Football 12/1/2022 10:04:00 AM

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS HEAD TO IOWA FOR NAIA FCS SEMIFINAL AGAINST NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN

Football 12/1/2022 10:04:00 AM

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS HEAD TO IOWA FOR NAIA FCS SEMIFINAL AGAINST NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN

PREVIEW

NO. 5 INDIANA WESLEYAN (11-1) at NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN (11-1)
IWU travels to Orange City, Iowa for their semifinal game of the 2022 NAIA Football Championship Series against Northwestern College.
Both teams bring their 11-game winning streaks to the field with a birth in the national championship game on the line.

KICKOFF

Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

ON THE INTERNET

Fans can watch the game for free on the R aider Network Livestream.
Listen to the game on WBAT Radio 105.5FM/1400AM or online on WBAT.com by clicking HERE.
Live stats are available by clicking HERE.
Fans can get more information on our Championship Central page by clicking HERE.

THE SERIES

This marks the first time these two programs have played each other.

NATIONAL LEADERS

Xander Stokes is 5th in the national rankings with a completion percentage of 64.7% and 6th with 27 touchdowns.
Dederrian Williams is tied for 12th with 13 rushing touchdowns and 13th with 93.1 yards per game.
Jacquez Carter, the MSFA Mideast Offensive Player of the Year, is 20th nationally with 813 receiving yards this season. His 11 receiving scores are tied for 12th in the rankings.
Ethan Collins is tied for 5th with 87 points among kickers.
Donovan Shelton owns the national lead with 8 interceptions. His 144 interception return yards are 8^th. Isaac Abeo's 11.5 sacks are good enough for 7th in the rankings. His 72 yards lost are also 14th nationally.
Devin Bacchus' 4 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries are tied for 3rd.

WILDCAT LEADERS

Xander Stokes, the semifinal Offensive Player of the Game, has thrown for 2,203 yards and a program record 27 scores and just two interceptions while completing 64.7% percent of his throws. Jacquez Carter's 11 touchdowns lead the team as does his 813 yards. Markell Stephens-Peppers is second on the team with 644 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Dederrian Williams now has 1,117 rushing yards, and his 13 scores hold the program record.
Ethan Collins is averaging 36.9 yards per punt with a long of 68 and placing 23 inside the 20. He has hit 13 field goals on the season while converting 91% of his extra points.
Clayton Mosher has a team-high 90 tackles while Isaac Abeo's 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss are the most on the team. Donovan Shelton's eight interceptions are the most on the team. Neil Campbell has eight pass break-ups.

RED RAIDER LEADERS

Northwestern ranks 1st in the NAIA with 39 rushing touchdowns while also converting 55% of their 3rd down attempts.
Their 475.1 yards per game, 5.4 yards per rush, and 49 red zone scores rank 2nd in the nation.
Their defense ranks 5th with 4 defensive touchdowns and 12th with 17 interceptions.
Sophomore Jalyn Gramstad earned the starting quarterback job midway through the season. He has thrown for over 200 yards in 7 of the last 8 games with a 70.3% completion percentage in that span. He threw for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns last week against Marian.
Gramstad also leads the rushing attack with 804 total yards and 40 combined passing and rushing touchdowns.
Michael Story is the Raider's top receiving threat with 1,009 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
Eli Stader is 58-59 on extra points and has only had to attempt 6 field goals all season.
Defensively, Parker Fryar leads the defense with 95 total tackles. Jacob Dragstra creates the most trouble for opposing quarterbacks with 6.5 sacks.

WHAT TO WATCH

A repeating theme for the last few weeks will have another chapter written; Another top offense in the country faces off against IWU's top defense.
Northwestern has the second highest scoring offense (539 points) and will be going against a Wildcat defense which has the most interceptions in the country (26).

UP NEXT

The winner will advance to the 2022 NAIA Football National Championship on December 17th at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS

Follow Athletics (@IWUWildcats): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Follow Football (@IndWesleyan_FB): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Players Mentioned

#94 Isaac Abeo: DL; 6' 3"; Senior; /

#24 Neil Campbell: DB; 5' 11"; Junior; /

#8 Jacquez Carter: WR; 6' 2"; Graduate Student

#17 Ethan Collins: K/P; 5' 10"; Junior; /

#2 Clayton Mosher: LB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#0 Donovan Shelton: DB; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; /

#16 Xander Stokes: QB; 6' 1"; Senior; /

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers: WR; 5' 11"; Junior

#5 Devin Bacchus: LB; 6' 0"; Graduate Student

#14 Dederrian Williams: RB; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#94 Isaac Abeo
: 6' 3"; Senior; /
: DL

#24 Neil Campbell
: 5' 11"; Junior; /
: DB

#8 Jacquez Carter
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student
: WR

#17 Ethan Collins
: 5' 10"; Junior; /
: K/P

#2 Clayton Mosher
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: LB

#0 Donovan Shelton
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; /
: DB

#16 Xander Stokes
: 6' 1"; Senior; /
: QB

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers
: 5' 11"; Junior
: WR

#5 Devin Bacchus
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student
: LB

#14 Dederrian Williams
: 5' 10"; Junior
: RB

Indiana Wesleyan University

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FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS HEAD TO IOWA FOR NAIA FCS SEMIFINAL AGAINST NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: NO. 5 WILDCATS HEAD TO IOWA FOR NAIA FCS SEMIFINAL AGAINST NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN

Players Mentioned

#94 Isaac Abeo

#24 Neil Campbell

#8 Jacquez Carter

#17 Ethan Collins

#2 Clayton Mosher

#0 Donovan Shelton

#16 Xander Stokes

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers

#5 Devin Bacchus

#14 Dederrian Williams

Players Mentioned

#94 Isaac Abeo

#24 Neil Campbell

#8 Jacquez Carter

#17 Ethan Collins

#2 Clayton Mosher

#0 Donovan Shelton

#16 Xander Stokes

#3 Markell Stephens-Peppers

#5 Devin Bacchus

#14 Dederrian Williams