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HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
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Nike
football-naia-fcs-secondround-recap-2023
0
Dordt (IA) DOR 9-3
7
Winner Northwestern NWC 12-0
Dordt (IA) DOR
9-3
0
Final
7
Northwestern NWC
12-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DOR Dordt (IA) 0 0 0 0 0
NWC Northwestern 7 0 0 0 7

Game Recap: Football | | NWC Athletic Communications

Red Raiders Prevail in Defensive Battle Over Defenders in NAIA FCS Second Round

Michael Storey sets new program record for career receptions

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – For the third-straight season, the top-ranked Northwestern College football team (12-0, 10-GPAC) will play football in the month of December after a defensive clinic by the Red Raiders in a 7-0 victory over arch rival and No. 14-ranked Dordt University (9-3, 8-2 GPAC) in the Second Round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football Championship Series (FCS) Saturday afternoon at De Valois Stadium.  
With his lone catch in the third quarter, Michael Storey (Sr., Spencer, Iowa) now holds the program's all-time career reception record with 283 receptions and counting. He passed former teammate Shane Solberg who had 282 in his Red Raider career.  
One score would prove to be enough this afternoon in the overcast, cloudy, and snowy conditions in Northwest Iowa. Twice on the day, the Defenders would be knocking on the door to tie the ball game inside the Red Raider 10-yard line and both times the Red Raider defense would hold firm. The NWC defense forced two fumbles, had three fourth down stops, and forced four Dordt punts on the afternoon.
 
Northwestern would score on their opening drive of the contest, after stopping the Defenders on downs inside Red Raider territory. The Red Raiders would start with the ball on their own 33-yard line and would take five minutes off the clock, moving down the field methodically. A seven-play, 67-yard drive would end with a 12-yard touchdown connection as Jalyn Gramstad (Jr., Lester, Iowa) would find running back Konner McQuillan (Sr., Leavenworth, Kan.) out of the backfield for the game's lone points.
 
In the second quarter, Dordt pushed deep into Red Raider territory before the drive would stall out at the NWC 6-yard line. The Defenders would call on the kicking team to put points on the board, but a bad snap would see the ball fumbled away with no kick attempt ever recorded. Northwestern would head into the halftime locker room with the 7-0 advantage.
 
If the Red Raider defense didn't prove themselves in the first half, they certainly did in the second half. Dordt had five possessions in the final 30 minutes and the Northwestern defense forced three punts and two turnover on downs.
 
The final major push by Dordt came in the fourth quarter, melting six minutes off the clock for their second-longest drive of the day. Starting on their own 45-yard line, the Defenders would push the ball 51 yards on 10 plays. With a massive fourth-down-and-goal from the two-yard line, the Red Raider defense once again stepped up and snuffed out a Defender trick play, keeping Dordt out of the end zone with their backs against the wall.
 
GAME NOTES:
  • Michael Storey now holds the program's all-time reception record with 283 career receptions.
  • NWC will make their fourth-straight appearance in the NAIA Quarterfinals and will be the lone remaining GPAC team in the FCS.
  • Dordt held the advantage in multiple categories on the day: first downs (13), rushing yards (176), passing yards (96), and total yards (272).
  • NWC was held to 155 total yards, but proved to be the only team able to put points on the board.
  • Konner McQuillan recorded the game's lone touchdown with a 12-yard TD reception, his sixth receiving score of the season.
  • He also led the team with his 60 yards of rushing on 11 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per rush.
  • Jalyn Gramstad was 8-for-15 throwing the ball with 78 yards and a TD toss.
  • Gramstad moves into eighth all-time in program history in career passing touchdowns (53).
  • Peyton Carroll led the team with his 46 receiving yards on two receptions.
  • The stellar defensive performance was spearheaded by a trio of Red Raiders with nine tackles: Kylar Fritz, Clayton Bosma, and Tristan Mulder.
  • NWC recorded seven tackles for loss in the victory, including a pair of sacks from Ben Kingery and Jacob Dragstra.
  • Kole Telford forced a fumble and also recovered the ball.
  • Northwestern tallies their 17th-straight win over the Defenders (17-0) and won the first-ever meeting in the FCS.
  • It marks the third shutout pitched by the Red Raiders against Dordt in the 17-game history.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Konner McQuillan
Up Next: The Red Raiders will again return to Korver Field next weekend for the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals. Next week's opponent will be announced later tonight and made available on nwcraiders.com as soon as possible this evening.

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