DES MOINES, IOWA — The No. 2-seeded Grand View University Vikings (11-0, 6-0 HOA) are set to host an NAIA FCS Quarterfinal Playoff game for the sixth consecutive season under head coach Joe Woodley. The Vikings will welcome the No. 11-seed Northwestern College (Iowa) Red Raiders (9-2, 8-2 GPAC) to Mediacom Stadium on Saturday, December 7th. Kickoff is slated for noon (CT).
 

FCS Quarterfinals | No. 2 Grand View (11-0, 6-0 HOA) vs. No. 11 Northwestern (9-2, 8-2 GPAC)
Date | Time	Saturday, December 7 | 12:00 PM (CT)
Location	Des Moines, Iowa | Mediacom Stadium
Fan Information	Tickets |  Visitor Guide
Live Stream	Grand View University
Live Stats	PrestoSports
Social Media	@GVVikingsFB | #3D | @gvvikingfb | Facebook

PROMOTIONS

• ALL Grand View Students will be allowed into the game for FREE, thanks to Viking Council and SAC.
• Grand View football will do their game day ritual tailgate walk at 10:00 a.m.

 
GAME STORYLINES

• A win would give Grand View their 17^th postseason victory, moving the overall record to 17-11.
• DEFENDING DES MOINES: Grand View is 6-0 in Des Moines this season; five of these wins were played at the Duke.
• The Vikings' defense sits first in the nation in multiple categories, including scoring defense and holding opponents to just 8.8 points per game, total yards per game at 192.2 (33 fewer yards than the second-ranked defense), and rushing yards per game at 63.3 (following a game against the No. 1 rushing offense in the country).
• The Vikings rushing attack sits sixth in the NAIA in rushing touchdowns, with 35 this season.
• Grand View has possessed the ball for 6:20:02 this season (34:33) per game, the longest remaining TOP in the FCS. 

  
HEAD COACH JOE WOODLEY

• HC Joe Woodley was named the 2024 Heart of America Athletic Conference (HOA) Coach of the Year.
• He's won five HOA Coach of the Year honors at GVU (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, & 2024) out of six seasons as HC.
• Woodley leads the Conference of Heart of America Coach of the Year Awards.
• This season, Woodley picked up his 51^st straight career win at Grand View with the 52-28 win at (9-seeded in the FCS) Benedictine on September 14^th.
• He has coached in 74 career games at Grand View.
• Mike Woodley, the founding coach of Grand View's football program, led the Vikings with remarkable success over 11 seasons, compiling an impressive 137-34 record. His son, Joe Woodley, who took the helm in 2019, has continued the legacy of excellence. With a stellar 69-5 career record as head coach, Joe is just one win away from reaching the milestone of 70 career victories. 

 
VIKINGS TO NOTE

• John Argo is coming off of a career-high game; the Davenport native recorded 16 crucial tackles in the Second-Round game against Friends, six of which were solo.
• Jordan Kumm has sparked alive since missing most of the regular season. The wideout recorded a season-high 80 receiving yards that was highlighted by a 40-yard laser for the go-ahead lead in the 3^rd quarter.
• Argo, Filer, and Sheedy anchor the Viking's defense with 37, 34, and 29 tackles this season.
• Jackson Waring posted his best dual-threat game against Friends this past weekend. Waring threw for 263 yards (17-27) (season-high), two passing TDs and one rushing.

  
STOUT DEFENSE

• The Vikings have made a name for themselves with a strong defensive unit so far this season.
• The Vikings have eleven interceptions as a team, with seven different Vikings having one (Daviere Jones owns three of the 11).
• Prince Brown leads the Vikings with seven PBUs.
• Jackson Filer leads the Vikings in TFL-YDS, with 21.5 for 150 yards.

  
QUARTERFINAL REWIND

• Grand View and Northwestern have faced each other only once in their storied histories, meeting in the 2020 NAIA Quarterfinals in Des Moines.
• The matchup occurred when the FCS playoffs still featured a 16-team format, prior to the introduction of play-in games.
• Grand View struck first in the 2020 clash, with Johnny Sullivan connecting with Brandon Martin on a 13-play, 65-yard drive, taking a 14-7 lead into halftime.
• Northwestern grabbed their first lead early in the third quarter, but the Vikings responded late in the fourth with another Sullivan-to-Martin touchdown, tying the game at 24.
• The Red Raiders secured the win with a late-game drive capped by Eli Stader's decisive 21-yard field goal. 

RED RAIDER QUICK HITS

• Northwestern enters the Quarterfinals as the No. 11 seed with a 9-2 (8-2 GPAC) record under 10^th-year head coach Matt McCarty.
• Head coach Matt McCarty is making his seventh NAIA FCS appearance in 10 seasons at the helm.
• The Red Raiders are coming off a 51-yard walk-off field goal by Eli Stader to advance to the Quarterfinals over 7th-seeded Montana Tech in Butte, Montana.
• Northwestern has one of the country's top defenses behind the Vikings. They have held opponents to seven points or less on eight occasions.

GAME DAY WEATHER

• The high for Saturday is 55°, the highest recorded temperature in Des Moines on December 7th was 66° back in 1894. 
• The forecast does not indicate precipitation. At just 1%, Viking Nation can expect very sunny conditions on Saturday.
• The forecast calls for 11 mph winds on Saturday. 

Please click here to review a list of prohibited items at Mediacom Stadium. 
Please click here to view the Visitor Map and Guide.