Northwestern Continues to Lock Down No. 4 NAIA Ranking

Raiders look to stay unbeaten at home, host Briar Cliff on Saturday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Northwestern College football team (6-1, 6-1 GPAC), recording 500+ yards of offense for the fifth time this season in the 59-10 win at Doane, hold steady at No. 4 ranking in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Poll 7, thanks to the offense (third) and defense (fourth) both sitting inside the top-10 in the NAIA this season.

Holding steady at No. 4 continues the streak of being ranked inside the NAIA top-5, making it now 21 straight weeks the Red Raiders have been inside the top-5. The streak dates back to the Postseason poll of the 2020 season back on May 17, 2021.

Northwestern continues to put up yards and points, at an extremely high clip. The Raiders continue to sit third in the nation in rushing yards per game (231.9) and second in yards per carry (5.8). Not to be forgotten is the Red Raider passing game, which also manages to sit top-20 (16^th) in the NAIA at 259.6 points per game. The Raider offense has been incredibly tough to stop this season, sitting third in the nation in total yards per game (491.4). Sophomore Jalyn Gramstad (So., Lester, Iowa) continues to sit top-5 nationally in rushing touchdowns. He sits fourth in the NAIA with his 12 rushing scores.

The balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball has led Northwestern being now just one of three NAIA teams to average north of 200 yards passing and rushing yards per game. The only two schools to do so entering this week are St. Thomas (Fla.) and Langston (Okla.).

The top-5 once again saw no change this week as all five teams hold their respective spots. Around the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), Midland (7-1) moves up to No. 14 and the Mustangs remain the top-ranked team with their perfect 7-0 mark.

GPAC IN THE RANKINGS
No. 1 Morningside Mustangs (7-0, 7-0 GPAC)
No. 4 NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS (6-1, 6-1 GPAC)
No. 14 Midland Warriors (7-1, 6-1 GPAC)

The full top-25 list can be found at the link at the top of the story. The fourth-ranked Red Raiders are set to host the Chargers of Briar Cliff University (1-7, 1-6 GPAC) on Saturday, October 29 with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m. from Korver Field at De Valois Stadium.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

#12 Jalyn Gramstad: QB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#12 Jalyn Gramstad
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: QB

Players Mentioned

#12 Jalyn Gramstad

Players Mentioned

#12 Jalyn Gramstad