LINCOLN, Neb. -- Andy Chleborad stuffed JC Koerselman after a completed pass at the 2-yard line to preserve Nebraska Wesleyan's 44-38 comeback upset victory over 22nd-ranked Northwestern College on Saturday (Nov. 7) at Abel Stadium.

The Prairie Wolves scored 32 unanswered points to complete their first win over the Red Raiders in Lincoln since 1999.  NWU also shatters Northwestern's playoff chances as the Red Raiders fall to 5-4 overall.  The Prairie Wolves improve to 4-5 overall, 3-5 in GPAC action.

Nebraska Wesleyan outscored the Red Raiders 22-0 in the second half to erase a 38-22 halftime deficit.  Northwestern led 38-12 earlier in the second quarter before the Prairie Wolves rattled off 10 points to end the half.

NWU scored the go-ahead TD with 1:52 left as backup quarterback Tyler Smith scored on a 1-yard QB sneak.  The play was setup by 45-yard completion to Ryan Larsen.  NWU converted the 2-point conversion on a pass from Smith to Ryan Schneider.

Northwestern took over at their own 19-yard line with 1:45 left to mount the game-winning drive.  The Red Raiders converted four first downs and completed a pass down to the 2-yard line with under 10 seconds left.  After a spike to stop the clock, Craig Bruinsma hit the tight end Koerselman on an out pattern by Chleborad stuffed him at the 2-yard line causing a team-wide celebration.

NWU opened the game with a touchdown on their opening drive as Joel Wiedel scampered 19 yards for the TD.  Less than a minute later, Northwestern answered with a touchdown after a big kick return.

One play later, Ben Green hit Ryan Schneider streaking down the sidelines for a 72-yard TD for the Prairie Wolves.  The PAT failed again making the score 12-7.

From there, Northwestern scored four straight touchdowns on passes by Bruinsma.  A field goal and TD run by Jesse Riley put the Red Raiders up 38-12 with 2:56 left in the second quarter.

Right before halftime, Shaka Taylor scored on a screen pass from Tyler Smith, who replaced starting QB Ben Green after he went down with injury.  NWU forced a quick punt and Corey Jones had a 67-yard punt return to put NWU in the red zone.  Kramer Rath capped the drive with a 40-yard field goal to make the score 38-22 at the half.

Northwestern attempted a fake punt on their first possession of the second half that was stuffed, giving NWU great field position.  Smith hit Ryan Larsen who made a great catch in the end zone for a 28-yard TD to cut the lead to 38-29.

Later in the half, Northwestern got inside the red zone but Bruinsma threw an interception to Riley Shoemaker who returned it 92-yards for a touchdown.  The PAT was good for a 38-36 score.

Teams traded possessions in the 4th quarter until NWU finally broke through with the game-winning drive. 

NWU finished with 400 yards of total offense, including a season-high 355 passing yards.  Tyler Smith completed 12-21 for 205 with two touchdowns after taking over for Green who was 7-12 for 150 yards.  Both Ryan Schneider and Ryan Larsen went over 100 yards receiving and had touchdowns.

Northwestern had 460 yards of total offense, with 367 through the air.

Tyler Sorensen led the Prairie Wolves defense with 10 total tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, a fumble recovery and QB hurry.

NWU will close out the 2015 season in one week as they host Hastings College in the final GPAC football game for the Prairie Wolves.