Game Time... The long wait is over...Seventh-ranked Northwestern College will make its long awaited season debut on the road against Valley City State this weekend in Valley City, N.D. Kickoff for Saturday's non-conference match-up at Shelly Ellig Field at Lokken Stadium is slated for 1pm. The host Vikings are 0-1 this season.

Follow the game via several different media outlets: 

    Live Stats | Video Webcast | KSOU Radio

The Rivalry...Northwestern is 6-0 all-time against Valley City State, with the first match-up dating back to the 1974 season. The teams last played in the first game of the 1998 season, a 41-0 Red Raider win. 

    1974: 38-15
    1979: 23-8
    1984: 39-14
    1985: 29-14
    1996: 14-7 (NAIA Quarterfinals)
    1998: 41-0

Record in Season Openers...The Red Raiders own a 36-21-1 all-time record in season openers and have won eight of their last 10, including a 41-16 road win over Ottawa in 2017. Head Coach Matt McCarty is 1-1 in season openers, leading NWC to last year's win and losing to Sterling 28-21 in 2016. Northwestern's longest win streak was from 2001 - 2010, a string of nine straight. 

Northwestern vs the North Star Athletic Conference...Red Raider teams are 28-10 against teams that currently comprise the North Star Athletic Conference;
            vs Dakota State: 21-9
            vs Dickinson State: 1-1
            vs Valley City State: 6-0

    *Northwestern is 2-1 against the University of Jamestown, who played in the North Star but now is part of the GPAC.

Scouting Report on Valley City State:  0-1            Head Coach: Dennis McCulloh (22nd year)

   A member of the six-team North Star Athletic Conference, Valley City State dropped its season opener to the University of Jamestown 28-26 in the "Paint Bucket Battle" between the two in-state rivals played last week in Jamestown, N.D. The Vikings led 14-7 by the end of the first quarter, 17-14 at the half but fell behind for good after a Jimmies touchdown early in the third quarter. A field goal by VCS late in the third put the Vikings down one but another Jamestown touchdown and extra point pushed the deficit back to eight (28-20) with five minutes left. Valley City State scored its final touchdown on a four-yard run with 43 seconds left but failed on the two-point conversion and ensuing onside kick. 

        By the Numbers vs Jamestown...
            Valley City State totaled 342 yards, 118 rush and 224 passing; Jamestown gained 362 yards, 231 rush, 131 pass

            Jalen Pfeifer-completed 22/34 passes for 224 yards and 2 TD's
            Louis Quinnones-rushed 25 times for 87 yards, TD; 4 kick returns for 117 yards
            Jake Peterson-11 catches, 146 yards, 2 TD
            Travon Smith-11 tackles
            Tyler Masat-7 tackles
            Landon Arredondo (NSAA Special Teams POW)  2/2 FG, 42-yarder

    Head Coach Dennis McCulloh ranks 10th on the active wins list, owning a 125-88 overall record in his 22 season on the Vikings sideline. McCulloh, a six-time conference coach of the year, has guided VCS to six conference championships and four trips to the NAIA Football Championship Series, most recently during the 2014 season. 

    Valley City State completed the 2017 season with a 5-5 overall record, 4-4 in the NSAA, good for fourth place out of seven teams. They lost their only match-up against a team from the GPAC, Hastings, in week two by the score of 47-9. McCulloh returns 15 starters from last year's squad and his team was picked to finish second, behind Dickinson State, in the NSAA preseason poll. 

    2017 Stats:
    Offense                                                Defense
    35.6ppg (3rd in NSAA)                         26.2ppg (3rd in NSAA)
    417ypg (4th in NSAA)                          367.4ypg (1st in NSAA)
       192 rush (2nd)                                      174 rush (3rd)
       224 pass (5th)                                       193 pass (1st)
    11 sacks given up                                 14 sacks
    TO Margin: +1 (17 forced , 16 given up)
    Field Goals: 6/8
    1st in Punt Return Ave
    2nd in Kick Return Ave

    Top Players Returning (2017 stats):
    Rushing-Louis Quinones: 166 rushes, 943 yards, 13 TD (1st in NSAA)(1st team all-conference)
                  Jalen Pfeifer: 62 rushes, 258 yards, 2 TD
    Passing-Jalen Pfeifer: 157 / 267 / 10 INT, 1,958yards, 19 TD (HM all-conference)
    Receiving-Jake Peterson: 47 catches, 777yards, 10 TD's (5th) (1st team all-conference)
                     Eli Luna: 24 catches, 269yards, 1 TD
    O-Line: lost 2 all-conference players; 
            Dahlton Wasankari returns-HM All-Conference
    Kicker-Landon Arredondo: 6/8 FG, 35/41 PAT (HM All-Conference)
    Defense- 9 starters back
      Riley Fredrickson-75 tackles 
      Austin Erickson-43 tackles, 5 sacks
      Travon Smith-35 tackles, 3 INT (1st team all-conference)
      Darius Graves 24 tackles, 4 sacks (1st team all-conference)

Scouting 7th-ranked Northwestern: 0-0            Head Coach: Matt McCarty (3rd season)

McCarty begin his third season as head coach and 14th overall season as a coach within the Red Raider football program. He is 13-9 in his two seasons prior, leading his team to a 10-2 record and a No.8 ranking in the final coaches' poll in 2017.

Northwestern finished second in the GPAC at 7-1 and qualified for the NAIA FCS for the first time since 2014. They earned their first FCS win since 2006 with a 55-7 blowout over No.7 and previously unbeaten Langston (Okla.) before bowing out to eventual champion University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 30-3. 16 starters and 26 letterwinners return from last season.

2018 Media Guide |

2017 Stats: (GPAC / NAIA rank)
    Offense                                    Defense
    32.64ppg (3rd)                         20.1ppg (2nd / 9th)
    475ypg (4th)                            361.3ypg (3rd)
       217 rush (5th)                         181 rush (3rd)
       241 pass (3rd)                        177 pass (2nd; 10th)
    11 sacks given up (2nd / 9th)  19 sacks (3rd)
    TO Margin: +3 (24 forced , 23 given up)
    Field Goals: 7/13
    11.6 punt return ave. (5th)
    18.7 kick return ave. (7th)

    Top Players Returning (2017 stats): GPAC/NAIA
    Rushing-Jacob Kalogonis 266 / 1584 (1st / 4th), 15 TD (1st team all-conference)
                  Tyson Kooima  144 / 663, 14 TD
    Passing-207 / 377 / 11, 2876yds, 22 TD (HM all-conference)
    Receiving-Jared Nelson  37 catches, 468yds, 7 TD
                     Shane Solberg  35 catches, 542yds, 5 TD
    O-Line: lost 2 all-conference players; 
            return Brad Mould (2nd team all-conference), Paxton DeHaan
    Kicker-Braxton Williams-6/12 FG, 42/48 PAT
    Defense- 
      Tanner Machacek-69.5 tackles (1st team all-conference)
      Bryce Van Beek-60 tackles, 7 INT (1st /1st) (1st team all-conference)
      Sean Powell-66.5 tackles, 3 sacks (2nd team all-conference)
      Nate Bennett-48 tackles (2nd team all-conference)
      Jed Van't Hof-38 tackles, 5 sacks