Lincoln, NE - Nebraska Wesleyan football earned its first win of the 2025 season, Saturday afternoon, routing the Luther Norse 44-7, at Abel Stadium. The win improves NWU's record to 1-3, and 1-1 in American Rivers Conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Half: Nebraska Wesleyan got out to a quick start on both sides of the ball, forcing a quick three and out, before marching on a 12 play, 61 yard drive that was capped off with a Trystin Myers touchdown run to make the score 6-0. The score remained 6-0 due to a blocked extra point. The Prairie Wolf defense continued to play inspired on Luther's second drive, forcing a second punt. Back on offense, Trystin Myers struck quickly, racing 59 yards on the first play of the drive to put NWU up 13-0. The Black and Gold defense remained poised on their next drive, forcing their third straight punt. On their third offensive possession of the quarter and facing a third and nine, NWU took to the air with Connor White finding Joey McLaughlin for a 19 yard completion. White would go on to connect with Joey McLaughlin for a 42 yard touchdown pass on the next play. On Luther's ensuing possession, the Prairie Wolf defense came up with their first impact play, with Jian Aguilar scooping up a Luther fumble which set the Black and Gold up at the Norse 15 yard line. Nebraska Wesleyan would convert the turnover into three points as Jace Winkler drilled a 33 yard touchdown. Nebraska Wesleyan would force its fourth punt of the game, but a booming punt set the Prairie Wolves up at their own five yard line. Backed up, NWU turned to Trystin Myers, who got the Prairie Wolves out of the shadow of their end zone with runs of nine, three and five yards. Now at the 22, Nebraska Wesleyan continued to progress down the field, using a mix of runs and short passes until Connor White hit Joey McLaughin for 11 yard touchdown. Luther would finally get going on their next offensive possession, driving inside the NWU 10 yard line. However the Norse would stall out and failed to score in the first half. 

2nd Half: While neither team's offense scored in the third quarter, the period was highlighted by an exciting sequence of possessions. NWU embarked on an impressive 9 play, 53 yard drive to open the half, but a failed fourth down gave Luther the ball at their own 19 yard line. Darrius Paige would get the ball back with an interception on the ensuing drive. NWU would fail to convert the turnover into offensive points as a 23 yard field goal was blocked. However the ball was recovered by Luther in the end zone resulting in a safety, which made the score 32-0. Luther would force its only punt of the game on NWU's next possession. However, the Black and Gold would not allow the Norse to score, as Terrell Davis forced a fumble which was recovered by Carlos Porter. Soon after, Joey McLaughling recorded a hat trick, hauling in his third touchdown reception on a 44 yard pass from Keaton Erdmann, however the extra point was missed and NWU maintained a 38-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Luther finally got on the board on their next drive, scoring a touchdown to cut the deficit to 29. NWU would respond with a seven play, 45 yard drive, with Nathan Athouris punching in his first touchdown run of the season. Neither team managed to score over the remaining five minutes as Antonio Martinez picked off Christian Hiner to get the ball back for NWU. The Prairie Wolves managed to run the clock out to and send Luther to the Midwest Conference with a parting 44-7 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE- TEAM
First Downs: NWU 24 | LC 11
Total Offense: NWU 526 | LC 139
Passing Yards: NWU 344 | LC 86
Rushing Yards: NWU 182 | LC 53
3rd Down Conversions: NWU 8-13 | LC 3-11
4th Down Conversions: NWU 1-2 | LC 1-1
Possession Time: NWU 40:40 | LC 19:20
Sacks- Yards: NWU 1-4 | LC 3-11

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE-INDIVIDUAL
Connor White (QB): 20-26: 222 yds, 2 td, 
Keaton Erdmann (QB): 4-5, 83 yds, 1 td
Trystin Myers (RB): 15 att, 127 yds, 8.5 ypc, 2 td
Nathan Athouris (RB): 8 att, 40 yds, 4.8 ypc, 1 td
Joey McLaughlin (WR): 10 rec, 189 yds, 3 td
Terrell Davis (DB): 1 FF, 4 tackles
Carlos Porter (LB): 1 FF, 3 tackles, 1 Fumble recovery
Darius Paige (DB): 1 int, 2 tackles
Antonio Martinez (DB): 1 int
Jian Aguilar (LB): 1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery

GAME NOTES

• Nataly Miller became the first female student-athlete to play in a varsity football game for NWU.
• Nebraska Wesleyan finishes with a 6-3 A-R-C record against Luther since 2016.
• NWU scored 20 points in the first quarter, which is more than any single game total of the season.

UP NEXT
Nebraska Wesleyan heads to Dubuque, Iowa, for a 2:00 p.m. kick off against the Spartans, on Saturday, October 4th.