By Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
The Northwestern football team lost to the Southwestern Bulldogs Saturday, 41-28, at Milam Stadium in Weatherford.
The loss puts Northwestern’s record at 1-10 for this season, making it the worst season for the Rangers since 1975.
Southwestern got off to a quick start, as Deshon Moreaux ran the opening kickoff back 42 yards to give the Bulldogs a short field near the 50-yard line. The 53-yard drive ended when Dexter Brown ran into the endzone to give Southwestern a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter.
On Northwestern’s first drive, the Rangers marched down the field as quarterback Ethan Everson threw four straight completions to bring the Rangers into the redzone. After a five-yard run, Everson threw an interception that ended the drive.
The Bulldogs punted the ball on their second drive of the game, and the Rangers responded with a punt of their own.
Before Zach Stone could punt the ball away, Logan Engle blocked the punt, and Elijah Reed scooped the ball and ran for 30 yards and a Bulldog touchdown.
The Rangers had a special teams touchdown 15 seconds later, as Kaden Taylor ran the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards for Northwestern’s first touchdown of the day.
Southwestern struck again before the quarter ended, as Tylan Morton connected with Isreal Watson on a 61-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs a 20-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Rangers put together a lengthy drive to cut into the deficit, as Northwestern went on a 14-play, seven-minute drive, with Everson throwing a touchdown pass to Alex Baxter to make the score 20-14.
The Bulldogs took control of the game after the score, with Southwestern extending the lead to 34-14 late in the first half. The Rangers scored with seconds left in the half. Isaiah Wallace had an 88-yard kickoff return to cut the lead to 34-21 at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, and the game switched from a shootout to a rock fight. Southwestern broke the drought with 13 minutes left in the game, with Brown scoring his third touchdown of the game.
The Rangers scored the final touchdown of the game, as Isaiah Kellum recovered a Bulldog fumble on the goal line for the final touchdown of the season.