ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 4-ranked Northwestern College football team (11-1, 9-1 GPAC) are set to host their fourth-consecutive National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Quarterfinals contest, hosting the No. 7-ranked Knights of Marian University - Indianapolis (9-2, 6-1 MSFA) tomorrow from Korver Field at De Valois Stadium.
 
"We are excited to host a quarterfinal game and play in front of our fans on Thanksgiving weekend," notes head coach Matt McCarty. "Our players are excited to be one of eight teams still competing for a National Championship!"
 
A battle between two NAIA powerhouses will take place in Orange City this weekend as the Raiders were the 2020 national runners-up and the Knights were the national runners-up in 2019. It marks the second time ever that the two schools will meet on the football field. The first meeting came back in 2012, also in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS), where the Knights prevailed with the 42-32 win.
 
Northwestern is no stranger to the NAIA Football Championship Series as this marks the program's 23^rd appearance. The Raiders have the most FCS appearances of any of the 16 teams that made the field this season, one head of Dickinson State (N.D.). They are one of three teams in the field to have two national championships in program history, along with Morningside and Marian (Ind.).
 
"Marian is an outstanding team. Any time you step on the field in the quarterfinals, you know you are lining up against a quality football program," comments McCarty on Marian's recent successes. "Coach Henninger and his staff have built a perennial power at Marian. We have a ton of respect for them."
 
Northwestern Red Raiders
The Red Raiders earned an at-large bid to this year's NAIA Football Championship Series, after boasting a 10-1 record and being ranked inside the top-5 all season long. A prolific pass offense – ranked top-5 in the NAIA - guided the Raiders back to NAIA FCS, led by Blake Fryar (Jr., Waukee, Iowa/Van Meter) the first eight games of the season, compiling a perfect 8-0 mark. Senior Tyson Kooima (Hull, Iowa/Western Christian), after leading the team to the NAIA FCS National Championship game a season ago, returned from injury to start against Dordt on October 30.
 
Fryar – an Honorable Mention All-GPAC quarterback – completed 64.85% of his passes (155-for-239) throwing for 2,172 yards and 25 touchdowns, while only throwing five interception in those 239 attempts. Kooima – a Second Team All-Conference performer – threw 17 touchdown passes in just three starts, throwing for 1,219 yards with a 67.37% completion percentage (64-for-95) in the regular season.
 
The Raiders downed No. 16-ranked Central Methodist in Orange City thanks to Player of the Game honors presented to (Offense) Konner McQuillan (Jr., Leavenworth, Kan./Lansing) and (Defense) Jaden Snyder (R-So., Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon). McQuillan rushed for 89 yards on 17 carries, while Snyder picked up two huge interceptions to propel Northwestern over the Eagles. Kooima tossed one touchdown pass to Blake Anderson (Jr., Oakland, Neb./West Point-Beemer) in the third quarter to effectively seal the game in Northwestern's favor.
 
The Raiders offense will still enter this weekend's clash with a top-5 scoring offense at No. 3 (48.6 points per game), and the sixth-best passing offense (312.0 passing yards per game). Kooima's return has aided the Raider offense in being hard to stop. Cade Moser (Sr., Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley Community) has been one of Kooima's and Fryar's top targets all season long. Last week he brought in three passes for 35 yards. However, he still ranks ninth in the NAIA averaging 100.9 yards per game, sitting with 1,211 receiving yards on the year. His school-record 19 touchdown grabs sits second in the NAIA this season, three behind the national leader (Caleb Tanis from MidAmerica Nazarene).
 
The Raider defense has made a name for itself all season long, continuing its stout play last week against CMU. Northwestern allowed only 300 total yards of offense for the Eagles. Snyder's two interceptions gave Northwestern the national lead with 22 interceptions on the year, as the defense now also again leads the nation with seven defensive touchdowns. Holding CMU to 7 points, under their season average of 15.6 entering the contest, drops the Raiders average to just over two touchdowns per contest.
 
