Northwestern Wins Outright UMAC Championship In Overtime Thriller Versus Rockford
Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 26, 2007 -- The Northwestern College football team won its 16th Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship Friday night, defeating Rockford College 28-27 in a dramatic overtime victory at the H.H.H. Metrodome in Minneapolis. The game, which was the finale of UMAC Dome Day 2007, gave players and fans all the highs and lows of emotion that one could ask for, as both sides experienced excitement and distress up until a theatrical finish that concluded just before midnight.

After 60 minutes of regulation and a 21-21 tie, there was more football to be played as Rockford would get the first crack at an overtime score. The Regents did just that, using six plays to score a touchdown before a PAT conversion would put the ball in Northwestern’s hands, allowing Rockford’s defense to go to work. The Eagles’ Zach Holsman had different plans though, as he blocked Chris Kunde’s kick attempt, opening the door for Northwestern – only if they could score first.

Northwestern looked doomed before quarterback Zack Tarter found Jeremy Daggett in the corner of the end zone on fourth and six from the 21-yard line, yielding the field – and a potential win – to freshman kicker Cody Crum. Crum put his PAT attempt through the uprights, giving the Eagles a one-point victory.

And that was only overtime.

Rockford claimed momentum immediately after Northwestern went three and out on their first drive, marching 76 yards in 7:56 to score first on a 12-yard run by quarterback Matt Muscia, giving the Regents a 7-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.

The Eagles responded midway through the second period, as Daggett caught a seven-yard pass from Tarter with 5:52 left in the half to bring Northwestern even with Rockford. The rest of the half was a defensive battle as the teams entered halftime in a 7-7 gridlock.

Rockford came back right away to start the third quarter, recording back-to-back touchdowns by Kenneth McNeal and Chris Godfrey. McNeal’s was a two-yard score on the Regents’ first possession of the second half, while Godfrey’s five-yard run came at the 6:59 mark in the third quarter.

Northwestern answered with Aaron Pennington, who caught an eight-yard pass from Tarter to bring the Eagles within seven.

NWC had their backs up against the wall early in the fourth quarter after a first down and goal from the ten-yard line turned into fourth and goal from the 26. Tarter did it again though, finding tight end Nathan Clanton (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown to even the score at 21 with 12:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Fast forward ahead three drives for Rockford when the Regents were steadily moving the ball on the ground within regulation’s final two minutes. Chris Godfrey’s 16-yard run from the Northwestern 36-yard line set up an opportunity for the conference’s South Division champions to win the game on a 37-yard field goal by Kunde with three seconds to play. After a timeout by each team, Holsman blocked Kunde’s attempt, sending the end result into extra innings.

Cue the overtime excitement including Daggett’s touchdown and Crum’s successful PAT and the rest was history, as the Eagles marched off the field with a 28-27 victory and the outright conference championship in hand.

Unlike the first time Rockford and Northwestern met this year, the Northwestern held the upper hand in total yards, amassing 416 yards compared to the Regents’ 353. Almost all of Rockford’s offense came via the ground, as evidenced by their 319 rushing yards. Almost every other statistic was even, with the exception of time of possession and third down conversions, which was owned by the Regents.

Tarter finished the game 17 for 27, totaling 220 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback hit six receivers in the game including Daggett, who recorded 63 yards and two scores to lead Northwestern’s corps.

The Eagles’ Steven Boggess rushed 18 times for 89 yards, while Josh Lundeen ran the ball three times for 64 yards. Pennington also added nine rushes for 29 yards and a score through the air.

Defensively, NWC’s Max Meagher was all over the field, recording 10 tackles, which includes 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Speaking of all over the field, Rockford’s Tom Marcum had eight solo tackles on his way to a nine-tackle evening that included a pass breakup. Daniel Sheets was strong up the middle for the Regents, taking part in seven tackles, including two for a loss and a sack from his position on the defensive line.

Rockford’s Muscia completed three of his 10 passes for 34 yards. McNeal accounted for 20 of Rockford’s 68 rushing attempts in the game, recording 119 yards. Jason Hosey also contributed 92 yards on 14 attempts.

Northwestern wraps up the conference season with a perfect 7-0 record and an overall mark of 7-2. Rockford ends their final year in the UMAC with a 6-3 overall record (5-2 UMAC).