MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa – The University of Northwestern football team rallied to grind out a 25-18 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) victory over Iowa Wesleyan University (1-4, 1-3) at Bob Evans Field Saturday. With the win, the Eagles remain perfect on the season (5-0) and in league play (4-0).
The Tigers started Homecoming off with a bang, scoring less than five minutes into the game on a 25-yard pass. With neither team able to find paydirt the rest of the opening frame,
Kyle Anenson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen) put the Eagles on the board after scoring 1-yard touchdown plunge early in the second quarter. IWU answered back with 10 points before the half to take a 15-7 lead at the break.
The Eagles came out firing out on all cylinders in the second half, outscoring the host Tigers 18-3 in the final 30 minutes.
Seeing his first action of the season at running back,
Gideon Burnham (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson) found the end zone on a 6-yard run and
Corban Halbur (Richfield, Minn./Richfield) converted on the two-point conversion attempt to knot the game at 15-15.
With 9:13 to play in the fourth quarter,
Ben Lyons (North Olmstead, Ohio/Ohio Distance & Electronic Learning Academy) put the Eagles on top for good, splitting the uprights on a 25-yard field goal.
After a IWU field goal,
Kyle Anenson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen) scored on a 9-yard game-winning rushing touchdown with 3:26 to play. The Tigers had one final chance to even the score, but Ben Johnson sacked Raul Alvarez to secure the win for UNW.
Ben Greener (Foley, Minn./Home School) and
Nick Swore (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northpointe Christian) were all over the IWU backfield, posting a pair of sacks each. Greener finished the afternoon with a game-high 11 stops. In addition to his 1.5 sacks, Ben Johnson also picked off a Tiger pass, while
Andrew Smith (Henning, Minn./Henning) was in on nine tackles.
Anenson carried a bulk of the load on the ground, rushing 19 times for a game-high 96 yards.
Gideon Burnham (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson) – who played both ways Saturday – ran for 76 yards on 13 rushes. Burnham also had four tackles from his linebacker position.
Corban Halbur (Richfield, Minn./Richfield) finished 7-of-13 for 76 yards through the air.
The Eagles will return to Reynolds Field next Saturday to host MacMurray College. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. Fans can stay up-to-date with the latest happenings by following @unwfb on Twitter.
