Northwestern football showed dominance on both sides of the ball as the Raiders cruised to a homecoming weekend victory over Jamestown. NW outscored the Jimmies 45-6 to remain undefeated going into the bye week. For the third time, NW defeated their opponent by at least 35 points. The Raiders moved up in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll following the win, taking the seventh spot. They are one of two GPAC schools in the top 25.
It did not take long for NW to find the end zone, as a three-play drive was finalized on an 11-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jacob Kalogonis nearly four minutes into the contest. Following the scoring drive, the Raider defense stepped up to force a three-and-out, setting up a short punt from Jamestown. NW capitalized on their field position, using two big pass plays and a 15-yard penalty to set Kalogonis up for his second rushing touchdown of the day, punching it in from one yard out. After only scoring a field goal in the second quarter, NW led 24-0 heading into halftime.
The Raiders opened up the second half much like the first, scoring quickly on a pair of completions from junior quarterback Tyson Kooima to sophomore wide receiver Cade Moser. Following the touchdown drive and another strong defensive outing, Kalogonis found himself in the end zone for a third time, using a 70-yard rush to extend the Raider lead to 38-0. Later in the quarter, Kooima connected with Moser once again on a 72-yard pass to give the Raiders their sixth touchdown of the game.
NW’s offense totaled 482 yards, as Kalogonis finished with a season-high 179 rushing yards. Moser also finished with a career-high in receiving yards, as he caught six passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The Raider defense also used a strong effort to stop the Jimmies, totaling a season-high three sacks and limiting them to only 198 yards on offense. The linebackers led the way for NW, finishing with 25 tackles between the four of them. Senior line backer Tanner Machacek led the way with nine of those tackles, as sophomore LB Tanner Oleson finished with six.
Following their bye week last Saturday, Oct. 5, NW will travel to Sioux Center on Oct. 12 to face Dordt. The Defenders have a record of 3-2 this season, as the Raiders will try to hold on to their undefeated season.
