Northwestern College hosts Dickinson State in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship series this weekend at DeValois Stadium / Korver Field. Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 17 is scheduled for 1 pm.
Northwestern, ranked fifth in the final edition of the NAIA coaches’ poll, brings a 9-1 record into the weekend. The 15th-ranked Blue Hawks are 8-2 on the season.
Northwestern earned the first of five at-large bids into the 16-team FCS after finishing as the GPAC runner-up during the regular season. The Red Raiders were the highest ranked team that did not automatically qualify. They are one of two teams from the GPAC, joining Morningside, in the postseason field.
Northwestern is making its 20th appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series, most among the 16 teams in this year’s field. The Red Raiders own a 21-17 all-time record in postseason play, second most wins (Saint Francis-31-15) in the field. They are 14-5 in the first round, including a 55-7 win on the road last year against No.7 Langston (Okla.). (note: the 1987 season was the first the NAIA went to a 16-team format for the championship; from 1978 – 1986, the NAIA had an 8-team championship field, prior to that, it was four-team championship; therefore, the 13-5 record in the first round accounts for the FIRST game played in the postseason by the Red Raiders, whether it be the round of 16, 8 for 4.) The Red Raiders have won two national titles (1973, 1983).
This is the fourth straight season and 19th overall that the Blue Hawks have qualified for postseason play, owning a 6-18 all-time record. They are 5-13 in the first round, last advancing to the quarterfinals in 2004 with a 30-13 win over Montana Tech. Dickinson State’s best finish was a semifinal appearance in 1991.
Dickinson State, champions of the North Star Athletic Association, received one of the 11 automatic bids into the postseason championship. They are the only team from the NSAA in the field.
The Blue Hawks opened the season ranked 13th in the NAIA D-II preseason coaches poll and have been ranked in the top 25 all season. Picked first in the North Star Athletic Association preseason coaches’ poll, DiSU won its fourth straight conference title, going 6-1 in league play.
Dickinson State returned 14 starters (8 offense, 6 defense) from a 2017 team that finished 9-2 and lost to Southern Oregon in the first round of the FCS 55-24. Among the starters returning are four of the five members of the o-line, quarterback, two wide receivers, three linebackers and three members of the secondary.
Kick off is at 1 pm at DeValois Stadium/Korver Field.
