Tyler Roach celebrate after a blocked punt during the first half at Bearcat Stadium Saturday.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Central Missouri scored first Saturday, but Northwest Missouri State answered with a pace the Mules never matched.

The Bearcats’ offense scored on five of their first six possessions — four of the drives took less than 2 minutes — and overwhelmed the Mules 56-14 in front of 6,600 people at Bearcat Stadium.

“We want to push the tempo — roll, roll, roll,” said Northwest left tackle Dane Wardenburg. “That’s our big thing. And it worked.

“They were getting tired. You saw it happen.”

The Mules entered Saturday 8-2 overall and in second place in the MIAA. They had the third-best scoring defense in the conference.

But they looked completely overmatched by the Bearcats. Northwest amassed 667 yards of total offense — 222 yards rushing, 445 passing.

Bearcat quarterback Blake Bolles completed 18 of 24 pass attempts for 421 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Jake Soy set a career high with 157 yards on six catches. And LaRon Council rushed 15 times for 130 yards and a score.

“I just love the way we’re playing football right now,” said Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma, whose team is 10-1 overall and 9-0 MIAA. “Central is ... seriously ... a good football team. And we totally dismantled them after that first drive.”

On the opening drive, Central quarterback Eric Czerniewski moved his Mules forward on a quick rhythm mixed with swing passes, screens and short curls that receivers turned up field for big gains. He completed all five of his passes on the drive, including a pair of 27-yarders, the last of which was to running back Anthony Stewart, who turned it into the end zone for a 7-0 Central lead.

“That first drive, we kind of got caught off guard,” Northwest safety Myles Burnsides said. “They’re a fast team. But we settled down and made some adjustments.”

The Northwest defense then forced six punts on the Mules’ next eight possessions. The other two Central drives ended with an interception and a missed field goal.

After Central’s first drive, Northwest started sending more defenders after Czerniewski.

“I think we probably blitzed more today than we have in quite some time,” Tjeerdsma said. “We were having a lot of success coming off the edge, and they just didn’t have an answer for it. We didn’t get many sacks — we had two sacks — but their quarterback got hit a lot. (Czerniewski) really was uncomfortable back there, and that’s important.”

Northwest held Central to just 53 rushing yards. Czerniewski finished 26-for-42 for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“We just tried to stay over the top of them and limit the big plays,” Burnsides said. “That was our main goal.”

While the defense needed a few plays to set the tone of its dominance, the offense ignited immediately.

On the Bearcats’ first offensive play, Bolles hit tight end Kyle Kilgore over the middle for a 66-yard gain.

“When we ran that first play and it worked like that,” Council said, “I knew it was going to be a good day for us.”

Two plays later on a third-and-goal, Bolles took a free play — Central jumped offsides — and threw the ball up to Soy, who was closely covered by Mules cornerback LaVance Dotson.

Soy ripped the ball down in the end zone for the first of his three touchdowns.

“We’ve done a great job ... on free plays all year. When the defense is off sides like that, Soy has a go route,” Bolles said. “I saw the guy who was on him pretty well, but I’d like to give Soy a chance. He usually catches those balls. And he came down with it.”

The victory marked 37 straight MIAA wins for Northwest, meaning the current senior class never lost a conference contest. It’s the Bearcats’ 11th MIAA title in 16 seasons under Tjeerdsma.

And the victory likely earned the Bearcats a first-round bye in the NCAA Division II playoffs as they try to roll toward the national championship game for the sixth straight season.

“I thought we played really well today, but it’s not good enough,” Council said. “We’ve got to play even better now, and we know that.”