Game Time... In a battle of 1-0 teams, Northwestern College plays host to Dakota Wesleyan in the Red Raiders home opener on Korver Field at DeValois Stadium. NWC knocked off Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Neb., last week, 13-12, while DWU rolled to a 47-7 win at home over Midland Lutheran.
Scouting Report... Head Coach Brad Pole is in his third year with the Tigers. After struggling to a 1-9 mark in 2005, he led his team to a much improved 4-6 record last year. Four offensive starters return off last year’s squad, headed by two sophomores, quarterback Jon Doom and receiver Bubba Slaba. Doom earned honorable mention all-league honors in 2006 after throwing for 1,381 yards and six touchdowns. Slaba, also an honorable mention all-league recipient, led the team with three receiving touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 374 yards. Fellow receiver Juan Magallon, a transfer from Glendale College, will look to make an immediate impact for the Tiger offense. Keith Jones is the top returning ball carrier after he gained 146 yards in 2006. Alan Swartz, a 210-pound fullback, will also be in the mix in a talented DWU backfield. Three sophomore starters return on the offensive line in what could be one of the deepest and most talented units DWU has had.
Seven starters return from a 2006 defense that gave up 21.8 points per game. The Tigers will be led by honorable mention all-conference linebackers Daniel Wysong and Chris Sheckler, who combined for 126 total tackles and 4.5 sacks last year. Also in the mix at linebacker are Ryan Diebert (31 tackles) and red-shirt freshman Dane Carlson. In the secondary, junior Eric Adolph started all 10 games last year and recorded 24 tackles, six pass break-ups and one interception. Junior Kyle Meier is the top returner on a defensive line that lost several starters to graduation.
Last week, Coach Pole and his squad jumped out to a 27-0 first quarter lead en route to their big 47-7 win over Midland Lutheran. It was the most points the Tigers have scored under Coach Pole as they amassed 555 yards of total offense, 324 on the ground. Six different ball carriers had at least four carries, led by Swartz with 12 carries for 89 yards and two scores. Doom rushed 10 times for 48 yards while Ray Blossum added 50 yards on eight carries. Both Doom and Tanner Tucker were effective through the air for the Tigers as the duo combined to complete 14 of 24 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Magallon led DWU with three receptions for 102 yards and one score. Wysong led the Tiger defense with 9.5 tackles while Carlson added 6.5 tackles and recorded one interception.
Red Raider Notes... The Red Raiders won their seventh consecutive season opener last week, 13-12 over Nebraska Wesleyan. NWC jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter after Craig Hector hooked up with Reed Van Hulzen on a seven-yard touchdown strike, followed by a Kadrian Hardersen 54-yard interception return for a score. The Prairie Wolves responded with 12 unanswered points in the second quarter to trail by one at the half. Both teams were held scoreless in the second half as the Big Red defense came up with several key stops in its own territory. Offensively, Kyle Ochsner carried the ball seven times for 38 yards while Taylor Malm added 27 yards on 12 carries. Hector was 13-23 for 83 yards and one touchdown while Seth Moen caught a career-high six passes for 44 yards. Defensively, Kadrian Hardersen led the way with 9.5 tackles and one interception. Nathan Jansen recorded nine tackles and combined with Brad Payne for a sack.
Last Year...The Raiders defeated DWU last season by the score of 48-10. The host Tigers scored first on a 26-yard field goal by Nick Tolsma. Northwestern then erupted for 48 unanswered points, including 39 of which were scored in the second and third quarters. The Raider D scored 16 points in the contest as they recorded a safety and two touchdowns. Three different players scored a rushing touchdown (Craig Hector, Keith Sietstra and Kyle Ochsner) as NWC held a 223-81 advantage on the ground.
Coaches...Brad Pole is in his third year with Dakota Wesleyan and has accumulated a 5-15 overall record in two seasons. Orv Otten is 90-40 in his 12 years as head of the Red Raiders.
The Series... The Red Raiders are 7-0 all-time against the Tigers with all of the contests taking place since 2000.
2008 media guide
