Raiders earn Homecoming victory

The Red Raider football team needed something badly in their Homecoming game on Saturday: a conference win.
They got it in a decidedly convincing fashion.
Northwestern crushed an overmatched Nebraska Wesleyan squad 27-6, improving to 1-2 in GPAC play and 3-2 overall.
Offensively, sophomore quarterback Davis Bloemendaal had another strong outing in his second appearance of the season, completing 20-32 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown, as well as a rushing touchdown. His favorite target was junior Eli Groenendyk, who caught seven balls for 102 yards.
On the ground, junior running back Brandon Smith rushed 28 times for 120 yards and a score.
“Defensively, they had some talented players, but we wore them down by pounding the run game and mixing in screens and pass plays,” Smith said. “We probably played our most balanced, dominating, offensive game of the year against a defense that had been playing well.”
Meanwhile, as the Raider offense clicked, the defense completely stifled the Prairie Wolves, whose only points came on a pick six in the second quarter. Nebraska Wesleyan had a meager 40 total yards of offense for the game and moved the chains just three times.
“We were back to the basics and executing to the fullest, holding everyone accountable for their role,” said sophomore linebacker Isaiah Twitty. “We are having fun playing, which is dangerous for other teams.”
Twitty recorded 4.5 tackles, leading the defense. Three of his tackles were for a loss, and he also picked up a sack and forced a fumble.
After early struggles and tough losses to Morningside and Doane, the Raiders seem to have turned a corner as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive. They are coming off dominant wins against Dakota State two weeks ago, and Nebraska Wesleyan this past weekend.
“Each week we will find out more, whether we’ve actually turned that corner,” said coach Kyle Achterhoff. “We are starting to get things figured out, and play closer to our potential, which is resulting in really good performances.”
NW gets to test its newfound winning streak on the road Saturday, traveling to Fremont, Neb., to battle  No. 24 Midland.
“We wish we could have [the Morningside and Doane games] back, but we know what we have to do now,” Smith said. “We are treating every single week as the most important game of the season, whether it’s Midland or Dordt.”
Kick-off will be Saturday at 1 p.m.