Sioux Falls at Northwestern

• PREVIEW
• BOXSCORE

Game Time… Northwestern College plays host to the University of Sioux Falls in a GPAC football matchup featuring ranked teams. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. The Red Raiders have won six straight games and are 7-1 overall, ranked 12^th in the NAIA. USF is the reigning defending champion and is a perfect 8-0 on the season. The Cougars have been ranked first all season long. Tune into the game via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch/Listen Now!

All-Time Series… Dating back to 1960, Northwestern holds a 25-14 all-time advantage in the season series. USF, however, has the advantage of late with nine straight wins, dating back to the 2001 season.

The Coaches… Kalen DeBoer is in his fifth season at the helm of the USF football program. Heading into this season, DeBoer has compiled a 52-3 overall record and won two national championships (2006, 2008). Kyle Achterhoff  is in his first season as head coach of the Red Raider football program after spending the last 11 years as either the offensive (2001-08) or defensive (1998-2000) coordinator. He is just the third NWC head coach since 1967, following Larry “Bub” Korver and Orv Otten.

Last Year’s Meeting… featured a matchup of top 10 teams as Northwestern, ranked eighth heading into the 2008 meeting, played the top-ranked Cougars at Bob Young Field. In a defensive struggle, USF defeated the Raiders 19-0 in a game that featured a combined 19 first downs. Defensively, the Raiders forced two USF turnovers and limited the Cougars to their lowest scoring output of the season. Jon Gerber and Grant Hegstad totaled 12 and nine tackles, respectively. Brad Hughes tallied 3.5 tackles and recovered a fumble. The Cougars’ defense was also dominant, giving up just three first downs and -4 yards for the game. They opened the scoring with a safety near the end of the first quarter. Lorenzo Brown was the offensive star with 174 total yards and threw for two touchdowns.

Last Week… both USF and Northwestern were victorious as the Cougars recorded a 59-7 home win over Dakota Wesleyan while the Raiders defeated Briar Cliff on the road, 33-28. For Sioux Falls, senior running back Ryan Lowmiller had a career-best 197 yards and five rushing touchdowns, a performance that earned him GPAC and NAIA player-of-the-week honors. Quarterback Lorenzo Brown was also very effective. with 251 combined yards and three scores. Defensively, the Cougars permitted just 75 total yards and were led by linebacker Dominic Studzinski with 6.5 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.

Northwestern rallied with a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes to defeat Briar Cliff, 33-28. Ryan Morgan threw for a career-best 321 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner to Jameson Rexilius with just 34 seconds left to play. Morgan added a three-yard scoring plunge in the third quarter. Taylor Malm was a dual threat offensively with 156 total yards and two touchdowns. Grant Hegstad led the Raider D with 10.5 tackles.

USF News and Notes… Coach DeBoer returns 18 starters, nine on both sides of the ball, off a 2008 team that won the national championship with a 14-0 record. USF ranks second in the NAIA in scoring offense (54.2 ppg) and boasts a balanced attack with a GPAC-best 254 yards rushing and 263 yards through the air. Lorenzo Brown returns under center after earning second team all-GPAC honors in 2008. Brown leads the GPAC with 2,209 total yards of offense and has scored 21 touchdowns (8 rush, 13 pass). The senior completes 70 percent of his pass attempts for 1,856 yards and has just one interception this season. A dual threat, Brown ranks second on the team with 353 rushing yards. Jon Ryan (35/573) and Alex Anderson (24/469), a second team all-GPAC receiver in 2008, are the top targets in what is a deep group of receivers. Ryan Lowmiller, the leading rusher and first team all-GPAC running back in 2008, totals 617 yards with 13 touchdowns this season. Jake Crowl averages nearly 70 yards per game and has one touchdown this season. The offense is keyed by an offensive line with four starters returning, including All-American T.J. Wendt. Braden Wieking ranks second in the NAIA in scoring by kickers with 72 points.

Defensively, USF ranks first in the NAIA in scoring (6.6), giving up 162 yards per game. Senior All-American Trevor Holleman anchors the Cougars’ secondary with 24 tackles and a league-best five interceptions. Dominic Studzinski (25 tackles, three sacks) and Marlon Lobban, a first team all-GPAC pick in 2008, lead the linebackers while first team all-GPAC defensive lineman Mike Hartley has 12 tackles and two sacks.

Red Raider Notes… Northwestern ranks third in the GPAC in both scoring offense (29) and defense (17). The Raiders boast the 10^th best rushing attack in the nation (220 ypg), led by Taylor Malm with a career-best 718 yards and 13 touchdowns. A pass-catching threat as well, Malm leads the team with 26 receptions for 187 yards and one score. Brandon Smith ranks eighth in the GPAC averaging 58 yards per game and has reached the end zone four times. Junior Ryan Morgan is third in the league with 168 passing yards per game, completing 53 percent of his pass attempts with six touchdowns. Tight end Derrick Rensink has 19 catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns while Kyle DeBoer has 16 receptions for 209 yards. Along the o-line, the Raiders are among the nation’s best with just four sacks given up this season. Ben Rasefske has converted 30 of 31 extra points this season.

Defensively, the Raiders are giving up 273 yards per game and are led by linebackers Austin Rozeboom (41.5), Steve Van Wyhe (34.5) and Grant Hegstad (34). Caleb Van Otterloo ranks second in the GPAC with four interceptions and has two fumble recoveries. The Raider D registered 14 sacks this season, led by Rozeboom (2.5) and Paden Kleinhesselink (2.5). Punter Nathan Kuik ranks fifth in the league averaging 36 yards per attempt.

Up Next... Northwestern wraps up its regular season next week against Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D.