Second Half Miscues Prevent Warriors’ Upset Bid

FREMONT, Neb. – Quality first-half play had Midland University fans thinking upset as the defending NAIA National Champions and No. 1-ranked Northwestern College, led by a single point, 7-6, at halftime. However, four second-half giveaways propelled the visitors from Orange City, Iowa to a 42-21 win over the Warriors.

The strategy of keeping the ball away from Northwestern worked well for Midland, early. The Warriors took the opening kickoff and put together an 18-play drive that chewed up nine minutes and eleven seconds. On the march, Midland executed a pair of fourth down conversions, against a howling southerly breeze on a hot 92-degree day.

On the eighth play of the drive, Warriors' quarterback Garrison Beach converted a fourth-and-one from the Northwestern 42-yard line with a four-yard gain to move the chains. Then, seven plays later, on fourth-and-nine at the Red Raider 27-yard line, Beach connected with Shane Orr on a 19-yard pass to the Northwestern eight. However, the drive stalled and Jared Quinonez kicked a 22-yard field goal to put Midland ahead 3-0, with 5:49 left in the first quarter.

Northwestern put together a nine-play drive that stalled at the Midland 33-yard line. A 50-yard field goal attempt by the Red Raiders' Eli Stader sailed wide, and Midland took over at the 33-yard line. After two plays, the Warriors took a 3-0 lead into the quarter break.

The Warriors' second drive of the game stalled, to begin the second quarter and after a punt, Northwestern took over at its own 30-yard line. The Red Raiders found the scoreboard for the first time on the afternoon as Logan Meyer capped off a 12-play 70-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Stader's extra point put the Raiders ahead 7-3 with 8:06 left in the first half.

Midland answered with a nice nine-play drive that resulted in another Quinonez field goal. The senior booted in a 49-yarder to make it 6-7 with 2:57 left in the half. Northwestern looked like it was about to score before halftime as Gramstad connected with Austyn Gerard on a 49-yard pass completion down to the Midland 15-yard line. However, on the next play, Gramstad threw a pass that was deflected and intercepted by Carter Wagner at the eight-yard line. With 1:25 left to play in the half, the Warriors tried to manufacture a quick scoring drive to take the lead, but on the fifth play of the drive, Beach's pass was intercepted by Cody Moser.

The Red Raiders had another opportunity to score before halftime, however, a Stader 45-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half fell short, and they took the 7-6 lead into the locker room.

After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, the Red Raiders got the ball to begin the third quarter and scored on its opening drive. Running back Konner McQuillan capped off a nine-play 69-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Stader's extra point put Northwestern up 14-6 with 9:47 to play in the third quarter.

Northwestern held Midland to a three-and-out on its next drive and then extended its lead. Gramstad ran the ball into the endzone from six yards away and Stader's PAT put Northwestern up 21-6 with 5:31 left in the quarter.

On the ensuing drive, Midland picked up one first down before being forced to punt. A touchback gave Northwestern the ball at its own 20-yard line on the final play of the third quarter.

The Warriors' defense got them right back into the game. On the sixth play of the drive, Gamstad threw a pass that Treden Davis-Reed intercepted and returned 36 yards for a Warriors' touchdown. Down by nine points, Midland elected to go for a two-point conversion. Facing pressure from the defensive front of the Raiders, Beach found Jordelle Lacy in the back of the endzone to make it 21-14 with 11:06 to play.

On the next drive for the Raiders, they were facing a third-and-one from their own 34-yard line. On a rush blitz, Konner McQuillan broke threw the frontline of containment and sprinted 66 yards for a touchdown. Stader's extra point made it 28-14, Northwestern, with 9:39 to play.

Things started to fall apart for Midland on special teams. On the ensuing kickoff, Stader's kick held up into the wind and the Warriors could not get a hand on the live ball. It was recovered by Northwestern at the Warriors' 25-yard line. Four plays later, Meyer rushed the ball in for his second score of the day. The two-yard carry made it 35-14 with 7:38 to play.

During the next kickoff from the Raiders into the strong wind, trouble struck the Warriors once again. Stader's kickoff bounced off the turf and the Red Raiders were there to fall on it at the Midland 12-yard line.

The Warriors got a reprieve, however, as Meyer fumbled on the next Northwestern play. Midland recovered the ball and got its offense on the field after a long hiatus at its own 19-yard line. After three completed passes by Beach chewed up 51 yards, his fourth pass of the drive was intercepted by Ben Egli and returned to the Northwestern 25-yard line. The Red Raiders cashed in on the third play of the drive as Gramstad found Michael Storey for a 54-yard touchdown pass. Stader's PAT made it 42-14 in their favor with just over four minutes to play.

The Warriors kept their hopes alive. After a 25-yard kickoff return by Kalynd Coats and a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Northwestern, Midland had the ball at the Red Raiders' 46-yard line to start its next drive. On the very first play from scrimmage, Beach connected with Tariq Brown on a 46-yard touchdown pass. Quinonez's extra point made it 42-21, in favor of the Red Raiders, with 4:01 to play.

Midland forced a punt on the next Red Raider drive and after getting the ball back, they picked up a quick first down. Two incomplete passes and two sacks ended the Warriors' threat, as Northwestern took over the ball at their 48-yard line. The Red Raiders ran one play and then took a kneel-down to run out the clock, sealing their 42-21 victory.

Offensively, Northwestern ran the ball 32 times for 151 yards. Through the air, the Red Raiders were 22-of-32 for 321 yards. Northwestern ran 64 plays for 472 yards of total offense.

Midland rushed the ball 27 times for 50 yards. In passing, they were 17-of-29 for 209 yards. The Warriors ran 56 plays for a total of 259 yards of offense.

Red Raiders' quarterback Jalyn Gramstad was 22-of-32 for 321 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Konner McQuillan led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 116 yards and two scores. Gramstad carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards and a touchdown. Logan Meyer had four carries for two yards, and two touchdowns. Michael Storey caught seven passes for 141 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, Ben Kingery led the Red Raiders with nine tackles. Tristan Mulder had six tackles and a stop for a loss. Cody Moser had five tackles, plus an interception. Jacob Dragstra had four tackles, plus one sack. Gavin Lorenzen had three tackles and a pass breakup. Jessen Reinking had three tackles and one sack. Ben Egli added three tackles, plus an interception. Drake Harder recorded one tackle which went for a 13-yard sack. Isaiah Robinson recovered a fumble and Luke Jeltema had one pass breakup.

For Midland, Garrison Beach was 17-of-29 for 209 yards passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. The top Midland ball-carrier was Maximus Wold who had four rushes for 16 yards. Tariq Brown led the Warriors in receiving. He caught six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Midland was led by Xavier Green with six tackles, one of which was for a loss. Zane Stenger had five stops, and a tackle in the backfield. Gabriel VanWinkle added five tackles, one for a loss. Treden Davis-Reed recorded four tackles to go along with his interception return for a touchdown. Burton Brandt had two tackles, one for a loss. Justin Gassaway had one tackle and a pass breakup. Dylan Young recorded one tackle in the backfield while Carter Wagner had one tackle, plus an interception. Jace Mahoney had one tackle and a fumble recovery.

With the win, Northwestern is 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in the GPAC. They recorded their 18th straight victory, setting a new program record. Midland dropped its third straight game and is now 3-3 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

Northwestern returns to action next Saturday, hosting Hastings (3-3, 2-3 GPAC). Midland will be back on the road next week as they travel to play Dordt (4-0, 4-0 GPAC) on October 7. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Sioux Center, Iowa. Midland's next home game will be Saturday, October 14 when they entertain the Mount Marty at Heedum Field.