By TRAVIS HARMON-SMITH
Sports Editor
Northwestern overcame Arkansas-Monticello Saturday afternoon at Ranger Field. defeating the Weevils 34-28 and earning their first Great American Conference win of the season.
Ranger freshman quarterback Ty Hooper lined up under center for the first time in a Northwestern uniform.
Early in the first quarter, Hooper threw a terrific short lob pass to running back Avery Morris, who took it 34 yards before being brought down by Weevil defenders. Shortly after that, Hooper found true freshman wide receiver DaShawn Gordon for a 56-yard touchdown to give Northwestern a 7-0 lead going into the second.
Northwestern looked even more flawless on the offensive side of the ball as Hooper made another short connection with Ranger running back Jarion Tudman, who caught a bubble screen for a 34-yard gain to open the second quarter. Aside from Hooper’s effectiveness behind center, the running back tandem of Tudman, Zachary Doyle, Malcolm Robinson and Avery Morris combined for a staggering 208 yards rushing on the afternoon.
As the second quarter came to a close, Arkansas-Monticello regained momentum as the Weevils scored again on a 20-yard pass in the end zone, giving Northwestern a 20-14 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Northwestern offense experienced a few troubles in the passing game. Arkansas-Monticello’s secondary played very efficiently in the opening minutes of the third quarter forcing a Ranger turnover early.
Northwestern accumulated just two turnovers during the second half and performed well in the passing game. Hooper was sensational in the second half, displaying pure accuracy throughout the third quarter. At the 6:45 mark, Hooper found Justin Schanbacher for a 27-yard pass to give Northwestern a first down on the 20- yard line with a chance to score. Moments after, Hooper slung another short pass to wide receiver Morris, who took it in for the score to give Northwestern a 27-20 lead.
Toward the end of the third, Arkansas-Monticello found strength on offense, returning the scoring favor as they drove 67 yards to the 25-yard line. That resulted in a short touchdown pass to a Weevil receiver.
With all the pressure the Rangers faced throughout the day, Northwestern’s offense showed its home fans a reason for excitement. With just 4:07 left in the game, Hooper showed no flashes of pressure as the freshman connected with true freshman receiver DaShawn Gordon for a 40-yard catch, which put Northwestern in scoring position. As the final minutes ran down in the fourth, Tudman took a late handoff from Hooper, running it into the end-zone to make the final score 34-28.
Northwestern won its first Great American Conference victory of the year being an official NCAA Division II member.
After the victory at Ranger field, Northwestern looks to add to its win column as they travel to Southern Arkansas this weekend for an away conference match-up. Kick-off is 1 p.m.