Parker Fryar (So., Waukee, Iowa/Van Meter) now eclipses 80 tackles in the season at 82, as his presence continues to be felt all over the field. He has four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, and one interception and forced fumble. Noah Van't Hof (Jr., Lester, Iowa/West Lyon) sits second on the team with 61 tackles. Tanner Oleson (Sr., Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon) has notched 2.5 sacks while recording a third-best 55 tackles. The Raiders sack leader this season is Jessen Reinking (Jr., Kingsley, Iowa/Kingsley-Pierson) with 6.5 sacks.
 
"We need to do what we do really well and execute at a high level. Our focus will be on playing our best and executing what we do at a high level," said McCarty. "If we can play aggressive, disciplined football we will give ourselves a chance to win."
 
Marian (Ind.) Knights
The Knights football program is relatively new, beginning play in 2007, having already won two national titles in their young history. Holding an all-time program record of 122-41 entering this season, the Knights have made a name for themselves in the 14 years they have sponsored a football program. Marian has taken home the national championship trophy in 2012 (under head coach Ted Karras, Jr.) and 2015 (under current head coach Mark Henninger). In FCS history, the Knights are 18-7 with four appearances in the national championship game (2012, 14, 15, 19).
 
Marian joins Northwestern by earning an at-large bid to the FCS with 9-2 record from the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA). Led by ninth-year head coach Mark Henninger, Marian held a 6-1 record in league play this season, only falling to fellow FCS qualifier Indiana Wesleyan 41-7 on October 9. The Knights ended the season with a five-game winning streak, including a 25-7 Homecoming victory over then-ranked No. 5 Concordia (Mich.) on October 23.
 
The Knights downed Southwestern College (Kan.) out of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) in the First Round last Saturday. Southwestern had the Knights on the rope heading into the locker room at halftime, holding a 17-6 lead. Marian would not be deterred as two passing touchdowns of 20+ yards from quarterback Zach Bundalo in the second half would give the Knights a 21-17 comeback victory.
 
"Marian is a complete team. They were National Runners-up two years ago so they have great playoff experience," notes McCarty. "They are outstanding up front on both sides of the football and have playmakers on both sides of the football. We need to neutralize their defensive line and find ways to contain their wide receivers."
 
Marian has a stout defense of their own with three major categories ranked inside the top-10 nationally entering the contest. The Knights only allow 13.5 points per contest this season, which is fifth in the nation. Allowing just 262.8 total yards of offense a game (8th in the NAIA), and the seventh-best pass defense at 155.0 yards per game.
 
By-the-Numbers
Northwestern (National Rank) -                                                         Marian (National Rank) –
Offensive                                                                                            Offensive
Scoring: 48.6ppg (3^rd)                                                                       Scoring: 37.1ppg (21^st)
Total Yards: 464.4ypg (9^th)                                                               Total Yards: 420.2ypg (20^th)
Passing: 312.0ypg (6^th)                                                                     Passing: 234.5ypg (28^th)
Rushing: 152.4ypg (38^th)                                                                   Rushing: 185.6ypg (16^th)
 
Defensive                                                                                           Defensive
Scoring: 14.9ppg (8^th)                                                                        Scoring: 13.5ppg (5^th)
Total Yards: 257.6ypg (5^th)                                                               Total Yards: 262.8ypg (8^th)
Passing: 170.6ypg (15^th)                                                                    Passing: 155.0ypg (7^th)
Rushing: 86.8ypg (9^th)                                                                       Rushing: 107.8ypg (25^th)
 
Ticket Information 
Prices for this Saturday's game has been set at $10 for adults and $5 for students (K-12 and college students). College students must present a valid institutional ID to be given the $5 student price. All tickets are sold at the gates, as the gates will open at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
 
No mask mandate is required by the national office due to the sport being an outdoor sport. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. (noon) from Korver Field at De Valois Stadium on the campus of Northwestern College.
 
"We are going to need to play a disciplined game and execute at a high level. We expect a four-quarter battle. We need to play present and win the next play," concludes McCarty.

The winner will advance to the Semifinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) and will await the new pairings released early next week for their opponent and location.