Northwestern College can earn a spot in the NAIA plays on Saturday with a victory at Midland of Nebraska. The Red Raiders improved to 7-2 and boosted their playoff hopes with a 38-28 upset of then top ranked Morningside.

Northwestern coach Kyl Achterhoff says with their jump in the ratings, if they win they will be in the playoffs. He says they are thrilled with the chance to control their own fate. Achterhoff says there were times in the season where they wondered if they would be at this stage, but he says they did a great job of bouncing back.

Achterhoff says they have been in a must win situation for several weeks, as once you get a second loss you know you have to win out to make the playoffs. Achterhoff says they hope to avoid a letdown after such a big win.