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2008 Victory Bowl

Northwestern Claims 2008 Victory Bowl Title over Malone 49-44

MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 21, 2008) – Northwestern College and Malone University made it a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl to remember, posting a combined 93 points as the Eagles from Northwestern claimed a 49-44 win in the H.H.H. Metrodome. Not until under a minute remaining was the game’s outcome decided, as the teams were neck and neck throughout the entire contest. Malone held a 28-14 lead midway through the second quarter. But after that, the point differential remained within seven points or less until Northwestern’s Ty Crabtree ran an interception 50 yards for the Eagles’ final score of the game.

NWC, who yielded two interceptions in the red zone in its first three possessions, was jumpstarted by its defense. After Malone’s Joseph Peters scored on a 13-yard touchdown run, the Eagles’ Noah Hadro picked off a pass by Billy Bob Orsagh and returned it 34 yards for pay dirt to tie the game at 7-7.

Northwestern’s Ryan Long caught a Zach Tarter touchdown pass to put the Eagles up 14-7 30 seconds into the second quarter. Malone ensued with three touchdowns within a total of three minutes, posting a 28-14 lead with 8:19 to play in the half. Peters added to his touchdown total, rushing for an 11-yard score before catching a 17-yard TD pass from Orsagh.

The Eagles’ Tarter led an effective two minute drill to close out the half, as the host team scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper to come within seven points at 28-21.

Tarter started the second half where he left off in the first, overcoming the two first quarter interceptions with two straight touchdown passes to Jake Rusinkovich and Cody Crum as NWC took a 35-28 lead.

If anyone counted Malone out, they would have been wrong, as the 22^nd-ranked (NAIA) team in the nation posted back-to-back scores of their own. Derek Deardorff caught a three-yard pass from Orsagh to tie the game before Nick Allison’s 20-yard field goal with 11:14 to play in the game gave the Pioneers a 38-35 lead.

Zach Tarter, who was later named the game’s offensive MVP, commanded a drive that lasted eight minutes and 16 seconds in the Eagles’ next possession, resulting in another Rusinkovich touchdown reception to move Northwestern back in front 42-38. On the Pioneers’ next drive, Crabtree’s interception return for a touchdown with 57 seconds remaining in the game all but sealed the victory for NWC. Josh Settlemire caught a 19-yard pass from Orsagh in a last-ditch effort by Malone, but an unsuccessful onside kick gave Northwestern the 49-44 victory.

In addition to the massive amount of scoring, Northwestern and Malone combined for just under 900 yards of total offense. The Pioneers held a 151-148 rushing advantage while Northwestern owned a 310-272 advantage in the passing category.

Both quarterbacks threw for four touchdowns apiece. Tarter was 26 of 35 for 295 yards for Northwestern, while Orsagh finished 21 of 35 for 272 yards. Northwestern fans in attendance witnessed a rarity on Northwestern’s second possession of the game, when wide receiver Kyle Thomforde threw a 15-yard pass to Tarter that nearly resulted in a touchdown. Instead, Tarter was intercepted by the Pioneers’ Dennis Thornton two plays later to end the Eagles’ drive.

Malone running back Peters kept Northwestern off balance for most of the game, especially in the first half.   Peters ran 21 times for 150 yards and two scores. The junior also caught two passes, one of which was for a touchdown. Long, Peters’ counterpart in a purple jersey, tallied 17 rushing attempts for 68 net yards.

Thomforde caught nine passes for 127 yards, while Deardorff was easily Orsagh’s favorite target. The 6-4 senior caught 13 passes, recording 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Luke Delain and David Kleiner led Northwestern with 11 tackles. Malone’s Wesley Kauffman was the game’s leading tackler, recording 13 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss to earn the sophomore defensive MVP honors. Kauffman’s teammate Andy Bartell added 12 tackles in the Pioneers’ defensive effort.

2008 marks the second Victory Bowl championship for Northwestern (9-2), who has been a participant in the game five times. Malone (6-3), a competitor in the last three Victory Bowls, is 1-2 in NCCAA postseason play.

