Twenty-third ranked Northwestern passed a great road test by taking a win from host 13th-ranked Hastings on Saturday, Sept. 11, with a score of 24-10.
The Raiders got out of the gate quickly by scoring the first 17 points unanswered, and the NW defense came up with five turnovers to protect the lead.
Sophomore Brandon Smith started the attack with a 33-yard touchdown run, and sophomore James Rodriguez followed with a 37-yard field goal to put NW up 10-0. Senior Taylor Malm rushed for a touchdown and Hastings put an extra point through the uprights to make it 17-3 going into the half.
The second half was stagnant until sophomore Taylor Morris blocked a Hastings punt. Sophomore Raymond Cleveland Jr. picked the ball up and scored, bringing the score to 24-3. Hastings scored on a late passing touchdown to bring the final score to 24-10.
NW will host Nebraska Wesleyan at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 18.