ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Following a highly successful 12-2 (9-1 GPAC) season, and the program’s second-straight trip to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football Championship Series (FCS) semifinals, head football coach Matt McCarty has announced the 2022 Raider football schedule.
This year’s slate features all Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) competition. The schedule features five home contests and five road trips for McCarty and squad. The schedule features two programs ranked inside the NAIA top-25 poll at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
“We are excited for five home games this fall,” said McCarty. “Our fans create a great atmosphere and a strong home field advantage for us!”
The Raiders are entering the seventh season under the direction of McCarty. In that span, Northwestern has posted a 76%-win percentage, including an 81% mark in GPAC play. McCarty has a record of 54-17 and is three wins shy of becoming the third-winningest coach in program history as his predecessor Kyle Achterhoff won 56 games on the sidelines.
“The GPAC returns a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball,” noted McCarty. “We look forward to great competition week in and week out in our league.”
2022 SCHEDULE
9.3 @ Morningside
9.10 Dakota Wesleyan [Senior Day]
9.17 @ Jamestown
9.24 Concordia (Neb.)
10.1 Mount Marty [Homecoming]
10.15 @ Dordt
10.22 @ Doane
10.29 Briar Cliff
11.5 Midland
11.12 @ Hastings
11.19 NAIA FCS – First Round
The season is set to open in the rematch of the 2022 GPAC title game and the NAIA FCS semifinal clash with the Mustangs of Morningside back in Sioux City, Iowa.
The home opener of the 2022 season is set for September 10 as the Tigers of Dakota Wesleyan make the trip to Northwest Iowa to battle the Raiders at DeValois Stadium.
For the third straight year, Northwestern will make the trek to Jamestown, N.D. to battle the Jimmies on September 17.
After the trip to Jamestown, the Raiders will play two straight at Korver Field in Orange City. On September 24, Northwestern will welcome the Bulldogs of Concordia (Neb.) to town for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
To begin the month of October, the Raiders will host the Mount Marty Lancers for the first-time ever to Orange City. The game with the Lancers also marks Homecoming on the campus of Northwestern College.
Northwestern will then hit the road for two weeks coming off their bye week, starting with a 15-mile trip to Sioux Center to face arch-rival Dordt at 1:00 p.m. on October 15.
The following week, the Raiders will make a trip into the state of Nebraska for the first time on the season to do battle with the Doane Tigers in Crete, Neb. for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
Wrapping up the month of October, the Chargers of Briar Cliff come to town for a GPAC clash at 1:00 p.m. The Warriors of Midland University will be in town the following week, November 5, to kickoff the month of November for a 1:00 p.m. kick.
The Raiders will wrap up the regular season with another trip to Nebraska, this time taking on the Broncos of Hastings College in Hastings, Neb. with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m.
The NAIA FCS playoffs are scheduled to begin with the First Round on Saturday, November 19 and wrapping up on Saturday, December 18 with the National Championship game.
The Raiders welcome new offensive coordinator Jake Menage to the coaching staff this season, joining the Northwestern staff from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Northern Illinois University.
Northwestern has competed in football since 1950, and became a 4-year institution in 1960*, and have won 69% of their 634 games in the 61 seasons of collegiate football. Four of the five head coaches in Raider football history have won at least 70% of their games, as Northwestern became a power under legendary head coach Larry Korver (1967-1995). The Raiders have won 445 games in program history with 54 of those wins coming under McCarty.
