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Northwestern College Athletics

Northwestern College
HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
HONORING CHRIST THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
Nike
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38
Winner Northwestern NWC 8-2 , 8-1
3
Dakota Wesleyan (SD) DWU 4-5 , 4-4
Winner
Northwestern NWC
8-2 , 8-1
38
Final
3
Dakota Wesleyan (SD) DWU
4-5 , 4-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NWC Northwestern 10 14 7 7 38
DWU Dakota Wesleyan (SD) 3 0 0 0 3

Game Recap: Football | | NWC Athletic Communications

Raiders Secure Convincing 38-3 Win Ahead of Bye Week

MITCHELL, S.D. – Northwestern improved to 8-2 (8-1 GPAC) with a 38-3 win over Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.

The Raiders built a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on their opening possession and turning Kylar Fritz's interception into a short-field touchdown. Colby Duncan completed passes of 27 yards to Lane Maassen and 48 yards to Austyn Gerard on a nine-play, 86-yard opening drive, and Gianna Bennett finished it with a 22-yard field goal at 10:22. After the Raiders' defense forced a three-and-out, Fritz intercepted Jed Jenson at the Tigers' 15, and Duncan found Caleb Moore for a nine-yard touchdown before Bennett's extra point made it 10-0 with 6:08 left. DWU answered with an 11-play, 59-yard drive and a 24-yard field goal in the final minute, while the Raiders ended the quarter across midfield with a 10-3 lead.
 
Northwestern scored on its first and last full possessions of the second quarter, adding 14 points while holding the Tigers scoreless to take a 24-3 lead into halftime. The quarter opened with the Raiders already across midfield, and Duncan converted a third down with a 13-yard run before later finishing the 10-play, 53-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown at 10:40. The Red Raiders' defense answered by forcing two DWU punts, including a stop after Kylar Fritz and Lane Kenny held a 3rd-and-3 short of the line-of-gain. After a mid-quarter drive stalled near midfield despite a 36-yard Duncan completion to Moore, the Raiders went 70 yards in the final minutes, highlighted by Josiah Heinz's 17-yard run and Duncan's 36-yard pass to Gerard before Duncan found Moore for a 4th-down score to end the half.
 
Owen Lalumendre's third-quarter interception gave the Red Raiders a short field, and Northwestern turned it into the quarter's only points on a 45-yard touchdown drive. Duncan completed passes of 15 yards to Gerard and 13 yards to Moore before finding Gerard again for a 10-yard pass with 9:07 left, and Bennett added the extra point. The Tigers moved into Raider territory on the next possession, but the Raiders' defense held after two false starts, a tackle for loss by Wesley Vick and Kenny, and Drew Alger's fourth-down pass breakup. The Red Raiders then drove from their own 33 to the Tigers' 26, helped by Maassen's receptions, and carried a 31-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The Raiders added the fourth quarter's only points when Duncan capped a 45-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Moore at 8:38, followed by Gianna Bennett's extra point. Earlier, Barret Bleeker sacked Jed Jenson on DWU's first drive of the quarter, and the Red Raiders forced a punt before Duncan completed throws to Carson Ness, Tyson Bajema and Moore on the scoring series. The Red Raiders' defense answered the touchdown with a three-and-out, including Isaac Wenthe's pass breakup, before Reed Rus' interception gave the Tigers the ball at the Raiders' 28. DWU moved inside the red zone, but a holding penalty erased a touchdown and the Raiders got off the field when Kolton Koopmans and Cole Nielsen stopped Jenson on fourth down at the Raiders' six with 3:11 left. The Red Raiders then ran out the final possession to finish a 38-3 win.

Game Notes:
  • Caleb Moore caught seven passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed one pass for 17 yards.
  • Austyn Gerard led the receiving corps with 119 yards.
  • Colby Duncan threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns, also running for a score.
  • Duncan reached the 5,000-yard career passing mark in the win.
  • Owen Lalumendre made seven stops and had an interception.
  • Kylar Fritz picked off a pass and had six tackles.
  • Barret Bleeker recorded a sack to go with four tackles.
  • Gianna Bennett went 5-for-5 on PATs and converted on a 22-yard field goal.
  • Northwestern was 5-for-5 in the red zone, moving their red zone efficiency to 45-of-47 (95.7%) this season.
Up Next: Northwestern will have a bye week before hosting Dordt on November 14 at 12:00 p.m.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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