ORANGE CITY, Iowa (Northwestern) – The top-ranked Northwestern College football team (3-0, 2-0 GPAC) picked up a dominant home win to open the home portion of the season with a 51-7 victory over the Doane University Tigers (0-4, 0-3 GPAC) Saturday afternoon at De Valois Stadium.

Proud of our players set the tone early,” noted head coach Matt McCarty. “We were clicking offensively and defensively, and were able to jump out to a quick lead.”
Northwestern put up three scores in the first quarter to take total control of the game in the opening 15 minutes of play. After forcing a quick three-and-out from Doane, the Red Raiders put together a five-play, 84-yard drive with Konner McQuillan (Sr., Leavenworth, Kan.) having 75 of the yards, including a 61-yard touchdown run up the middle for the first score of the game.
For the rest of the first quarter, the Tigers could not get anything going offensively. Following a Doane fumble, Jalyn Gramstad (Jr., Lester, Iowa) would find freshman Austyn Gerard (Gilbert, Ariz.) who would bring down his first-career touchdown reception in a Red Raider uniform, making it 14-0 NWC. Towards the end of the first quarter, Eli Stader (Sr., Cedar Grove, Wis.) would hit his longest field goal of the game of 48 yards. McQuillan nearly had 100 yards in the first quarter, notching 93 of his 104 total yards on just seven carries.
“We were able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and execute at a high level,” commented McCarty.
The second quarter was a nearly a mirror image of first as Northwestern put up three more scores, this time all being touchdowns. McQuillan capped off a 11-play, 69-yard drive with his second rushing score of the day from two yards out, as Northwestern increased their lead up to 24-0.
The following Red Raider drive saw Gramstad find his favorite target so far this season in senior Michael Storey (Spencer, Iowa) for a six-yard score, tallying his second touchdown pass of the day. The final second quarter score would see Gramstad scamper from 26 yards out with just over a minute left in the half.
The Red Raiders would take a dominant 38-0 lead into the locker room behind 378 first half yards and 20 first downs in the first 30 minutes of action. Gramstad had 212 yards at the break on 14-for-22 passing, while McQuillan had 104 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

The second half saw a lot of younger guys see their first action as Red Raiders, as McCarty and staff emptied the bench to get guys experience in a varsity contest. However, the starters got a few drives to begin the half and took full advantage of the opportunity. The first score of the second half saw freshman Cooper Spiess (Rock Rapids, Iowa) record his first-career touchdown catch from Gramstad, a nine-yard connection. Stader would hit a pair of field goals to end the scoring in the frame, hitting field goals from 27 and 47 yards. Northwestern would lead 51-0 heading to the final quarter of play.
The Doane Tigers would score their lone touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter, but Northwestern proved to dominate from start to finish in the home opener, downing Doane 51-7.

“Stader and our field goal unit did an outstanding job today,” concluded McCarty. “It is great having a weapon like Eli.”
GAME NOTES:

  • Head coach Matt McCarty picks up his 70th career win leading the Northwestern program.
  • NWC has now won 16-straight games, dating back to 2022.  
  • Northwestern improves 41-4 since 2017 when forcing 2+ turnovers.
  • The Red Raiders scored six touchdowns in the win, moving their season total up to 16.
  • The Northwestern offense put up 550 yards of total offense in the win; putting up 500+ for the second time this season.
  • NWC had five drives greater than 65+ yards; two of 80+ yards; having 29 first downs to Doane’s 11.
  • Jalyn Gramstad went 20-for-28 with 297 yard (tying career-high) with three touchdowns.
  • Konner McQuillan recorded his ninth-career 100-yard rushing game with 104 yards on 11 carries.  
  • With his two touchdowns on the ground, McQuillan now moves into eighth in program history with 34 career rushing scores.
  • Michael Storey and Peyton Carroll led the wide receivers/tight ends with 78 receiving yards each.
  • Wide receivers Austyn Gerard and Cooper Spiess both bring down their first-career touchdown receptions.
  • The Red Raider defense forced three Doane turnovers (two fumbles, one interception).
  • Kylar Fritz and Cody Moser both tallied five tackles to lead the team.
  • Northwestern had a season-high nine tackles for loss in the 51-7 win.
  • Morris Hofer had a fumble recovery and his second-career interception (31-yard return).
  • Eli Stader went 3-for-3 in field goals on the afternoon with a long of 48 yards; he now sits 5-for-8 on the year.
  • Northwestern improves to 24-15 against the Tigers in the all-time series; scoring 50+ points in the second-straight meeting and wins the seventh-straight in the series.
  • Up Next: The Red Raiders will hit the road again next week when they travel to Yankton, South Dakota for a clash with the Lancers of Mount Marty University (2-2, 1-2 GPAC) with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. from Crane-Youngworth Field.