Orange City, Iowa - The #9 Northwestern Red Raiders overcame an early deficit and defeated Dakota Wesleyan Saturday afternoon, led by a solid performance from QB Hayden Groos.
Dakota Wesleyan got off to a quick start as they scored on their opening possession, which came on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Carter Robinson to Mason Bernard that capped off a 75-yard drive with 11:19 left in the first quarter. The Red Raiders answered right back with their own touchdown drive that covered 70 yards in 8 plays, finished off by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Groos to Konner McQuillan with 7:20 remaining in the first quarter.
Northwestern would never trail again as they rattled off 34 unanswered points in all as they controlled the rest of the game. Groos would throw two more touchdown passes in the first quarter, each to Austyn Gerard, as the Red Raiders built a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, while the Tigers were forced to punt on their next two possessions.
The Red Raiders would score one more time before the half on a 1-yard run by Logan Meyer, capping off a 12-play, 88-yard drive that took over 5 minutes off the clock. Meanwhile, Dakota Wesleyan's offense continued to struggle as they fumbled the ball twice in the second quarter as Northwestern took a 28-7 lead into halftime.
The Tigers' defense would settle in much better in the second half as they held the Red Raiders to just two field goals, but their offense wasn't able to take advantage as they were held scoreless on four second half possessions as Northwestern picked up a 34-7 win.
The Red Raiders outgained the Tigers in total yardage on the afternoon 464-257, while each team had two turnovers in the game. Northwestern was led by QB Hayden Groos, who passed for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Konner McQuillan rushed for 122 yards on 15 carries. Dakota Wesleyan was led by QB Carter Robinson, who threw for 121 yards and 1 touchdown, while Koby Kayser rushed for 79 yards.
Looking Ahead-
Dakota Wesleyan falls to 2-6 on the season and will be at Waldorf next Saturday for more GPAC play.