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2007 Victory Bowl

Malone College defeated Geneva College 45-17

The Malone College football team concluded its 2007 season on Saturday evening with a convincing 45-17 win over Geneva (PA) College in the 11th Annual National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl.  The Pioneers trailed 10-7 early in the second quarter but then rattled off 31 unanswered points to take a commanding 38-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.  The host Golden Tornadoes cut into the sizable deficit with an 80-yard, third-quarter touchdown drive before Malone wide receiver Derek Deardorff (Jr., Kenton H.S.) sealed the 45-17 victory after hauling in a 73-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh (Jr., Eastland, TX).

     Malone racked up 226 rushing yards and 295 passing yards in the contest for a total offensive output of 521 yards.  Geneva, meanwhile, posted 221 yards through the air and 72 yards on the ground for 293 total yards of offense.  The Pioneers dominated time of possession as the squad held the ball for 38:32 compared to 21:28 for Geneva.  Malone also recovered three Golden Tornado fumbles, tallied one interception and, for the first time all season, did not commit a turnover.  With their first Victory Bowl win, the Pioneers wrapped up their 2007 campaign with an 8-4 record, marking the highest win total for the Malone football program since 1996.

     Geneva took an early 7-0 lead in Saturday’s contest after quarterback Bobby Bondi connected with wide-out Ryan Forbes on a 13-yard touchdown pass just over three minutes into the game.  Both offenses struggled to get on track over the next few possessions until a 28-yard punt return by Pioneer wide receiver Tyler Davis (Jr., Teays Valley H.S.) set the Malone offense up with a first-and-ten on the Golden Tornadoes’ 22-yard line.  The Pioneers quickly cashed in on this opportunity as, on the first play of the possession, running back Bernard Payton (Sr., Pomona, CA) rumbled into the endzone.  Place kicker Mike Skvor (Jr., Long Beach, CA) followed Payton’s TD run with an extra point to knot the contest at 7-7 with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter. 

     Geneva retook the lead in the opening minutes of the second frame when kicker Nick DiPietro connected on a 26-yard field goal.  Skvor answered back on Malone’s ensuing drive by drilling a 45-yard kick to tie the game at 10-10 with 11:49 remaining in the first half.  The Pioneers’ offense then kicked into high gear over the remainder of the quarter as the unit found the endzone on each of its next four possessions to take an imposing 38-10 halftime advantage.  This 28-point scoring barrage featured touchdowns on a 20-yard run by Payton, a 39-yard pass from Orsagh to Deardorff, a three-yard run by Payton, and a 15-yard toss from Orsagh to wide receiver Mike Clapham (Sr., Elyria Catholic H.S.).

     Despite being knocked out of the game in the first half after absorbing several ferocious hits, Bondi returned in the third quarter to lead the Golden Tornadoes on a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a seven-yard pass to wide receiver Parker Nuetzel.  However, Malone extinguished Geneva’s comeback hopes early in the fourth quarter when Orsagh connected with Deardorff on the long TD pass to put the game out of reach at 45-17.

     Payton’s final performance in a Pioneer uniform mirrored what he had consistently done throughout his outstanding two-year career at Malone.  The 6’1”, 205-pound running back carried the ball 40 times in the game for 185 yards and three scores in addition to tallying five catches for 36 yards.  Payton rushed for 100 or more in yards in each of the Pioneers’ final eight games of the season and he gained over 100 rushing yards in 10 of Malone’s 12 games in 2007.  With his remarkable performance this year, he has established new Pioneer records for average rushing yards per game in a season (136.4) and average rushing yards per game for a career (112.7), surpassing the previous marks held by running back Joel Peterson (Peterson averaged 116.5 rushing yards per game during the 2001 season and posted 86.3 rushing yards per game during his four-year career from 2000 to 2003).  In addition, with three scores in Saturday’s contest, Payton tied Norris Petty’s single-season rushing touchdown record with 19 TD’s.  For his efforts in the Victory Bowl, Payton was named the game's Offensive MVP.

     Orsagh completed 16 of his 33 pass attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns.  With his fourth-quarter TD pass to Deardorff that sealed the victory, Orsagh established a new Malone single-season record for touchdown passes with 24, breaking the previous mark of 23 TD passes set by former Pioneer quarterbacks Brian Magrell and Brad Reifsnyder (Magrell threw 23 TD’s in 1998 and Reifsnyder tied the mark in 2004).

