Josh Lundeen

Rams Run Over Eagles in 2006 Football Opener | Box Score Stats
Sept. 2, St. Paul, Minn. – The Cornell College (Iowa) football team was picked to finish last in the 2006 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) pre-season coaches poll. Northwestern College (Minn.) was tabbed as the favorite in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) pre-season poll. After Cornell’s 30-to-14 victory over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, those pre-season predictions seem to hold little weight as the host Rams scored 21 unanswered points to route the Eagles. The non-conference battle marked the 2006 season opening game for both squads.

Cornell College jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on an Anthony Kobler 30-yard field goal with 6:55 remaining in the opening frame. The Rams continued to control the game until late in the first quarter when Eagle senior defensive back Tom Tadych (Milaca, Minn.) intercepted Cornell quarterback Ryan Mills near midfield. Five plays and 51 yards later, Northwestern went in front 7-3 on a 4-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Josh Peterson (Fairmont, Minn./GHEC) to junior wide receiver Josh Lundeen (Princeton, Minn./Faith Christian High School), followed by a successful point-after attempt by Eli Conlow (Lakeville, Minn.).

Wasting little time, Cornell College punched back and regained the lead as Nate Newmeister scampered for a 57-yard touchdown dash with 11:42 remaining in the second quarter to give the Rams a 9-to-7 advantage. After the kickoff, Northwestern marched down the field in an impressive 11-play, 66-yard drive, capped off by the second scoring connection of the day between play-caller Josh Peterson and wide out Josh Lundeen, this time from 12-yards out. The scoring drive, which took 5 minutes and 13 seconds off the clock, put the Eagles back ahead 14-to-9. Unfortunately, that would be the last time Northwestern would score or hold the lead as Cornell rattled off 21 unanswered points, including 13 in the second half, to seal the victory.

The Rams racked up 301 yards on the ground, which led to a major disparity in time of possession. Cornell held the ball for over 37 minutes in the game, including over 11 minutes in the fourth quarter. Northwestern tallied 125 rushing yards and 173 yards through the air to total 298 total yards of offense. On the other side, the Rams finished the affair mounting 425 yards of total offense.

Cornell College running back Nate Newmeister pounded out 142 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 8.9 yards per carry to highlight the Ram’s offensive attack. For Northwestern, senior running back Ben Freedman (Wahoo, Neb.) took 15 carries for 88 yards, while sophomore wide receiver Kyle Thomforde (Northfield, Minn.) caught 4 passes for 66 yards to highlight the Eagle box score. Josh Peterson connected on 12-of-23 pass attempts in the game.

Freshman linebacker Andrew Magaard (Ogilvie, Minn.) made an impressive debut, accounting for 13 tackles on the afternoon. Fellow freshman linebacker Willy Miron (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) also made his presence felt, pulling down 10 tackles, including 2 tackles for a loss and 1 sack.

The last time Northwestern came out on top in their season opener came back in the fall of 2001, when the Eagles took care of North Park University 32-to-13. This was the first ever meeting between Northwestern and Cornell in intercollegiate football. Northwestern will aim to snag their first win of the 2006 season next Saturday, September 9, when they host non-conference foe Augsburg College at Reynolds Field at 1 p.m.