Football Upsets #22 Northwestern, 10-9; First Time Since 2004
(Orange City, IA) – Going on the road to battle #22 Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, Hastings spoiled the Red Raiders’ homecoming weekend with a 10-9 win following a 51-yard missed field goal by Northwestern at the end of regulation. The win marks the Broncos’ first win over the Red Raiders since 2004.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
|
|
0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Team Stats
Northwestern
| Game Statistics | Hastings | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 77 | 122 |
| Rushing Yards | 123 | 98 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of Poss. | 32:12 | 27:48 |
(Orange City, IA) – Going on the road to battle #22 Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, Hastings spoiled the Red Raiders' homecoming weekend with a 10-9 win following a 51-yard missed field goal by Northwestern at the end of regulation. The win marks the Broncos' first win over the Red Raiders since 2004.
In the first quarter, Hastings forced a turnover on downs on their first defensive possession, with senior defensive back Marcus Dustin stopping the run on 4th and 1 near midfield. The Broncos ran 10 plays over the next five minutes and change, getting the ball down inside the 20 with a big pass play from junior Carson Kudlacek to senior Eli Nappe and runs from junior Dalton Armbruster. The drive stalled at the Northwestern four yard line, as Hastings took a 3-0 lead on a 21-yard field goal from freshman Colton Willmott.
Northwestern got on the board in the second quarter with a 52-yard field goal to tie it at three. Hastings picked up three first downs on their next drive, then on 3rd and 8 from the Northwestern 41, the Red Raiders picked off the Broncos, but a roughing the passer penalty continued the drive.
Hastings attempted a field goal late in the first half that was knocked down by the heavy wind. Northwestern took advantage of a roughing the passing penalty as time expired in the first half and drilled a 58-yard field goal to close the half with a 6-3 lead over the Broncos.
On their first drive of the second half, Hastings was forced to punt from their own 48, but a tremendous kick from sophomore Travon Shaw bounced out-of-bounds at the Northwestern two yard line. After a negative run on first down, Hastings pressure led to an off-balance from the Red Raiders and senior linebacker Wyatt Ryan intercepted the pass and took it back for six to put Hastings ahead, 10-6.
The Red Raiders then put together a 13-play, 60-yard drive that took almost eight minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 13 from the Hastings 17, Dustin and senior linebacker Jake Lambert took down the ball carrier, holding Northwestern to a 31-yard field goal to keep Hastings ahead, 10-9 heading to the fourth quarter.
Kudlacek had a big 23-yard scramble on their next drive to start the fourth that set up the offense at the Northwestern 41, but the Red Raiders turned them over on downs. Northwestern put their field goal kick to the test with a 65-yarder shortly after, but it came up short to keep the score at 10-9 with 8:10 remaining.
Looking to take time off the clock, Hastings ran the ball the first five plays and converted a 3rd and 5 with a short pass from Kudlacek to Nappe to continue their drive. They continued to run the ball, but on 4th and 3 from the Northwestern 25, their pass fell incomplete to give it back to the Red Raiders with 2:30 on the clock.
Northwestern picked up two first downs, covering 21 yards in four plays, then on a 2nd and 10 from their own 46, an 18-yard completion put them in field goal range at the Hastings 36 yard line. After three plays to set up their kicker for the potential game-winning field goal with four seconds left, Northwestern and Hastings exchanged timeouts in preparation for the 51-yard kick. The kick had the distance, but sailed wide left, as the Broncos celebrated the 10-9 win.
The Broncos did most of their damage on the ground, leading the running game, 123-98. That allowed them to win the time of possession, having four more minutes on offense than the Red Raiders. Hastings managed to stay well disciplined throughout the game, having only one penalty and not giving up a sack.
Armbruster led the team with 21 carries for 67 yards. Kudlacek had seven carries for 32 yards and completed 13-20 passes for 77 yards. Nappe had a team-high four catches for 35 yards. Lambert finished with nine tackles, including six solo. Dustin and sophomore linebacker Dawson Kissinger contributed seven tackles, with Kissinger also adding 2.5 tackles for loss.
Up next, Hastings will have a bye week to prepare for their home game against Concordia on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1pm.
