Despite being separated by conferences and more than 700 miles, there may not be a football team in the country Northwest Missouri State knows better than Abilene Christian.
When the Bearcats (10-1) host the Wildcats (9-3) at noon on Saturday, it'll be the fourth time in two years the Division II powerhouses have faced each other.
ACU leads the series 2-1 including the Bearcats' only loss this year.
Northwest also lost to ACU in its 2008 season-opener. The Bearcats avenged that loss later that year in the playoffs.
"We know a lot about them. They know a lot about us," Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma said.
Wide receiver Jake Soy said he's had plenty of time to get acquainted with Abilene's defensive backfield.
"We've played these guys so many times it feels like another conference game," Soy said. "I know their whole secondary's first and last names. It's like I know them personally."
Soy's latest memory is a 19-14 loss where the Wildcats stymied Northwest's offense on national television. Nearly three months later, the sting of the loss hasn't worn off.
"I think that probably gives our team a little bit of extra motivation, even though at this point you shouldn't need any extra motivation if you're in the playoffs," Tjeerdsma said.
Even though the two teams know a lot about each other, both can expect a different team than they saw in the season opener, Tjeerdsma said.
Northwest's offense has surged since then averaging 44.6 points per game. Soy has led that charge with 22 touchdown receptions.
"We're a completely different team than we were then," Soy said. "That was the first time a lot of us had our first career starts. We've really evolved throughout the year."
Although improved, the Bearcats expect to have their work cut out for them. Tjeerdsma said ACU has an extremely talented defense, that has the potential to cause the Bearcats' offense problems.
"You have to have a real positive first down," Tjeerdsma said. "You don't want to put yourself in a passing situation against Abilene Christian. If they can lay back their ears and assume that you're going to throw, it makes it pretty difficult."
Adding to those problems is the loss of starting left guard Brett Grozinger. Tjeerdsma said Grozinger's loss is tough, but it's something all teams deal with after a long season.
