By CADE KENNEDY, Sports Editor
The Northwestern football team lost to Harding, 73-14, on Oct. 30 at Ranger Field.
The Bisons ran past the Rangers, as the Bisons broke a school record with 685 rushing yards, with 412 yards coming in the first half.
“The defense struggled at times to adjust to what Harding was doing,” said Matt Walter, the head coach of the Rangers. “Harding is a really good football team. They have national championship aspirations, and they played like it.”
Harding scored on the opening drive of the game, as the Bisons continued to run the ball on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took up the first six minutes of the game. The Bisons recovered an onside kick and would score again to take a 14-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. The Bisons continued to put points on the board and had a 45-0 lead at halftime.
The Bisons did not throw the ball the entire game, so they finished the game with a total of 685 yards. The Bisons had 63 carries, meaning that the Bisons ran for almost 11 yards per carry.
The Bisons had a trio of running backs that had most of the yards, as Jhalen Spicer ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns, Blake Delacruz had 136 yards and one touchdown and Will Fitzhugh ran for 116 yards and one touchdown. All three of these running backs combined for 29 carries, which is less than half of the Bisons’ total plays.
The Rangers were not able to keep up Harding’s rushing attack, as the Rangers had only 70 rushing yards. The Rangers threw for 166 yards, giving them a total of 236 yards for the day.
There were some positives for the Rangers, as they only committed five penalties for 38 yards, and the offensive line only gave up one sack. The Rangers succeeded in preventing turnovers, as they did not fumble or throw an interception the entire game.
The Rangers will play Saturday against the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys at 2 p.m. at Thone Stadium at Buerkle Field in Russellville, Arkansas.
The Rangers have maintained a 1-7 record against the Wonder Boys since 2012, with the previous meeting ending in a 21-14 Arkansas Tech victory over the Rangers.
The Rangers’ only win over the Wonder Boys came on October 13, 2018, when the Rangers swept with a score of 21-0.
Arkansas Tech has a 3-6 record on the season, with wins over Southwestern, Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist. Three of the Wonder Boys’ six losses have been by one possession.