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Football NWC Athletic Communications

No. 3 Northwestern Welcomes Indiana Wesleyan for NAIA Semifinal

Northwestern set to host first NAIA FCS Semifinal since 1983

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 3-ranked Northwestern College football team (11-1, 9-1 GPAC) is set to host their first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Semifinal game since the 1983 season, welcoming the No. 5-ranked Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) (11-1, 7-0 MSFA) to Orange City and Korver Field at De Valois Stadium.
 
Dean Calsbeek and head baseball coach Brian Wede will bring you the action on the Raider Network. Live stats can be found at nwcraiders.com, and the stream can be found linked above. Doug Broek and Mark Bloemendaal will have the call on KSOU 93.9 FM, live from Korver Field at De Valois Stadium.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
GAME 13: vs. (5) Indiana Wesleyan
DATE: Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022
TIME: 12:00 PM
LOCATION: Orange City, Iowa | Korver Field at De Valois Stadium
SERIES RECORD: First-ever meeting
LAST MEETING: none
WATCH: nwcraiders.com
STATS: nwcraiders.com
RADIO: KSOU (93.9 FM)
NWC LINKS: News  |  Roster  |  Schedule
IWU LINKS: News  |  Roster  |  Schedule
 
THREE-STRAIGHT NAIA SEMIFINAL APPEARANCES
  • NWC is set to host the No. 5-ranked Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University this Saturday.
  • It's the second-straight Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) opponent for the Raiders.
  • The last time the Red Raiders hosted a semifinal game, they went on to win the national championship.
  • It marks three-straight NAIA semifinal appearances for head coach Matt McCarty and company.
  • Northwestern is perfect in front of the home crowd this season (7-0).
  • Both teams put 11-game win streaks on the line this weekend.
  • Fun Fact: The Northwestern women's basketball team traveled to Marion, Ind. (IWU campus) for the Opening Round of the 2021-22 NAIA Women's Basketball national tournament last season.
NWC NOTABLES
  • The Raiders have the lowest number of turnovers this season (11) since the 2010 season when they had just 15, and last season just 19.
  • Northwestern has outscored opponents 539-129 in their 12 games.
  • NWC is 61-2 since 2002 when the team rushes for 200+ yards and 7-1 in 2022.
  • Under McCarty, NWC holds a 15-8 record in the month of November, including a 5-4 mark in NAIA FCS play.
  • The Raiders have only played one game in December under McCarty, falling to Morningside last season in the Semifinals.
  • The Red Raiders hold a +16-turnover margin through 12 games.
  • NWC continues to lead the NAIA in 3rd down conversions (55%).
  • When forcing 2+ opponent turnovers, NWC is 38-4 since 2017 and 7-1 on the season.
  • Jalyn Gramstad surpassed the 2,000-yard mark passing last week with his 297 yards against Marian, now sitting at 2,104 on the season.
TOP-NOTCH DISCIPLINE
  • NWC has been one of the most disciplined teams in the NAIA this season.
  • The Raiders sit seventh nationally in penalty yards per game (39.3).
  • They also sit top-10 in penalties per game at sixth (4.2).
NORTHWESTERN VS. MID-STATES OPPONENTS
  • The clash with IWU will be the 16th all-time meeting against current MSFA opponents.
  • NWC holds a 10-5 record all-time in those games, including back-to-back wins over Marian (2021, 2022).
  • Minus the Marian games, the last MSFA opponent was Saint Xavier University (Ill.) in the First Round of the 2019 NAIA FCS, as SXU won 25-20 in Orange City.
RAIDERS IN THE NAIA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (FCS)
  • Northwestern is making their 24th appearance in the NAIA FCS, holding an all-time record of 28-21 (.571).
  • In program history, the Red Raiders have brought two national titles back to Orange City (1973, 1983).
  • Four trips to the national title game (1972, '79, 1984, 2020) & five (now six) semifinal trips (1982, '85, 1994, 2000, 2021, 2022).
  • Under head coach Matt McCarty, the Raiders hold a 8-5 record in FCS play and have made one (now two) semifinal appearance (2021, 2022) and a national title game appearance (2020).
SERIES HISTORY
  • The Raiders and Wildcats are meeting on the gridiron for the first time ever on Saturday.
  • IWU began their football program in 2016, with competition starting in 2018.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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Players Mentioned

Jalyn Gramstad

#12 Jalyn Gramstad

QB
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jalyn Gramstad

#12 Jalyn Gramstad

6' 0"
Sophomore
QB