Dordt at Northwestern

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Game Time... The 2009 football season begins this evening as 23^rd -ranked Northwestern College hosts Dordt on Korver Field at De Valois Stadium. Both teams are making their season debut.

The Series... At stake, among other things, is the “Tractor Trophy,” which Northwestern won last year with a 42-0 win in Sioux Center, the first meeting between these two rivals.

The Coaches... John Heavner begins his fourth overall and second varsity season with the Defenders. A graduate of East Central Oklahoma University, Heavner guided his team to a 1-10 record last season and a 3-5 record in 2007 as a club team. Kyle Achterhoff begins his first season as head coach of the Red Raider football program after spending the last 11 years as either the offensive (2001-2008) or defensive (1998-2000) coordinator. He is just the third NWC head coach since 1967, following Larry “Bub” Korver and Orv Otten. A 1990 graduate of Northwestern, Achterhoff earned four letters while playing for Coach Korver.

Last Season… Northwestern defeated the Defenders 42-0 in front of a packed stadium witnessing the very first varsity game between the rivals. The Raiders scored first on their very first offensive play of the season when Matt Roesner connected with Seth Moen down the right side for a beautiful 48-yard touchdown. The scoring drive was set up by Austin Rozeboom's interception on Dordt's opening possession. The Red Raiders grabbed a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on a one-yard run by Taylor Malm  and followed with an impressive eight-play, 62-yard drive with a Roesner nine-yard run that gave Northwestern a 21-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Northwestern scored on its first three possessions on another scoring run by Roesner , a 21-yard run by Kyle Ochsner and a 13-yard run by Malm for his second touchdown of the game.

Roesner completed 10 of 20 pass attempts for 187 yards and one score. Malm led the ground game with 86 yards on 14 carries and two scores. Seth Moen and Tim Naiman each caught three passes while Moen led the way with 76 yards.

The Red Raider defense limited the Defenders to just 56 yards of total offense for the game, recorded three sacks and also forced Dordt into three turnovers. Nate Jansen sparked the Red Raider defense with 10 solo tackles and two sacks for a loss of 21 yards. Grant Hegstad recorded six tackles, three for a loss, and Austin Rozeboom totaled five tackles and had one interception.

Scouting Report... The Defenders’ roster features 85 players, consisting primarily of sophomores (39) and freshmen (42). They return 32 players listed on this week’s two-deep, including three who earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2008. Sophomore Todd Green (Edmond, Okla.) earned all-GPAC honors and will anchor the o-line as the Defenders’ center this season. On defense, two sophomore defensive backs, James Rowenhorst (Orange City, Iowa) and Phillip Sears (McKinney, Texas), return after earning all-conference accolades last year. Sears led the team with 57.5 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and tied for the team lead with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He also starred on special teams, averaging a team-best 16.8 yards per kickoff return and 6.2 yards on punt returns. Rowenhorst ranked fifth on the team with 42.5 tackles and tied Sears for the team lead with two interceptions.

Offensively, Dordt averaged just over 200 yards per game in 2008, 104 through the air and 98 via the ground. Two sophomores will take over the quarterback duties as Justin Knot (Hudsonville, Mich.) and Ben Dixon (Kingman, Kan.) most likely will split time under center. Knot saw action in just one game last season before an injury ended his season. Junior Ben Robbins (Floyd, Iowa) and sophomore Charles Milton (Fort Worth, Texas) return as the top two ball carriers, combining for over 500 yards and one score. They will run behind an o-line that gave up just 15 sacks all season in 2008, fourth best in the league.

Defensively, the Defenders were seventh against the pass, giving up 169 yards per game. In addition to Rowenhorst and Sears, keep an eye on a talented linebacker corps, led by returners Matt Postmus (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Jack Brundell (Shoreview, Minn.), who combined for over 40 tackles in 2008.

Red Raider Notes... A total of 23 letterwinners and 15 starters return off last year’s 7-3 squad that finished tied for 19th in the NAIA postseason poll.

The Raiders return six starters from an offense that finished third in the GPAC, scoring nearly 29 points per game. One position that will have a newcomer take command will be quarterback, as sophomore Jayme Rozeboom will be under center. Junior college transfer Ryan Morgan, who played two years for Pimo Community College, will serve as the backup after running a similar style offense the last two years.

The quarterbacks will benefit from a potent rushing attack that ranked fourth in the conference, averaging 162 yards per game. NWC returns two of the top three rushers from 2008 in juniors Taylor Malm and Kevin Vander Schaaf. Malm led the Raiders with 842 all-purpose yards and reached the end zone a team-best nine times (seven rush, two returns). Vander Schaaf rushed 55 times for 286 yards and one score as the team’s fullback in 2008. With his size (5-10, 200 lbs.) and physical running style, he will get the tough yards between the tackles.

Seniors Reed Van Hulzen and Kyle De Boer and sophomore Jameson Rexilius (Lincoln, Neb.) will look to fill the void at wide receiver after the graduation of Seth Moen and Tyler Meekma. Van Hulzen is a big, physical target who has all the tools to be the go-to receiver when healthy. Formerly a defensive back and special teams ace, De Boer made a successful switch to offense last season and caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a score while earning honorable mention all-GPAC honors. Rexilius saw action in four games as a freshman and dominated play on the junior varsity. One of the strongest positions will be up front on the offensive line as the Raiders return four starters and welcome a very strong recruiting class. John Adam, Logan Ogden and Dan Solis are all two-year starters and bring valuable experience. Ogden earned second-team all-GPAC honors in 2008 and Adam was named honorable mention all-GPAC as the left tackle.

The Raiders were once again dominant on the defensive side in 2008, ranking second in scoring (11.2), rushing, passing and total defense (207.5 yards per game). The Raider D returns seven starters and several other key contributors from that unit. Up front, juniors Brad Hughes (honorable mention all-GPAC) and Jordan Te Grootenhuis and sophomore Paul Lundgren return at defensive tackle.

A cornerstone of the great Raider defenses in the past has been at linebacker and this year will be no different. Northwestern returns six players who either started or saw significant time in 2008. Headlining the list is senior captain and two-year starter Grant Hegstad, who set a career high with a team-best 67 tackles, including 12 for a loss for 38 yards, and earned second team all-GPAC honors. Austin Rozeboom, a junior from Sioux Center, Iowa, joins Hegstad after earning honorable mention all-GPAC accolades last year. Caleb Blauwet, a two-year starter at safety, also earned honorable mention all-GPAC honors in 2008 after posting 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Returning in the secondary is first team all-GPAC cornerback and two-year starter Caleb Van Otterloo. He totaled 36 tackles, two interceptions and broke up six passes as a sophomore. Jon Gerber will start for the second straight year at safety where he totaled 51 tackles and broke up six passes while earning honorable mention all-GPAC accolades.

Next up... Northwestern will travel to Sioux City, Iowa to play fifth-ranked Morningside next week at 7:00 pm.