FREMONT, Neb. – A sluggish start the for the No. 2-ranked Northwestern College football team (3-0, 2-0 GPAC) would not come back to haunt them, as the Raider defense stepped up when they had to as Northwestern prevails over a scrappy Midland Warriors (1-2, 1-1 GPAC) squad for the fifth straight time, 35-29 in overtime.
The defense kept the Raiders in the game today, proving to be as pesky as ever ending the day picking off three Midland passes to ensure the offense had every opportunity to pull out the victory. Noah Van’t Hof (Sr., Lester, Iowa/West Lyon), Gavin Lorenzen (So., Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon), and Tristan Mulder (Fr., Rock Valley, Iowa/Western Christian) all picked off passes on the afternoon. Parker Fryar (So., Waukee, Iowa/Van Meter) led the team again this week with 13 tackles, bringing his season total up to 30 tackles.
The Midland defense came to play this afternoon, as the Warriors would be the first team to keep the Raider offense off the score board in the first quarter. The opening drive of the contest saw the Raider offense move the ball down the field effectively with a good balance pass and rush. The Warrior defense bended but didn’t break, forcing Northwestern into a field goal attempt but the snap would be mishandled and Midland would recover, instantly giving momentum to the Warriors.
Come the second quarter, it appeared as though it was the Raider offense one would recognize. A 37-yard pass from Blake Fryar (Jr., Waukee, Iowa/Van Meter) to Michael Storey (Jr., Spencer, Iowa/Spencer) set up the Northwestern offense inside the red zone for the second time, hoping to execute better this time around. Execute they did with three straight rushing plays that was capped off by an end-around to Storey as he scampers in the endzone from nine yards out.
The rest of the first half was a defensive battle, a lot of back and forth action with no team able to find any momentum. Near the end of the half, both teams traded a pair of field goals with Eli Stader (Fr., Cedar Grove, Wis./Oostburg) converting a career-long 47-yard field goal attempt to end the half.
The second half saw the Raiders struggle offensively and the Warriors convert on a couple long touchdown passes to allow the Warriors to take momentum of the game. Even with the adversity, the Raiders ultimately proved why they are the second-ranked team in the nation. Though the Northwestern defense played well overall, two big chunk plays kept Midland in the game and kept giving the Warriors hope they could pull off the upset. Aided by two long touchdown throws from Kenneth Carr II – 50- and 61-yard touchdown tosses. Late in the fourth quarter, following a Midland drive that ended with a field goal to tie the game up 22-22, Fryar’s pass was picked off and returned to a touchdown to give the Warriors the late 29-22 advantage with 5:03 left to go in the contest.
Tough the Raiders had their backs against the wall, the effort never went away. The offense would march back on the field and immediately respond. The first Raider play after the interception, Fryar dropped back to pass and this time found Cade Moser (Sr., Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley Community) wide open in the middle of the field for a gain of 56-yards to the Midland 14. Fryar would cap off that drive, finding Jase Amelse (So., Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian) from 11 yards out to even the game at 29 with 1:30 to go. Midland would push the ball into Raider territory late, looking to get into field goal range but shot themselves in the foot with a holding penalty to halt the drive and the game would head into overtime.
In overtime, the Raiders would have the first possession and the Raider offense looked sharp when it mattered most. Fryar was involved on every play, ultimately finding the endzone with his legs from seven yards out to give the Raiders the lead. The PAT attempt was no good putting the game into the hands of the Raider defense. Midland started their possession with three straight incomplete passes with the game coming down to one play. A pass to the endzone was incomplete, but the Raiders were called for pass interference giving the Warriors new life. The game would come down to a fourth and goal from the five-yard line. Another Warrior pass fell harmlessly to the ground on what appeared to be a Midland miscommunication.
Fryar ended the day with 332 yards on 25-47 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His favorite targets on the day was Moser (5 catches, 125 yards and a touchdown) and Konner McQuillan (Jr., Leavenworth, Kan./Lansing) with 6 catches for 64 yards. McQuillan also carried the ball 12 times for 63 yards for the Raiders.
Stader had another busy afternoon on kicking duty, going 3-4 on PATs and converting two field goals (34- and 47-yard field goals), to go along with his five kickoffs and three touchbacks on the afternoon. Jaden Snyder (R-So., Larchwood, Iowa) had a strangely busy day as the Warrior defense forced five Northwestern punts on the day with Snyder averaging 38.4 yards/punt and nailing four inside the 20.
Up Next: Northwestern welcomes the Doane Tigers to Korver Field at De Valois Stadium next Saturday, September 18 on Homecoming weekend. A slightly different kickoff time of 1:30 p.m. is slated on a weekend full of events on the campus of Northwestern College.
