Tyson Kooima accounted for three touchdowns and the Raider D shut down one of the top offenses in the NAIA in defeating Dakota Wesleyan 29-10 under the lights of Korver Field Saturday night. The Red Raiders improve to 4-1 in the GPAC, 6-1 overall while DWU slips to 2-3 in conference play, 4-3 overall. 

The win was the Red Raiders second straight since losing to Morningside on Sept. 30 and also snaps a two-game losing skid against DWU. 

Kooima rushed for two scores and passed for another, Jacob Kalogonis rushed for over 100 yards and scored a touchdown and Levi TeBrink totaled over 100 yards receiving to highlight the Red Raider offense. The Raider D also played a key role as they held the vaunted DWU offense to nearly 40 points and 200 yards below their season average. They registered a season-high four sacks and forced two turnovers. 

Trailing 10-7 at the half, Northwestern scored 22 unanswered points and shutout DWU over the final 30 minutes. Following a DWU punt, Northwestern grabbed the lead for good with an impressive 11 play, 78-yard drive capped by a Kooima 25-yard touchdown pass to TeBrink with 4:51 left in the third quarter. The Raider D forced another DWU punt on the next series and the Red Raider offense took advantage when Kalogonis scored on a three-yard run to finish off a nine-play, 64-yard drive, Kooima's pass to J.C. Koerselman on the successful two-point conversion put NW up 21-10 with a minute gone in the fourth quarter. 

The Red Raiders final score came after a one-yard run by Kooima, followed by another two-point conversion from Kooima to Koerselman, with 4:24 left to go. 

Northwestern totaled 26 first downs and 453 yards of offense, 210 via the rush and 243 yards through the air. Kalogonis rushed 25 times for 136 yards and a touchdown, averaging over five yards per attempt. Kooima added 74 yards and two touchdowns while also completing 20/40 passes for 234 yards and a score. Te Brink caught a game-high eight passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Jared Nelson (5 - 39), Koerselman (4 -40), Kalogonis (3 - 30) and Shane Solberg (1 - 13) also caught passes. 

Tanner Machacek led the Raider D with 9.5 tackles and registered one of his team's four quarterback sacks. Bryce Van Beek accounted for 7.5 tackles and registered two interceptions and Cody Bauman totaled three tackles and two sacks.

DWU quarterback Dillon Turner rushed 21 times for 152 yards and completed 20/41 passes for 160 yards and two interceptions. He also scored the Tigers lone touchdown on a 30-yard run in the second quarter. Spencer Neugebauer caught six passes for 37 yards and Luke Loudenburg rushed 16 times for 68 yards. 

The Tigers opened the games scoring with a 21-yard field goal by Seth Paulson with seconds left in the first quarter. Northwestern responded with its first score when Kooima ran it in from two yards out, completing a seven-play, 58-yard drive, to take a 7-3 lead. Turner put DWU back in front with a 30-yard scramble for a score with five minutes to go in the first half. 

More Numbers...

Northwestern totaled more yards than its opponent for the sixth time this season; the Red Raiders have more passing yards than their opponent in every game this season

The Red Raider offense has accounted for 400+ yards in every game this season

Raider D matched its season high with two interceptions and posted a season-best four sacks

Kalogonis rushed for 100 yards for the fifth time this season; eighth for his career

TeBrink recorded his second straight 100-yard receiving game and third for the season, sixth of his career

Kooima has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game this season; the freshman has rushed for at least one touchdown in five consecutive games