Depleted Bearcat backfield bonds despite differences

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Northwest Missouri State true freshman running back Jordan Thompson drags defenders in the fourth quarter on Saturday against Missouri Southern in Bearcat Stadium.

Jordan Grove is a fifth-year senior from Adel, Iowa, a town of 3,682 people nestled alongside the Raccoon River.

Jordan Thompson is a true freshman from Apopka High School which has a student population of 3,283 in 9th through 12th grade. Apopka is a suburb of Orlando, Florida.

“Jordan (Thompson) came in and he is an outgoing kid so he bonded with us right way,” Grove said. “He is a goofy kid and he’s a fun time. He wasn’t bashful at all when he came in. We all clicked really well.”

Then you factor in the hometown kid with Brody McMahon being a redshirt sophomore from Maryville, who grew up rooting for the Spoofhounds and Bearcats.

Aside from Thompson and Grove’s parents choosing the same first name for their son, these three players don’t have much in common, except of course, they are Bearcat family.

At the beginning of the year, it seemed that seniors Cameron Wilcox and Grove along with junior Emanuel Jones would carry the load for the Bearcats with Wilcox being the between the tackles runner, Jones being the speed back and Grove being the classic third-down style back.

As can happen in football, that dynamic quickly shifted due to injuries.

“Those young guys have done a great job stepping up,” Grove said.

In Week One, Jones suffered a hamstring injury which got McMahon involved in the weekly gameplan.

Then in Week Three, Wilcox suffered a season-ending injury and the Bearcats made the decision to pull the redshirt off of Thompson.

“Jordan (Thompson) definitely has some speed to him, but he also runs hard and he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in there,” Grove said. “Brody is a patient runner and he’ll stick his nose in there too. We all complement each other.”

In Week Four against Missouri Southern, the Bearcats were able to unveil their new-look backfield and found incredible success with McMahon and Thompson each rushing for the first touchdowns of their careers.

“You love seeing your brothers getting excited and getting in the end zone,” Grove said. “We had three guys score their first collegiate touchdowns this weekend so that was awesome to see. I was going crazy on the sideline and field when they scored.”

Receiver Quincy Woods also scored his first touchdown.

While its not the original plan Northwest has its three-headed rushing monster back and it should only continue to improve as Jones works his way back.

“I’m excited to see how things go going forward especially with Chase White and Emanuel coming back,” Grove said.

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Northwest Missouri State sophomore running back high-fives junior receiver Shawn Bane, Jr., after McMahon scored his first touchdown on Saturday against Missouri Southern in Bearcat Stadium.