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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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43
Winner Northwestern NWC 1-1 , 1-0
35
Morningside MOR 1-1 , 0-1
Winner
Northwestern NWC
1-1 , 1-0
43
Final
35
Morningside MOR
1-1 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NWC Northwestern 7 14 7 15 43
MOR Morningside 7 7 14 7 35

Game Recap: Football | | NWC Athletic Communications

Northwestern Wins Top-25 Battle Over Morningside

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A red zone stop late in the fourth quarter sealed a win for No. 24 Northwestern over No. 7 Morningside on Saturday night.
 
"I'm really proud of our guys and the way that we responded from last week and the way that we played tonight," head coach Matt McCarty said. "Our guys feel really confident in the way that we've been preparing and the work that we've put in. It was really fun to see our offense click tonight."
 
The Raiders answered Morningside's first scoring drive with a 78-yard march, highlighted by Colby Duncan's 53-yard completion to Caleb Moore and capped by Duncan's short touchdown run before Gianna Bennett's kick tied it 7-7 with 2:24 left in the first quarter. After Cody Sandbulte broke up a third-down pass to force a Morningside punt, Duncan moved the Raiders again with a 15-yard run and completions to Maassen and Gardner Casey, reaching the Morningside 17 late in the quarter with the score tied 7-7.
 
Northwestern continued to drive as the second began, as Duncan finished the Raiders' opening possession of the quarter with a two-yard touchdown run after completing passes of mid-range passes to Carson Ness, and Bennett's kick made it 14-7. Morningside threatened on the next drive, but after a holding penalty erased a touchdown run, Carter intercepted Colin Gordon at the goal line for a touchback at 11:33.  The Red Raiders followed with their biggest sequence of the second quarter as a 13-play, 80-yard drive set up Duncan to score from a yard out to make it 21-7 at 4:07. Morningside later answered with a 20-yard rushing touchdown by Max Hough and an extra point, making it a 21-14 Raider lead at the break.
 
Northwestern opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, using Duncan runs of 13 and 31 yards and a 12-yard Moore carry before Casey scored within the five to double up Morningside for a 28-14 lead. Morningside answered with a 77-yard touchdown drive, and the Raiders' next possession started at their 11 before a personal foul helped move the ball out from near the goal line, but the drive ended with a punt. After Morningside tied the game at 28-28 on its next series, the Raiders responded by moving into Morningside territory, highlighted by Moore's 24-yard run and Duncan's 11-yard gain on third down. The quarter's scoring closed with the teams even at 28-28, while the Raiders had advanced to the Morningside 34 on their final possession of the segment.
 
Early in the fourth, Duncan converted third down with an eight-yard run and then completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Austyn Gerard at 14:14, making the score 34-28. After a defensive stop on the next drive, the Raider offense followed with a 12-play, 64-yard march from its 36, getting three third-down conversions before a Duncan rushing touchdown made it 40-28. Morningside answered with a touchdown and extra point to make it 40-35, but the Raiders milked the clock and got into field goal range for a clutch 39-yarder off the right foot of Bennett.
 
Near midfield and trailing by eight, Morningside connected on a deep ball to enter the red zone and threaten to score. On the next play, the Ayden Klein recovered a fumble on a broken play to seal the win.
 
Game Notes:
  • Colby Duncan totaled 427 yards and five touchdowns, rushing for 188 yards and four scores and throwing for 239 yards and a touchdown.
  • Austyn Gerard caught four passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.
  • Caleb Moore hauled in four catches for 74 yards and ran for 51 yards.
  • Kylar Fritz, Owen Lalumendre, and Brodie Van Regenmorter each totaled six tackles.
  • Van Regenmorter and Jaxson Hildebrand each had a sack.
  • Gianna Bennett knocked in four extra points and a 39-yard field goal.
  • Jordan Carter picked off a pass and had two tackles.
  • The Raiders went an efficient 9-for-12 on third downs.
  • The Red Raiders finished with 278 rushing yards, 36 first downs and a 38:21-21:39 advantage in time of possession.
  • Northwestern has defeated Morningside in back-to-back years for the first time since 2002-03.
Up Next: The Raiders will play at home for the first time this season next Saturday, hosting Mount Marty for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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