     Deardorff tallied four catches in the contest for 133 yards and two touchdowns.  With this strong performance, the 6’4” wide-out also made an impact on the record book, establishing new single-season marks for touchdown catches and receiving yards.  Deardorff’s 13 TD grabs break the previous record of 11 set by Shane Hostetler in 1998 and his 1118 receiving yards surpass Eric Miller’s 1994 total of 1027 yards (Miller and Deardorff are now the only two Malone receivers to post 1000 or more receiving yards in a single season).  Clapham also made significant contributions for the Pioneer offense as he posted four catches for 82 yards and one touchdown.

     On defense, linebacker Dan Hromada (Sr., Padua Franciscan H.S.) led the way with nine total tackles (seven solo, 0.5 TFL) and was named the Victory Bowl's defensive MVP.  Fellow linebacker Jamal Gambrell (Sr., Maple Heights H.S.) followed with five solo tackles (two TFL) while defensive lineman Ronell Lee (So., Collinwood H.S.) notched five tackles (four solo, three TFL, two sacks) and forced two fumbles.  Other important defensive contributors included defensive back Doug Alford (Jr., St. Peter Chanel H.S.) with four tackles (three solo) and two pass break-ups, defensive back Dennis Thornton (Jr., Shaker Heights H.S.) with four stops (three solo) and one pass break-up and defensive back Eric Hart (Fr., Labrae Local H.S.) with four tackles (one solo), one fumble recovery and one interception.

     On special teams, Tyler Parry (Jr., North Loxahatchee, FL) punted the ball five times for 174 yards with two kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. Davis tallied over 100 return yards in the game with five punt returns for 85 yards and two kickoff returns for 22 yards.

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2006 Victory Bowl

VICTORY BOWL CHAMPIONS; NGU WINS 56-28

North Greenville University’s offense exploded for 56 points and 582 yards as the Crusaders downed the Malone College Pioneers 56-28 to win the National Christian College Athletic Association’s 2006 Victory Bowl. The game was the first college football bowl game ever to be played in the Palmetto State. The win gives the Crusaders a school record ten wins in 2006.

North Greenville sophomore running back Matt Moore was named Offensive Player of the Game. Moore rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries. Crusader defensive end Andre Bernardi took the Defensive Player of the Game honors with seven total tackles, including a remarkable four sacks for a loss of 28 yards. All four sacks came in the first half.

Running back Rashad Cummings added 127 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries for the Crusaders. Quarterback Eric Moeller completed 12 of 19 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Four of those passes were caught by Travis Talbert. Talbert finished with 135 yards receiving, 56 yards rushing, and one touchdown.

The Pioneers were led by quarterback Brad Reifsnyder, who completed 34 of 47 pass attempts for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Bernard Payton was Reifsnyder’s favorite target, catching 8 passes for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. Payton also rushed 14 times for 58 yards.

Defensively, North Greenville was led by Bernardi and Josh Williams. Williams led all tacklers with 15 total tackles, including eight solo tackles. Derek White added 10 total tackles, including five solos, 1.5 tackles for a loss, a half sack, and one interception.

North Greenville lit up the scoreboard on their first possession on a 6-yard run by Cummings. Escalona added the PAT to give the Crusaders the early 7-0 lead. The score was set up by White’s interception at the Malone 29-yard line on the first play from scrimmage. Moore scored the next two touchdowns of the game from 34 and 57 yards out. Escalona converted on two PAT attempts to give NGU the 21-0 advantage.

Sean Knight put the Pioneers on the board with 3:41 remaining in the first half with a touchdown run from three yards away. Mike Skvor’s PAT made the score 21-7.

The Crusaders would score once more before halftime. Coach Mike Taylor sent in his power set and ran a play action pass to the right side. Moeller connected with Josh Johnson, who normally plays defensive end, on a 4-yard pass for the score. NGU took a 28-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.

North Greenville took the opening possession of the second half 65 yards in nine plays. Moeller capped the drive with a 4-yard strike to Brandon Dobbins on another play action pass. Escalona’s PAT gave the Crusaders a 35-7 lead.

Payton would score next for Malone on a 10-yard pass from Reifsnyder to make the game 35-14. The Crusaders answered the score with a bang. Travis Talbert took a screen pass from Moeller 82 yards to the end zone.

