Game Time... The ninth-ranked Red Raiders play host to the Briar Cliff Chargers in this week's homecoming match-up. Northwestern (4-1) defeated 19th-ranked Hastings last week, 31-7, while BCU lost a heartbreaker to Midland Lutheran, 32-31, and is 0-5 this season. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 pm.
Last Time Out...Last week, Briar Cliff led 31-14 early in the fourth quarter before Midland scored 18 points in the final 10 minutes to earn the victory. The Chargers gained a season-high 401 yards of total offense, including 238 yards rushing. Senior fullback Adam Robards amassed 148 yards on the ground on just 19 carries and scored a touchdown. David Smith, a freshman running back, carried the ball 17 times for 89 yards and two scores. Defensively, Jarrod Makovicka recorded 11.5 tackles and broke up one pass while Taylor Schumacher added 5.5 tackles and scored the Chargers’ first touchdown on a 31-yard fumble recovery.
Northwestern handed Hastings its first loss of the season last week. The Broncos scored on their first possession but the Red Raiders held them scoreless the rest of the way. The NWC defense scored its second touchdown of the season late in the first half when T.J. Lensch returned an interception 81 yards to put the Raiders up 21-7. Craig Hector completed a pair of long touchdown passes, a 65-yarder to D.J. Hansen in the second quarter and a 35-yard strike to Seth Moen in the fourth. Hector finished with 245 yards on 13 of 24 pass attempts. Kyle Ochsner carried the ball for his season-high 58 yards and reached the end zone on a one-yard run.
Scouting Report...Briar Cliff ranks eighth in scoring offense in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (21.4 ppg) and ninth in scoring defense (31 ppg). Three different quarterbacks, J.D. Lindsay, Kyle Gerdes and Lane Claussen, have started at least one game for the Chargers this season. Lindsay, a sophomore, will start his third game today. He has completed 19-58 pass attempts for 375 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. Gerdes, a junior who will be the backup, has completed 16-37 passes for 160 yards. Adam Robards, an honorable mention all-GPAC pick in 2006, leads the ground game with 70 carries for 322 yards and three scores. David Smith has amassed 175 yards on 52 carries and also has scored three times. Michael Langfield and tight end Roger Sandau lead the receiving corps with 13 catches, 175 yards and one touchdown each. Shawn Pearson is averaging 19.4 yards per catch and also has one score.
Defensively, the Chargers return just five starters from last season, led by linebacker Jarrod Mackovicka, who earned honorable mention honors in 2006. The sophomore has 31 tackles, including five for a loss of 12 yards. Freshman Taylor Schumacher, also a linebacker, is third on the team with 26.5 tackles and one fumble recovery. The D-line is anchored by 6’5, 280-pound Chris Barber, an all-conference selection last year. Freshman defensive end Eric Bolin has recorded 27 tackles and a team-high two sacks. Kane Keuhl returns to handle the punting duties. Last season, Keuhl, along with graduated senior Josh Schaffert, became the first players in BCU’s history to earn first team all-league honors. He is averaging 37.5 yards per attempt this season.
Red Raider Notes...For the season, Northwestern is averaging 27.4 points per game and boasts the third best passing attack in the GPAC. Hector has completed 55% of his passes for 1,114 yards and 12 touchdowns. He ranks fifth all-time in pass attempts (742), completions (403) and touchdown passes (53). Hector's next touchdown pass ties him with Jay McKinstrey for fourth all time. Moen leads the team with 25 receptions for 337 yards and a team-high five scores. Tyler Reichle (19 catches, 284 yards and three scores), D.J. Hansen (eight catches, 174 yards and two scores), Tyler Meekma (eight catches for 123 yards) and Reed Van Hulzen (six catches, 113 yards and two scores) are the other top weapons through the air.
Defensively, NWC is sixth in the GPAC (23.4 points per game). Kadrian Hardersen leads the league with 36 total tackles while four other Red Raiders have at least 26 tackles this season. Northwestern leads the conference with 20 sacks, led by Andrew Lundgren with four and Cody Van Sloten with 3.5.
Series History...This will be the fifth meeting between the two schools, with NWC coming out on top in the four previous match-ups. Last season, Northwestern defeated Briar Cliff, 41-7, in Sioux City.
2008 media guide
