<p>NATCHITOCHES, La. — Eric Schmid passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns, the Sam Houston State defense recovered three fumbles, and the fifth-ranked Bearkats beat winless Northwestern State 24-16 on Thursday night.</p>
<p>Sam Houston State forced a fumble on NSU’s opening drive and six plays later, Schmid connected with Cody Chrest from 28-yards out. Ife Adeyi made it 14-0 on a screen pass for 19 yards.</p>
<p>It was 21-3 after Donov Williams’ 6-yard run with 5:55 left in the third quarter, and Seth Morgan added a 41-yard field goal in the fourth for a 15-point lead. Northwestern State capped the scoring on a touchdown with 21 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>Adeyi finished with six catches for 134 yards for Sam Houston State (4-0, 4-0 Southland), which was held well below its FCS-best 58.7 points-per-game average. Chrest added five grabs for 98 yards, and Ramon Jefferson rushed for 109 yards.</p>
<p>Bryce Rivers completed 29-of-51 passes for 410 yards and two touchdowns for Northwestern State (0-5, 0-5). Javon Antonio grabbed 10 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown, and Marqui Bridges added seven catches for 103 yards and a score.</p>
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<p>More AP college football: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
