By Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
The Northwestern football team lost to the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm Saturday, 27-21, at the SNU Football Stadium in Bethany.
The game began as the Rangers kicked off to the Crimson Storm. Once the Crimson Storm got the ball, the Crimson Storm kept it on the ground. The Rangers stopped the Crimson Storm and forced a punt.
The Rangers had less success on their first drive, as they ran three plays before kicking the ball back to the Crimson Storm.
Both teams traded touchdowns on their next drives, which created a 7-7 deadlock at the end of the first quarter.
The Crimson Storm had the ball to start the second quarter and once again marched down the field. The 13-play, eight-minute drive came to a stop, as Brian Holiday recovered a fumble to give the Rangers the ball back.
The Rangers responded, but the ensuing drive took a toll on their depth. Using a combination of running backs and quarterback Dakota Michaels, the Rangers travelled 90 yards in five minutes. The drive ended with running back Jacob Reed plowing into the endzone for his first touchdown of the season.
With that touchdown, the Rangers had a 14-7 lead at halftime, and Reed became Northwestern’s only running back.
In the third quarter, the Rangers and Crimson Storm exchanged touchdowns, but Jarrell Farr broke off a 34-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21-21 at the end of the third quarter.
In the closing seconds of the quarter, injuries struck the Rangers again, as Michaels went down. When the fourth quarter began, Ethan Everson was the quarterback for Northwestern.
The Crimson Storm gashed the Rangers early in the quarter, as Gage Porter raced into the endzone from 21 yards out to put Southern Nazarene back on top, 27-21.
With only 10 minutes left, the Rangers fought for first downs and kept driving. With one minute left, the Rangers were five yards from the endzone facing a fourth down.
As Everson looked around, he found Torrence Stevens open and let the ball fly. The ball sailed through the air but hit the ground. Southern Nazarene took over on downs and won, 27-21.
The next game for the Rangers is on Saturday, when they travel to Searcy, Arkansas, to take on Harding at 3 p.m. at First Security Stadium.