ST. PAUL (Oct. 4, 2008) – Playing at Macalester Stadium for the first time since the their historic two games in one day in 2005, the Northwestern College football team scored its highest point total to date in the 2008 season en route to a 49-13 stomping of Macalester College.  Both sides of the ball looked sharp for Northwestern, as opposed to the team's shaky performance last Saturday at Crown.

Quarterback Zach Tarter (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park High School) (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park), who entered this week's contest as the Nation's 10th-best in passing efficiency (NCAA Div. III), had another phenomenal performance, throwing for four touchdowns in the game.  Tarter has now thrown for 16 touchdowns this year to go with a mere three interceptions.

After the Eagles' defense forced Macalester to punt on their first possession, NWC marched down the field, and Tarter evaded several Scots before finding Cody DeBoer (Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie) in the back of the end zone for six points.  The touchdown was a collegiate first for DeBoer, who is a freshman this year.  Cody Crum (Rushville, Ill./Rushville Industry)'s (Rushville, Ill./Rushville-Industry) successful PAT-attempt gave Northwestern an early 7-0 lead.

NWC's defense stopped Macalester on fourth and five on the ensuing possession, once again putting the ball in Tarter's hands.  The quarterback didn't disappoint, as he hooked up with Crum on a 56-yard pass that resulted in another Eagles touchdown.  Crum once again made the PAT attempt, and the Eagles led 14-0.

The Scots' drives got shorter instead of longer, as Northwestern forced a three-and-out on Macalester's next attempt on offense.  Cue Tarter again, as he hit Kyle Thomforde (Northfield, Minn./Northfield High School) (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) in stride for a 37-yard touchdown pass, extending the Eagles' lead to 21-0 after another PAT by Crum.  And by the way, only 17 minutes had ticked off the clock.

Another three-and-out by MAC gave Northwestern the ball again, but the Eagles were forced to punt for the first time in the game.  Luckily for NWC, the Scots fumbled on the return, and Thomforde recovered the ball for the Eagles at the Macalester 46-yard line.

Northwestern took advantage of the turnover, as Dan Prusinski (Scottsdale, AZ/Fountain Hills High School) (Mesa, Ariz./Fountain Hills) capped off five straight running plays with a four-yard touchdown rush.  Josiah DeFelice (Temuco, Chile/Xenia Christian) (Temuco, Chile/Xenia Christian) took over the PAT-kicking duties from there, and a successful attempt gave NWC a 28-0 lead with four and a half minutes to play in the first half.

Macalester was able to build a respectable drive after the touchdown, scoring a touchdown of their own on a Trevor Miehe one-yard run.  Kevin Finnegan's PAT-kick cut NWC's lead to 28-7 as the first half came to a close.

Northwestern literally wasted almost no time to start the second half, as Ryan Long (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) dashed for 66 yards to the end zone on the Eagles' first play from scrimmage.  Another DeFelice PAT upped the ante to 35-7 in NWC's favor.

If you thought Tarter & Co. were done, think again.  A Macalester fumble behind the line of scrimmage on fourth down gave the Eagles prime field position, and the quarterback guided his team on an eight-play, 47-yard journey that ended with a successful Thomforde fade route for six points.  DeFelice made it three-for-three on PATs for the day, and Northwestern led 42-7.

But wait, there's more!  On the Scots' fifth play of the ensuing drive, NWC's Mike Polley (Plymouth, MN/Wayzata High School) (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) intercepted Miehe, and the Eagle offense was back at it again.  Rahnee Dennard (Mesa, Ariz./Brophy College Prep) (Mesa, Ariz./Brophy College Prep) got the call this time, and the junior transfer bulldozed though the middle for a five-yard touchdown.  DeFelice added another PAT, giving Northwestern 21 points in the third quarter and a 49-7 overall advantage.

MAC got on the board again midway through the fourth quarter, as T. Joe Loiselle capped off a 12-play, 68-yard drive that lasted almost seven minutes with a five-yard touchdown run.  Finnegan's point-after attempt failed, accounting for a final score of 49-13.

In all, Northwestern had 22 first downs in the game, while Macalester had 15.  The Eagles' 474 yards of total offense was a season-high, while the NWC defense held their opponents to 275 yards.

Credit Northwestern's rushing attack for setting up Tarter's early touchdown passes. Long, Dennard and six other Eagles carried the ball throughout the game, amassing for 171 yards on the ground.  Long was the team's rushing leader, racking up 108 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts.  Dennard rushed nine times for 33 yards and a score.

Tarter was nearly flawless in the game, going 18 of 22 for 285 yards and four touchdowns.  The junior recorded 237 yards and three scores on 13 completions in the first half alone.

Thomforde was Tarter's primary receiver, as he caught seven passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.  Thomforde, who tallied 300 yards of total offense two weeks ago versus UW-River Falls, had 162 all-purpose yards tonight.  That number would have been much higher, but an illegal block penalty on Northwestern negated an 80-yard touchdown return in the second quarter.

Crum had 72 yards and a touchdown on two catches, while Jake Rusinkovich (San Clemente, Calif./San Clement High School) (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) caught four passes for 45 yards.

Northwestern was well rounded on defense, as ten Eagles tallied three tackles or more in the game.  Andy Magaard (Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie) was the team leader with seven, while Taylor Swanson (Monticello, Minn./Monticello High School) (Monticello, Minn./Monticello), Jake Martino (Ladysmith, Wis./Ladysmith) (Ladysmith, Wis./Ladysmith) and Lance Richards (Newton, Iowa/Newton) (Newton, Iowa/Newton) each had four.
 
Loiselle was Macalester's leading rusher with 65 yards, while Miehe finished 14 of 24 for 179 yards.  Joe Elliott (St. Paul, Minn./Thomas Jefferson) caught five passes for 82 yards.  Josh Boomgaarden and Martin Pothier each had eight tackles for the Scots.

Northwestern improves to 4-1 with the win (1-0 UMAC), while Macalester falls to 2-3 in 2008.  A formidable UMAC foe in Martin Luther, who always comes ready to play, will travel to St. Paul for next Saturday's Homecoming football game.  Kickoff at Reynolds Field is set for 1 p.m.