ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Northwestern College football team began their historic day with a 59-0 victory at home on Reynolds Field over Trinity Bible College. With the win, the Eagles improve to 4-2 overall and remain undefeated in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action with a 4-0 showing. The visiting Lions fell to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in UMAC affairs with the loss. After dropping their first two games of the year, Northwestern has strung together four straight victories, outscoring their opponents 207-6.

The 12 p.m. game was the first of a historic doubleheader for the Northwestern College football program. The Eagles, who are competing in the first football doubleheader in modern football history, will travel 6.5 miles down Snelling Avenue and face the Macalester College Scots at 7 p.m. to complete the day's events.

The Eagles racked up 121 yards of offense on their first 3 plays from scrimmage against Trinity Bible, scoring 2 touchdowns in just 57 seconds time of possession and quickly putting the game out of reach for the Lions. Northwestern led 27-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime in cruising to the conference triumph.

Sophomore running back Josh Peterson (Willmar, Minn.) led the Eagle offensive attack, taking 12 carries for 163 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging 13.6 yards per carry. Sophomore Aaron Pennington (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) added 2 rushing touchdowns and 53 yards on the ground for the afternoon. Junior quarterback Josh Peterson (Fairmont, Minn./GHEC) completed 9-of-11 passes for 151 yards, connecting with senior wide receiver Ben Wolcyn (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) for a 11-yard scoring strike.

Northwestern racked up 635 yards of total offense in the game, including 386 on the ground and 249 through the air. Trinity Bible was held to just 152 yards for the game and a mere 92 yards rushing on 45 attempts. The Lions were successful on just 2-of-15 third-down conversions.

Sophomore linebacker Dan Hitzeman (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) led the Eagle defense, recording 7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss. Freshman Alexander Wade (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium HS) also added 7 tackles, 1 blocked kick, and 1 sack for Northwestern. Trinity Bible College was paced defensively by freshman defensive back Stan Bedwell (Mineral Springs, Ark.), who owned 13 tackles and 1 pass break-up.

The Eagles are now 12-0 all-time against Trinity Bible College and 6-0 all-time at home against the Lions. Northwestern currently leads the north division of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference with a perfect 4-0 conference record. The Eagles can secure the north division title next weekend, with a victory at the University of Minnesota-Morris.