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Chicagoland collegiate athletic conference
Northwestern Edges Football in Top 25 Battle
Posted: Oct 21, 2017

Northwestern Edges Football in Top 25 Battle

No. 19 Doane Football hosted No. 15 Northwestern in a NAIA Top 20 battle on Saturday in Crete. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead only to have the Red Raiders rally in the second quarter and hold on for a 31-24 win over Doane. The loss dropped the Tigers to 4-3 on the year while NWC moved to 7-1.

Key Players of the Game

  • Tyson Kooima (NWC) threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns to pace the Red Raider offense.
  • Drew Klein (SR/Papillion, Neb.) had six receptions for 79 yards for Doane. He added 128 yards on kickoff returns as well to post 229 all-purpose yards.
  • Tariq Mustafaa (SR/Cedar Hill, Texas) was in on 11 tackles, including eight solo. He had three tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
  • Tanner Machacek (NWC) posted 12 tackles, two for loss, and recovered a fumble.

First Quarter Highlights

  • After recovering a fumble on Northwestern's opening possession, Doane marched 62 yards on nine plays for a touchdown. The key play of the drive came on a fourth down field goal attempt where the Red Raiders roughed Tiger kicker Bryce Cooney (SO/Omaha, Neb.) to give Doane a first down.
  • Doane took a 7-0 lead as Jack Shadley (SR/Columbus, Neb.) hit linebacker turned fullback Brysen Mach (SR/Crete, Neb.) for a one-yard touchdown pass.
  • A Doane fumble late in the opening quarter set-up Northwestern at the Tiger 37-yard line. The Red Raiders covered 37 yards on five plays to tie the game on a six-yard pass from Kooima to Jared Nelson.
  • Following a 29-yard return by Klein on the kickoff, Doane took over at the 41-yard line. The Tigers went 59 yards on five plays as Shadley hit Hunter Bradley (SO/Crete, Neb.) for a 37-yard pass and catch to take a 14-7 lead after one quarter of play.

Second Quarter Highlights

  • Doane was set-up to build on their lead early in the quarter as Collin Ellis (FR/Clearwater, Kan.) blocked a Northwestern punt and recovered the ball at the 12-yard line.
  • The Tigers ran three plays to cover 12 yards as Kyle Jensen (JR/Exeter, Neb.) scored from one-yard out to give Doane a 21-7 lead with 14:04 to play in the quarter.
  • Northwestern scored on four consecutive possessions in the quarter as they ran off 24 unanswered points.
  • On 3rd-and-goal, Kooima hit JC Koerselman for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the score to 21-14.
  • Following a fumble recovery, NWC added a 23-yard field goal to cut the score to 21-17 in favor of Doane.
  • After holding Doane to a 3-and-out, Northwestern went 60 yards on eight plays as Kooima and Nelson hooked up for a 16-yard touchdown to take the first Red Raider lead of the game, 24-21.
  • NWC scored with 42 seconds left in the quarter on a Kooima to Levi TeBrink 8-yard pass to cap off a 54-yard drive. The Red Raiders led 31-21 at the break.

3rd Quarter Highlights

  • Doane took their opening possession of the quarter to midfield before having to punt. On the punt, NWC returner Jared Nelson bobbled the ball and Mustafaa jumped on it for Doane at the 7-yard line.
  • Doane looked to have a touchdown on a one-yard run by Jensen but an illegal block forced the Tigers back 15 yards and the Tigers would settle for a 30-yard field goal by Cooney.
  • Connor Hughes (JR/Nederland, Texas) recovered a fumble by Northwestern at the Red Raider 36-yard line but Shadley would be intercepted on the next Doane offensive play.

4th Quarter Highlights

  • Neither team scored in the final quarter.
  • Doane committed two turnovers in the final quarter. Northwestern missed a 36-yard field goal.
  • The Tiger defense held Northwestern to 78 yards of net offense in the second half.

By the Numbers

  • Doane was held to 124 rushing yards in the game. Najee Mustafaa (JR/Cedar Hill, Texas) led the way with 46 yards on eight carries. Jensen added 41 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown.
  • Shadley threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-26 passing with two interceptions. Trev Lovell (SR/Bellevue, Neb.) was 2-for-4 for 10 yards and Paul Lozano (SO/San Antonio, Texas) was 0-for-2 with an interception.
  • Behind Klein's receiving effort, Jacob Cornelius (SR/Grand Island, Neb.) pulled in five receptions for 35 yards. Bradley finished with three catches for 37 yards.
  • Following Tariq Mustafaa on the defensive side of the ball was Chayton Crow (JR/Hershey, Neb.) with nine tackles. Riley Larson (JR/Hampton, Neb.) was also in on nine tackles, including a sack.
  • Doane was minus-3 in the turnover battle. The Tigers had three fumbles and three interceptions on offense while the defense recovered three fumbles.
  • Northwestern recorded 398 yards of total offense for the game while Doane was held to 298. The Red Raiders ran 25 more plays in the game than Doane.

Next Time on the Gridiron

  • Doane will travel to Hastings on Saturday, October 28, to take on Hastings. The game will be the 116th all-time meeting between the two programs with Doane holding a 53-52-10 series lead.