JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The University of Northwestern football team showed its grit Saturday, earning a hard-fought 21-13 victory at MacMurray. The win marked the 100
th for head coach
Kirk Talley in his tenure at UNW. The Eagles remain unbeaten in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play (UMAC), moving their league record to 5-0, while the Highlanders drop to 1-4 in the conference.
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here to view stats from Saturday's contest.
Holding a 7-6 advantage at the half, Northwestern scored a pair of second-half touchdowns and used a strong defensive effort to hold off a tough MacMurray team down the stretch.
Freshmen
Jordan Joseph (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael Albertville) and
Brian Foster both had banner days, as the dynamic 1-2 punch combined to rush for 288 yards. Foster carried 18 times for 154 yards, while Joseph racked up 134 yards on 24 carries. Fellow back
Joey Stevens (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northpointe Christian) scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the third to extend UNW's lead to 21-6.
Grant Schoen (Independence, Minn. /Orono) finished 16-of-25 for 184 yards and a score, connecting with
Caleb Couwenhoven (Blaine, Minn./Fridley) on a 70-yard bomb early in the second half. Couwenhoven hauled in five receptions for 128 yards, while
Joe Sutton (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde St. Margaret's) made four catches on the afternoon.
Nathan Van Zee (Moose Lake, Minn./Moose Lake) continues to be dominant on the defensive side of the ball, collecting 12 tackles – with two of those being tackles for loss.
Ben Greener (Foley, Minn./Home School) was in on nine stops to contribute to the defensive effort.
UNW outgained MacMurray 462-305 and held a 21-14 edge in first downs.
The Eagles will play host to St. Scholastica next Saturday in a battle of unbeatens. Kickoff at Reynolds Field is set for 6 p.m.
