Game Time... The 11th-ranked Red Raiders take to the road once again as they play Concordia in GPAC football action. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm in Seward, Neb. You can listen to the game via the Concordia web-cast at the following link: Listen Now!
The Coaches... Orv Otten is in his 14th season at the head of the Red Raider football program and is an impressive 101-43 during his tenure. Coach Otten has led his team to the playoffs four times, including a trip to the national semifinals in 2000 and three quarterfinal appearances. Courtney Meyer is the "Dean" of the GPAC coaches, in his 19th year with the Bulldogs. Meyer has accumulated a 69-106-1 overall record and posted his best record in 2001 with a 10-2 record where he led his team to tie for the regular season championship.
Last Week...Northwestern defeated Dana College last Saturday afternoon by the score of 54-14 in front thousands of fans at Korver Field at DeValois Stadium. The Red Raiders scored 20 first quarter points and put the game away with a 33-0 halftime lead. Northwestern continued to dominate the play in the third quarter with 21 points, leading 54-0 as the teams began the fourth and final period. Dana scored a pair of touchdowns in the final frame to put the final at 54-14.
Northwestern totaled 515 yards of offense compared to 234 for Dana. Cary Overholt completed 10-of-18 passes for 246 yards and three scores. He also rushed for another. Tyler Meekma, D.J. Hansen and Seth Moen all caught three passes and one touchdown. Kyle Ochsner led a Red Raider rushing attack that gained 252 total yards with 107 on eight carries and three scores. Taylor Malm rushed 12 times for 55 yards and one score. Defensively, T.J. Lensch recorded a team-high 6.5 sacks and one interception. Grant Hegstad and Nate Jansen totaled 5.5 and 5.0 tackles, respectively.
Concordia struggled on both sides of the ball as the No.2 ranked University of Sioux Falls Cougars shut out the Bulldogs 47-0 last Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Health Complex in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldog defense kept the high powered Sioux Falls offense out of rhythm in its first three possessions. On the Cougars' first drive the Bulldogs held strong and Sioux Falls missed a 40-yard field goal attempt. The Cougars second drive ended with a fumble and the third with a turnover on downs. But that was the end of the sputtering for the Sioux Falls offense.
The Cougars began to click on the fourth possession as they were able to drive 69 yards on six plays for the first score of the game. The Sioux Falls offense would go on to score on the next six of their last 13 drives.
While the defense was fighting to keep the Cougars out of the end zone, the offense was struggling to find any offensive rhythm. The Bulldogs only mustered 69 yards of total offense, 14 of those yards on the ground. The Bulldog offense managed just six first downs on the afternoon. Sioux Falls on the other hand took advantage of a defense that didn't get much rest, amassing 660 yards of total offense (406 passing, 254 rushing).
Scouting Report... The Bulldogs average 11ppg and 204 yards per game. They are ninth in the league in passing (135ypg) and 11th in rushing (70ypg). Junior quarterback Kyle Schmidt is completing 40% of his pass attempts for 520 yards and two touchdowns. His primary targets so far this season are Daniel Uden, Barry Eitzmann and Derrick Woods. Uden, a 6-3 junior, leads the team with 10 catches for 99 yards and Eitzmann has pulled in eight catches for 65 yards. Woods leads the team in yards per catch (18) and has caught one of the two touchdown passes. Akeem Christian is the Bulldogs leading rusher, totaling 164 yards on 47 carries and one score. Austin Freudenburg, a 6-0 sophomore, has rushed 28 times for 35 yards and will most likely get the start in the Concordia backfield.
Defensively, Concordia is giving up 33ppg and 456ypg, ranking 10th and 12th in the league respectively. The d-line is anchored by senior Matt Baller who earned first team all-GPAC honors in 2007. He has four tackles, one for a loss of three yards, so far this season. Preston Harris, a 6-1 safety, leads the team with 24.5 tackles and also has one interception this season. Senior cornerback Jim Landers leads the team with two interceptions and ranks second on the team with 23 tackles.
Red Raider Notes... Coach Otten's offense comes into this weekend's game averaging 33.5ppg and is one of the most balanced in the league. Northwestern averages 177ypg on the ground and 171 yards through the air. Junior Cary Overholt has completed 47% of his pass attempts for 432 yards and five scores. He also has rushed for 119 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Kyle Ochsner and Taylor Malm have combined for 422 rushing yards, eight touchdowns and average seven yards per carry. Seth Moen is the top receiver with 14 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Meekma has caught eight balls for 146 yards and one score from the tight end position and Reed Van Hulzen has six catches for 51 yards in three games.
Defensively, Northwestern is third in the league giving up 13.8 points per game. Linebackers Nate Jansen and Grant Hegstad lead the defense with 20 and 16 tackles, respectively. Jansen leads the GPAC with 3.5 sacks for a loss of 32 yards while T.J. Lensch has forced two fumbles this season.
Next Up... The Red Raiders will host Midland Lutheran next weekend, Oct. 11, at 11:30am.
2008 media guide
