DWU battles No. 5 Red Raiders in GPAC showdown at night

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University football team will look to get back on track after a loss to No. 2 Morningside College last week. The Tigers will battle another NAIA top-five competitor as they take on No. 5 Northwestern College under the lights at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Joe Quintal Field.

 Last week, Morningside got off to a hot start early scoring the first 14 points of the game. Quarterback Shaye Slaughter (Harrisburg, S.D.) and the Tiger offense moved the ball down the field, and nailed a 39-yard field goal by freshman kicker Tate Gale (Irene, S.D.) to cut the Mustang lead to 11 points. Morningside added a touchdown, but DWU answered with a score of their own as Slaughter found freshman receiver Daniel Libolt (Chambers, Neb.) for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-10 in favor of Morningside.

 The Mustangs scored 24 unanswered points as DWU headed to the locker room down 45-10.

 In the second half the Tigers managed three points as Gale added a 32 yard-field goal for his second field goal of the game. Morningside continued to score as they tallied 21 points in the second half as DWU fell to Morningside 66-13.

 Slaughter finsished the game 18-of-41 passing for 224 yards and a touchdown. Libolt led the DWU receivers with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Spencer Neugebauer (Mitchell, S.D.) contributed three catches for 54 yards, and Luke Loudenburg rushed for 20 yards on 18 carries for the Tigers.

 Defensively, Eathen Gaulke (Kimball, S.D.) tallied eight tackles, while Cody Reichelt (Mitchell, S.D.) and Tyrel Haley (Winner, S.D.) finished with seven tackles. Trey DeCroock (Sioux Falls, S.D.) had four tackles and added an interception for his second pick of the year, while Dillon Rork (Grand Island, Neb.) had four tackles and a sack.

About the Series

 Last season, Northwestern defeated the Tigers 29-10 on a cold night in Orange City, Iowa. The Tigers were leading at halftime 10-7, but Northwestern scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to secure the victory. DWU is 4-14 in the all-time football series played. The Tigers have beaten the Red Raiders two out of the past three seasons.

About the Coaches

 Ross Cimpl leads the Tigers in his seventh season with a career record of 45-23. He currently sits second on the football all-time wins list at DWU.

 Matt McCarty is in his third season as the Red Raiders head coach. McCarty was the team's defensive coordinator for 11 years and also served as assistant head coach from 2012 to 2015.

About the Northwestern College Red Raiders 

 The Red Raiders improved their record to 3-0 (1-0 GPAC) after a win over No. 24 Midland University 49-20. The Northwestern offense offered a balanced attack with 256 yards on the ground and 230 yards through the air for a total of 486 yards of offense. Quarterback Tyson Kooima was 11-of-17 for 230 yards passing and two touchdowns, while rushing for 73 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. Jacob Kalogonis had 158 yards rushing on 18 carries and two touchdowns, while Shane Solberg hauled in two catches for 103 yards. The Northwestern defense forced three turnovers and were led by Sean Powell with five total tackles.