Mike Clapham closed out the third quarter with a 6-yard touchdown reception from Reifsnyder to cap an 8-play, 55-yard drive. Skvor’s kick made the score 42-21.

North Greenville added seven more points when Moeller connected with Joseph Rowe for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Malone answered on their next possession, scoring from nine yards out on a pass from Reifsnyder to Payton.

Matt Moore rounded out the scoring with a 6-yard score with four minutes remaining in the game. Escalona’s PAT made the score its final of 56-28.

North Greenville improves to 10-2, while the Pioneers fall to 7-4

2004 NCCAA VICTORY BOWL ResultsOlivet Nazarene University def Northwestern College 24-14Best Defensive PlayerChris Doersam, Olivet Nazarene UniversityBest Offensive Player

Bobby Miller, Northwestern College

2003 Victory Bowl

Geneva College def North Greenville College 37-14

GENEVA COLLEGE GOLDEN TORNADOES HOLD ON TO

DEFEAT NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE IN 2002 NCCAA VICTORY BOWL

by Corey Borchardt, Assistant Sports Information Director

Northwestern College

Nov. 22, St. Paul, MN – With both teams entering the game with undefeated Victory Bowl records, the 2002 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl between Geneva College (Beaver Falls, PA) and Northwestern College (St. Paul, MN) promised to be a battle. The post-season clash in the H.H.H. Metrodome proved to be exactly that as the host Eagles of Northwestern College gave the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes all they could handle before coming up on the short end of a 19-9 final score.

Geneva College jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as they scored on their opening possession just two minutes into the gridiron affair. Two-time All-American wide receiver Marko Thomas caught Ben Swallow’s pass from six yards out to finish a 4-play, 62-yard drive that began the Tornadoes scoring assault. On the ensuing possession for Northwestern, Geneva College defensive back Mike Schlereth intercepted Eagle quarterback Justin Daggett’s pass and returned the interception all the way into the end zone to bump the score up to 12-0 in favor of Geneva. Still in the first half, the Tornadoes leading rusher and scorer Josh Mullen went the distance on a 46-yard touchdown scamper and with the extra point Geneva took a commanding 19-0 lead early in the second quarter. However, Northwestern would claw their way back yet in the first half of play as first-team all-conference wide receiver Troy Naki caught a 36-yard touchdown strike with 7 minutes remaining and added a 26-yard Steve Gibbs field goal with time winding down in the half to put the score at 19-9 at the intermission. The second half featured a defensive struggle, as neither team was able to find the end zone. Northwestern College had plenty of opportunities in the second half as the offensive unit reached inside their opponent’s 30-yard line on numerous occasions, but saw each chance slip away in a scoreless result.

For the game, Geneva outgained Northwestern in total yardage by a 397-292 advantage with the majority of the Golden Tornadoes damage coming on the ground as they posted 290 yards of rushing offense alone. Kelly Lennox of Geneva led the rushing attack, taking 27 carries for 171 yards as he was also named the 2002 NCCAA Victory Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his contributions. Fellow running back Josh Mullen also passed the 100-yard milestone on the day, boasting 128 yards of his own on 20 carries and also added a touchdown to his credit. For the Eagles, senior running back Lee Meinerz and junior wide receiver Troy Naki were the workhorses. Meinerz earned 79 yards on 25 attempts while Naki caught 5 passes for 90 yards and also added one touchdown to his stat line. Beau Taylor was simply phenomenal for the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball as he recorded 18 tackles and 1 interception on the afternoon after severely dislocating his elbow just three weeks ago.

Northwestern finishes their season at 8-2 and was ranked 22^nd in the last release of the NAIA national rankings. Geneva College wraps up their 2002 campaign with a 7-5 season showing and remained undefeated in NCCAA Victory Bowl match-ups, improving to 3-0 all-time in the post-season event.

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Football Players Visit Children at Local Hospitals [More]

GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY POSTS 54-14 WIN OVER TRINITY
INTERNATIONAL IN 2001 NCCAA VICTORY BOWL

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. ----- Gardner-Webb ran to a 35-0
halftime lead and did not look back, beating Trinity
International (Ill.), 54-14, Saturday in the 2001
National Christian College Athletic Association's
Victory Bowl. The win secured GWU's fifth-straight
winning season. [More]