WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Marcellous Hawkins rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns and Zach Zebrowski threw for 412 yards with two touchdowns as the No. 21-ranked Central Missouri Mules football team took down the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 41-38, Saturday, Sept. 30, at Walton Stadium/Kennedy Field. The victory marked UCM's first win over the Bearcats since 2012.

The Mules (4-1, 4-1 MIAA) are scheduled to host Nebraska Kearney (2-3, 2-3 MIAA) in a conference contest Saturday, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. in Warrensburg.

Hawkins, a running back from Oklahoma City, Okla., compiled his career-best 149 rushing yards on 18 carries, including touchdown runs of nine and 30 yards. Zebrowski, a quarterback from Woodbury, Minn., went 33-for-55 for 412 yards and threw TD passes of 24 and six yards.

Arkell Smith added 153 receiving yards on 10 catches while Jack Pospisil tallied 88 yards on 10 catches with a touchdown.

Curtis Appleton II paced the UCM defense, making 11 tackles and posting an interception. Sharmari Reed and Jaden Dawson also had interceptions in the victory while David Olajiga, Martin Bender, Weston King and Lane West each tallied quarterback sacks.

For the game, the Mules outgained the Bearcats 568 yards to 410 yards, including a 156-127 advantage in rushing and 412-283 edge in passing. Central Missouri also won the time of possession battle over Northwest Missouri (2-3, 1-3 MIAA), 33:06 to 26:54.

UCM led at halftime, 24-3, after offensive lineman Gabe Clark powered into the end zone for his first-career touchdown with 3:25 to go in the first quarter before Smith reeled in a 24-yard TD pass from Zebrowski (11:29), Luke Dobson connected on a 26-yard field-goal (5:39) and Hawkins sprinted into the end zone on a nine-yard run (4:58) in the second frame.

The Bearcats answered, however, and scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter, knotting the game, 24-24, going into the fourth and final quarter.

UCM and Northwest Missouri traded touchdowns to open the quarter, starting with a Pospisil six-yard TD reception from Zebrowski at the 14:34 mark, before the Bearcats answered with a touchdown less than a minute later, tying the contest, 31-31.

Hawkins put the Mules back in front for good with just over five minutes remaining on the clock, exploding for a 30-yard run into the end zone, making it 38-31, UCM.

Dobson tacked on a 41-yard field-goal at the 1:52 mark, upping the Central Missouri lead to 41-31.

Northwest Missouri scored a touchdown with just over a minute remaining, but Dawson recovered the Bearcats' onside kick attempt, sealing the win for the Mules.