ST. PAUL – The University of Northwestern football team ended its 2017 campaign on a high note, as the Eagles topped visiting Crown College (0-10, 0-9), 24-7, Saturday at Reynolds Field in the season finale for both teams. UNW – who ends its season on a four-game winning streak – finishes the year 6-4 overall and 6-3 in UMAC play. UNW has posted seven-straight winning seasons.
The Eagles honored their 15 seniors prior to kickoff. The group compiled an impressive 31-11 record in their four years.
After Crown held a 7-0 lead at the half, UNW responded with a pair of touchdowns in the third to take the lead. The Eagles' first score came via a
Dom McDew (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) 1-yard touchdown plunge and
Nate VanBeusekom (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) used his wheels to find the end zone from 22 yards out. The freshman then extended UNW's lead to two scores with his second touchdown – this one on an 8-yard run.
UNW's final points couldn't have been more fitting as senior
Ben Lyons (North Olmstead, Ohio/Ohio Distance & Electronic Learning Academy) capped off his outstanding career with a school-record 54-yard field goal. Lyons' long connection topped the previous record of 52 yards.
Payton Bowdry (Minneapolis, Minn./South) posted a game-high 118 rushing yards on 20 carries, as the sophomore averaged nearly six yards per rush.
Dom McDew (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) recorded 77 yards on the ground on just nine attempts, which racked up to be 8.6 yards per carry. The Eagles finished with 272 yards on the ground as a team.
Taylor Lindahl (Watertown, S.D./Watertown) finished 10-of-14 through the air for 110 yards. Bowdry was his favorite target as the duo hooked up three times for 36 yards.
Chris Compton (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park) ended his career on a high note, as the defensive end totaled nine tackles, including a tackle for loss. Ben Johnson,
Ben Maki (Elk River, Minn./Spectrum) and
Noah MacDonald (Fennville, Mich./Fennville) all followed with eight stops each, while
Gideon Burnham (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson) and Tyler
VanMaanen each had a sack. MacDonald also came up with a huge interception in UNW's end zone in the third quarter.
Nick Swore (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northpointe Christian) – who now stands second in program history for picks in a season (7) – iced the game with 1:32 to play.
Fans can visit unweagles.com and follow @unwfb on Twitter for updates throughout the offseason.
