ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Heading into the fourth quarter, the Dakota Wesleyan University football team was struggling to get first downs, let alone touchdowns against No. 15 Northwestern College in a crucial Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup Saturday in Orange City, Iowa.
The No. 21 Tigers were held off the scoreboard and trailed 10-0 going into the final 15 minutes, but had the strong wind at their back and the offense exploded to send DWU to a 27-17 win to keep the hopes of the program's first NAIA postseason berth in 24 years alive and well.
The win, which snapped a two-game losing streak, puts the Tigers in prime position to control their own destiny with three games left until the postseason. DWU is now 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the GPAC.
Both teams had trouble moving the ball through three quarters, but Northwestern (4-3, 3-3 GPAC) took advantage of two DWU fumbles to put up 10 points through three quarters. At the half the teams barely combined for 100 total yards of offense.
The flood gates opened up in the fourth quarter for DWU, which took control with a 25-plus mph wind at their back. The Tigers got on the board with the first of three touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) to sophomore wide receiver Hayden Adams (Villa Park, Ill.). The score came from five yards out after a 15-play, 65-yard drive that took nearly six minutes.
The next score came much quicker for the Tigers. On the second play of the ensuing Red Raider drive, redshirt junior defensive back Cody Reder (Philip, S.D.) picked off a pass from Northwestern quarterback Craig Bruinsma and took it back 29 yards for a touchdown to give DWU a 14-10 lead with just under 12 minutes to play.
The scoring barrage did not stop there. Turner and Adams hooked up once again for a score, this time from 25 yards out. The Tigers took advantage of a couple of short punts from Northwestern and scored their fourth touchdown in less than six minutes with Turner hitting Adams from 18 yards with 7:30 to play to put DWU ahead 27-10.
The Red Raiders scored a late touchdown pull within 10, but DWU's fourth quarter was too much for Northwestern, which came into the game having defeated the Tigers five straight times. The win guarantees DWU a winning season for the fifth straight year, which ties the school record set in 1923 and 1902.
Adams performance pushed his season total to 10 receiving touchdowns with at least one score in all but one game. Adams caught five balls for 50 yards against the Red Raiders and has 39 receptions for 679 yards through eight games.
Turner continued his standout season with three more touchdown passes, pushing his season total to 18. Not even through his second season as a Tiger, Turner has moved up to sixth place on DWU's all-time total offense list with 4,415 yards (3,425 passing, 990 rushing). He finished 16-of-24 passing for 159 yards in the win Saturday.
Sophomore running back John Fabrizius (Casper, Wyo.) returned to regular duty after being hampered by an injury in recent weeks. He carried the ball 25 times for 84 yards, helping DWU control the ball in the second half.
Outside of the DWU offense in the fourth quarter, it was the Tiger defense that was the story on Saturday. Senior Brady Bonte (Garretson, S.D.) and his teammates put on a show, spending more time in the Red Raider backfield than some Northwestern players. Bonte was unstoppable as the senior finally got a win over the Red Raiders. He finished with 14 total tackles, including 12 solo. He added two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
The Tigers finished with six sacks in the win, with junior Brady Mudder (Garretson, S.D.) picking up a pair to go along with a fumble recovery. Junior Cohl Ratermann (Colome, S.D.) added eight tackles, while junior Adam Bormann (Stickney, S.D.) added five tackles and an interception late to help put the game away for the Tigers.
After hardly moving the ball in the first half, DWU outgained Northwestern 282-223 in the game. Bruinsma was 20-of-39 passing for the Red Raiders and tossed two interceptions. Receiver T.J. Spykstra led the home team with six catches for 92 yards.
The Tigers return home for just their third home game of the season to take on Nebraska Wesleyan University as conference foes for the final time as the Prairie Wolves are set to leave the GPAC after this year. The game will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell, S.D.