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Press Releases:
The Nebraska Wesleyan football team wrapped up its 2007 season with a 7-3 overall record. NWU ended the season ranked in a tie for 22nd in the final NAIA rankings.
It was the first time that the NWU football team had posted back-to-back seven win seasons since the early 1990s when NWU posted at least seven wins during the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
The Prairie Wolves used a staggering defense to upend many of their opponents, including a 23-14 upset win over #11 Morningside College in the second week of the season. The Prairie Wolves almost opened the season with a pair of wins over ranked opponents, but ended up dropping a 13-12 decision in the season opener to #7 Northwestern College at Abel Stadium.
Nebraska Wesleyan was able to shut out three straight opponents, Hastings College, Briar Cliff University and Dana College for the first time in 40 years to solidify their ranking in the GPAC.
Offensively, the Prairie Wolves were led by senior quarterback Zac Rabe. Rabe, in his third season as the field general for NWU, completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,456 yards. His primary target was senior wide receiver Justin Florian who grabbed 37 catches for 436 yards and two touchdowns.
On the ground, Nebraska Wesleyan was led by senior running back Jordan Stutzman who carried the ball 123 times for 694 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Defensively, NWU clamped down on opponents both on the line and in the secondary. The Prairie Wolves intercepted 23 passes during the 2007 campaign, eight of which came from junior safety Phil Schroer. Senior linebacker Kyle Elsasser racked up 81 tackles to lead the Wolves. NWU ranked tied for ninth in the NAIA for scoring defense, allowing only 14.5 points per game.
Landing on the All-GPAC First Team were Stutzman, Elsasser, Schroer, and sophomore offensive tackle Dan Peterson. Senior Brandon Minch was honored on the All-GPAC Second Team.
Elsasser also was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® First-Team. It was the second straight year Elsasser received the honor. |
