Venue & Game Details
Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM CDT
Venue: Memorial Field, Sioux City, Iowa
Weather Forecast (Sioux City, IA)
Temperature: 69°F at kickoff, cooling to 63°F by evening
Conditions: Partly cloudy with light winds (6–9 mph)
Impact: Ideal football weather; minimal effect on passing or kicking
Injury Report (Projected)
(NAIA programs rarely release official reports; based on recent availability trends)
Northwestern Red Raiders:
QB1 probable (ankle) – limited mobility last week but expected to start
Starting LB out (knee) – defensive depth tested
Briar Cliff Chargers:
WR2 questionable (hamstring) – game-time decision
Starting safety probable (shoulder) – expected to play with limited reps
Key Player Matchups
Northwestern QB vs. Briar Cliff Secondary
Northwestern’s QB has been inconsistent (7 TDs, 6 INTs).
Briar Cliff’s secondary has forced 8 turnovers in 6 games—ball security will be critical.
Briar Cliff RB1 vs. Northwestern Front Seven
Briar Cliff’s lead back averaging 95 yards per game.
Northwestern’s rush defense has allowed 180+ yards in 3 of 5 games.
Special Teams Edge
Northwestern kicker is 6-for-7 on FGs this season.
Briar Cliff has a dangerous return unit, including a KR TD earlier this year.
Recent Team Form
Northwestern (2–3):
L vs. Morningside (Top-5 opponent, 42–17)
W vs. Doane (31–14)
L vs. Dordt (28–21)
W vs. Hastings (27–20)
L vs. Concordia (38–24)
Trend: Competitive in spurts, but defense has struggled against ranked GPAC opponents.
Briar Cliff (4–2):
W vs. Dakota Wesleyan (28–17)
W vs. Mount Marty (35–21)
L vs. Concordia (41–20)
W vs. Jamestown (31–14)
W vs. Doane (27–24)
L vs. Morningside (52–10)
Trend: Off to one of the best starts in school history; offense averaging 28.5 PPG, defense opportunistic.
Team Records & Conference Context
Northwestern: 2–3 overall, 1–2 GPAC
Briar Cliff: 4–2 overall, 2–2 GPAC
Briar Cliff is pushing for its first winning season in years, while Northwestern is trying to avoid falling deeper into the GPAC standings.
Series History
All-Time Series: Northwestern leads 8–0
Last Meeting (2024): Northwestern won 49–14 in Orange City, IA
Trend: Northwestern has dominated the series, winning every meeting by double digits.
Betting Trends:
Northwestern is 2–3 ATS this season.
Briar Cliff is 3–3 ATS, covering in 3 of 4 wins.
The Over has hit in 4 of Briar Cliff’s 6 games.
Northwestern is 6–2 ATS in last 8 vs. Briar Cliff.
Historical Betting Results:
Northwestern has covered in 6 of 8 meetings.
Average margin of victory in last 3: Northwestern +23.
Projected Final Score: Northwestern 34, Briar Cliff 24
Game Odds
Northwestern Red Raiders – 7.5
Briar Cliff Chargers 52
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, October 10, 2025
