College football: NW Missouri State wins Div. II title

Florence, Ala. • Trevor Adams was a freshman spectator during Northwest Missouri State's last national title run.

He finished his career by leading the Bearcats to another one.

Adams passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns and Northwest Missouri raced to a fast start in a 43-28 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday in the Division II championship game.

The Bearcats (15-0) won their fourth national title to match Grand Valley State for second-most behind North Dakota State's five. They're the fifth team to go 15-0, managing that feat for a second time.

"Being able to finally make it back is really, really neat," said Adams, who was in a redshirt year when Northwest Missouri won in 2009. "It's huge because the legacy that's there, it's been a strong one for many years. To be a championship team, a part of that, is just something special. I know our team is going to be excited about it for the rest of our lives."

Lenoir-Rhyne (13-2) fell short in only the one-time NAIA champion's second appearance in the Division II playoffs.

Adams completed 15 of 25 of passes with touchdown throws of 29 and 30 yards to Reuben Thomas.

The pair hooked up for their first score on fourth-and-7 on the opening drive and the Bearcats were up 17-0 after 10 minutes.

NAIA championship

Rome, Ga. • It didn't take long for Grand View to win its first national championship.

Derek Fulton threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score to help Grand View win the NAIA title in the Iowa school's sixth year of football, 35-23 over the University of the Cumberlands on Saturday.