Box Score
ST. PAUL (Oct. 25, 2008) --
Northwestern College won its 12th outright Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship and the program's 18th overall after defeating the University of Minnesota, Morris 28-14 at Reynolds Field. It is the second consecutive league title for the Eagles, who reclaimed the championship in 2007 after the Cougars of UMM had won it the year before.
Northwestern combined for 375 total yards in the game, receiving a balanced attack from both its air and ground attacks. As a team, the Eagles ran for 180 yards while Zach Tarter (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park High School) (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park) threw for 195 yards in the game.
NWC didn't waste any time from the get-go, scoring in the first drive of the game on a 40-yard hookup from Tarter to Kyle Thomforde (Northfield, Minn./Northfield High School) (Northfield, Minn./Northfield). A successful PAT by Cody Crum (Rushville, Ill./Rushville Industry) (Rushville, Ill./Rushville) put the Eagles up 7-0.
After the next four possessions by both teams all resulted in turnovers, Minnesota-Morris' Robert Koranda ran four yards for a touchdown, capping a brief three-play, 13-yard drive. Matt Privratsky's point-after tied the game at 7-7.
More back-and-forth ensued, as neither team was able to score again until 1:11 left in the second quarter when Thomforde ran three yards for a touchdown, giving Northwestern a 14-7 lead. The Eagles' drive had eaten 4:43 off the clock, as they used 11 plays to go 60 yards for the score before halftime.
Morris took over nine minutes off of the clock with their first possession of the second half, but the Cougars turned the ball over on downs after Ted Hoffman was only able to run for two yards on 4th and 10 at the Eagles' 25.
Thomforde got the call again for NWC midway through the fourth quarter, catching another pass from Tarter. Crum made his PAT attempt once again, and Northwestern went up 21-7 with 7:09 remaining in the game. The Cougars responded with a nine-play drive that covered 54 yards in 3:28, as Matt Fragodt caught a 15-yard pass from Ted Hoffman. Privratsky's point-after kept Morris close at 21-14 with less than four minutes to go, meaning that an on-side kick attempt was likely coming.
The trick play came, but the Eagles' Noah Hadro (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) recovered the kick before running it to the Morris 25. After Thomforde nearly found the end zone for his fourth TD of the day, Tarter finished the drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone as the Eagles increased their lead to 14.
Northwestern's Ty Crabtree (Fergus Falls, MN/Hillcrest Academy) (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Academy) picked off a wide receiver pass by Fragodt on the Cougars' first play from scrimmage, and the Eagles were able to run out the clock for a 28-14 win.
NWC edged Minnesota, Morris in first downs (20-18) while the Cougars controlled the ball for over 33 minutes in the game. Despite a 202-yard performance by Morris' rushing game, Northwestern was able to contain the Cougars as a whole, holding their opponents to 274 total yards.
Thomforde was the star of the game for the Eagles, tallying 177 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. The junior caught six passes for 104 yards while running three times for 32 yards. Fellow receiver Jake Rusinkovich (San Clemente, Calif./San Clement High School) (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) caught two passes for 40 yards.
Tarter finished 14 of 20 for 195 yards and two scores, maintaining a passing efficiency of 174. The quarterback entered the game third in the nation in that category.
After running for 171 yards last week versus St. Scholastica, Ryan Long (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) recorded 76 yards on 11 attempts. Tarter had a season-high 11 rushing attempts, netting 53 yards and a score.
Koranda had 131 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries for Minnesota, Morris. The freshman is well on his way to reaching the 1,000-yard mark this season. Hoffman finished 8 of 14 for 61 yards and a TD. Fragodt was his primary target, as the senior caught four passes for 32 yards.
Defensively, Northwestern was led by Kyle Nash (Fergus Falls, MN/Hillcrest Lutheran Academy), who tied a team high for the season with 13 tackles. Luke Delain (Denmark, Wis./Denmark) (Denmark, Wis./Denmark) added 11 tackles, while Andrew Magaard (Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie High School) (Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie) added 10 tackles.
Mike Burrows had eight tackles to lead the Cougars (2-4 overall, 1-3 UMAC). Andrew Shay followed with seven tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Northwestern recorded its sixth win in a row, moving to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in UMAC play. The Eagles will go indoors for their next game, as they participate in UMAC Dome Day at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. on Friday, Oct. 31. As the conference's No. 1 seed, NWC will play second-seeded Crown College in a non-conference affair at 7:30 p.m. Fans are asked to enter the Metrodome at Gate B.
