Two consecutive weeks of playing nearly flawless football in wins over Midland and Hastings, Northwestern overcame six turnovers to still handily defeat Briar Cliff 38-21 in GPAC action played today on Korver Field. The Raiders earned their seventh consecutive win, improving to 7-1 on the year; Briar Cliff drops to 1-7.
Northwestern relied heavily on its ground game, totaling 279 rushing yards and four scores, one by four different players. The Raiders averaged nearly seven yards per carry, led by Logan Meyer with 13 rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown. Konner McQuillan added 10 carries for 72 yards and a score while Tyson Kooima (8/55yds, TD) and Garrett Packer (1/5yds, TD) also reached the endzone.
Kooima completed 11/22 passes for 143 yards, a season low for the senior, and one touchdown. Kooima and Solberg connected for a 20-yard touchdown in the first quarter, the duo’s 43rd during their four-year career.
Northwestern limited Briar Cliff to 176 yards on offense, a season-best for the Raider D. They totaled one quarterback sack (T.J. Jones) and three interceptions, one each by Parker Fryar, Noah Van’t Hof and Jake Lynott.
Following a defensive score by the Chargers on the third play of the game, Northwestern came back with 38 straight points over the next three-plus quarters. The Kooima-Solberg connection tied the game at seven with 9:18 left in the first quarter. Meyer followed with a 15-yard touchdown run at the 4-minute mark of the first quarter to put Northwestern in front for good, 14-7.
The Raiders scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to give Head Coach Matt McCarty’s squad a 28-7 halftime lead. Kooima reached the endzone on a six-yard run with 11:22 left in the half, followed by a five-yard touchdown run by Packer at the six minute mark.
McQuillan finished off a three-play, 61-yard drive with a 36-yard run on the Raiders opening drive of the second half, making the score 35-7. An Eli Stader 34-yard field goal capped the Raider scoring early in the fourth quarter, his 11th made field goal of the season, two shy of matching the program record for field goals in a season.
Briar Cliff added a pair of late touchdowns, taking advantage of a couple of bad snaps/fumbles, one recovered in the endzone by M.J. Montgomery.
Northwestern totaled 422 yards on offense; Michael Storey totaled four catches for 45 yards and Solberg had three catches for 39 yards and a score.
The Raider D was led by Noah Van’t Hof with 12 tackles and an interception. Parker Fryar contributed nine stops and both T.J. Jones and Trevor Rozeboom added seven tackles each. Northwestern limited the Chargers to just three first downs through the first three quarters of play.
Northwestern will have a bye this weekend before hosting Jamestown at noon on Nov. 28 in the final game of the fall season.
