EAGLES GET BIG WIN ON THE ROAD VS. UW-RIVER FALLS, 41-34

RIVER FALLS, Wis. (Sep. 20, 2008) -- The Northwestern College football team recorded a huge road victory, defeating the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 41-34. Saturday's game was a little different than last week's 6-9 loss to Simpson College, as a six-touchdown first quarter set the tone for a high-scoring affair across the border.

Despite the large amount of points scored by both teams, it was the Eagles’ defense that came up big at the end. Down by seven, River Falls had just under a minute's worth of time to march 66 yards down field to the goal line. Hearts were racing as the Falcons progressively charged to first and goal from the four-yard line with less than ten seconds to go in the game. Northwestern forced three consecutive River Falls incomplete passes though, and time expired with the Eagles on top.

Kyle Thomforde (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) contributed large amounts to Northwestern’s offense, receiving, rushing and returning for over 300 all-purpose yards. The junior had seven catches for 160 receiving yards, followed by 110 yards on five kick returns and 30 yards rushing.

NWC and UW-River Falls simply traded touchdowns back-and-forth in the first quarter – first the Falcons, then the Eagles. A 74-yard passing play from Zach Tarter (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park) to Thomforde wrapped up Northwestern’s 19 points in the initial period, while the Falcons led by two due to two missed PAT-attempts by NWC.

Things calmed down in the second quarter, as neither team scored until the 1:20 mark, when Eagle fullback Dan Prusinski (Scottsdale, Ariz./Fountain Hills) ran two yards for a touchdown. Prusinksi’s score capped off a 13-play, 62-yard drive and gave Northwestern a 26-21 lead at halftime.

River Falls’ Greg Klingelhutz sparked his team’s offense in the third quarter, scoring on a four-yard run. It would be all Northwestern to follow, as a Rahnee Dennard (Mesa, Ariz./Brophy College Prep) three-yard TD run and a Thomforde 27-yard touchdown reception was enough to give the Eagles a 41-34 victory.

The Eagles, who are generally a passing team, ran for 229 yards on 44 carries against River Falls, who countered with 249 rushing yards of their own. Tarter led NWC’s passing attack that tallied 218 yards in the air. The junior quarterback finished 14 for 23 with three touchdowns and his first interception of the year.

Ryan Long (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) rushed for 111 yards on 19 carries to lead the Eagles. The sophomore also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tarter.

Dennard had 14 carries for 69 yards and a score. Following Thomforde, Nathan Clanton (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) was the Eagles’ next leading receiver, catching two passes for 20 yards.

Andrew Magaard (Ogilvie, Minn./Ogilvie) had a season-high 13 tackles for Northwestern, while Ty Crabtree (Fergus Falls, Minn./Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) and Luke DeLain (Denmark, Wis./Denmark) both added 10 tackles. Delain also had an interception and a forced fumble.

Northwestern (2-1 overall, 0-0 UMAC) will begin to defend their 2007 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship next week, when they open their league schedule at Crown College. Kickoff in St. Bonifacius is scheduled for 2 p.m.