Purcell leads Midwestern State past Northwestern State 33-7

NATCHITOCHES, La. -- Zach Purcell threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth as Division II Midwestern State beat Northwestern State 33-7 on Saturday night. Purcell finished with 323 passing yards for the Mustangs. Lazarus Fisher ran for 69 yards on 15 carries and Jaron Imbriani kicked two field goals. Midwestern State outgained Northwestern State 425-243 yards. Purcell lit up an otherwise lackluster first quarter with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Tyrique Edwards with 5:50 remaining in the quarter. The point after was blocked. He followed that on the next drive with a 25-yard strike to Kylan Harrison for a 13-0 lead. Imbriani booted two field goals in the second quarter, from 28 and 25 yards respectively, and the Mustangs led 19-0 with 5:35 to go in the first half. Northwestern State's lone score came on a 10-yard TD run by Jared West who led the team with 27 yards on 10 carries. Shelton Eppler had 177 yards passing with one interception.