Turnovers, tough NWU defense down Tigers

LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 19 Dakota Wesleyan University football team was bottled up on the ground and turned the ball over four times in a 24-7 Great Plains Athletic Conference loss to Nebraska Wesleyan University Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

Senior running back Francois Barnaud came into play Saturday 72 yards shy of breaking the DWU all-time rushing mark, but was unable to get moving on the ground. The Belle Fourche, S.D., native, was held to 17 carries for 40 yards in the loss.

The Tigers knew the danger of NWU's air attack tandem of quarterback Tyler Francis and wide receiver Connor Zumpfe and the duo came out ready to play. Francis hit Zumpfe for a 47-yard touchdown early in the first quarter to put the Prairie Wolves up 7-0. The two connected for another score with 16 seconds remaining in the half from one yard out.

Down 14-0 at the break, DWU came out with the first score of the second half, with true freshman quarterback Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) hitting sophomore receiver Alex Robertson (Canistota, S.D.) from six yards out to cut the NWU lead to seven.

After getting the ball back, DWU went to the ground game, but a Barnaud fumble was picked up by NWU's Wes Boettcher and returned 54 yards for a score to push the Tiger deficit back to 14.

The rest of the game saw the Tigers turn the ball over on downs twice, while Turner threw two of his three interceptions. The loss was the first for the Tigers in GPAC play over the last two years to a team other than Northwestern College or Morningside College.

The Tigers got five catches for 105 yards, including a long of 63 from sophomore wide receiver Dustin Livingston (Irene, S.D.), while Turner was 23-for-47 passing for 235 yards and was sacked four times.

Both teams had trouble moving the ball, with NWU outgaining DWU 294 to 285, while the Tigers had 46 total yards rushing to 36 from the Prairie Wolves.

Junior defensive back Tanner Munk (Dell Rapids, S.D.) led the Tiger defense with 12 total tackles including 2.5 for a loss. Munk added one fumble recovery and four pass breakups. Junior linebacker Brady Bonte (Garretson, S.D.) added 11 tackles, with five for a loss and one sack.

Francis led the NWU offense with 258 yards passing and two scores, while Zumpfe caught six passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tigers (6-3, 4-3 GPAC) look to rebound with another road trip against Concordia University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 in Seward, Neb.