By TRAVIS HARMON-SMITH
Sports Editor
Northwestern ( 3-7, 3-7 GAC), travelled to Weatherford this past weekend for its last conference match-up of the season against Southwestern Oklahoma State, winning convincingly 28-6.
After coming off a big victory last week on Senior Day against Southern Nazarene, the Rangers picked up where they left off against the Bulldogs in their final road game. As the first quarter got under way, the Rangers kicked off to the Bulldogs. It was first and 10 as Southwestern running back Karl Hodge took a handoff from Bulldogs quarterback Ryley Calborn for a four-yard gain to the Bulldog 25 -yard line. Hodge took another hand-off from Claborn, giving him only two yards. During early minutes that Southwestern had possession in the first, Bulldog quarterback Claborn tried to utilize Hodge in the running and passing game but fell short as the Rangers were able to control the momentum early on.
Northwestern’s defense forced the Bulldogs to punt on fourth down, as Southwestern punter Dalton Jackson’s 38 -yard punt to the Northwestern 31 set up the Ranger offense for its first possession. Ranger quarterback Reid Miller start their first drive from the Northwestern 33. Miller threw his first pass to Ranger wide receiver Justin Schanbacher for a two-yard gain to the Northwestern 35. Both teams had ineffective offensive production early on in the first quarter as both programs ended the first with a 0-0 score.
Southwestern took possession to start the second quarter on the Northwestern 32-yard line. Bulldogs quarterback Claborn threw to receiver Collin Bricker for a 12-yard gain. Throughout most of the second quarter, penalties were an issue for both teams, as officials called a personal foul at the 4:48 mark.
With the second quarter coming down to the wire, Southwestern running back Karl Hodge made the Bulldog offense more efficient in the running game as he rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:13 left before halftime. However, the Rangers had different offensive plans before halftime. With five seconds left in the half, Miller lined up on a first and 10 at the Southwestern 37 and connected with freshman wide receiver Tamarick Courtney for a 37–yard touchdown pass. A Will Dawkins extra point cut the deficit in favor of the Rangers for a 7-6 halftime lead.
Southwestern retained possession to start the third quarter. The Bulldogs started the drive at the Southwestern 25-yard line, with a false start penalty by Northwestern, which gave the Bulldogs a 5-yard advantage that would put the Bulldogs in scoring margin. Plays later, with 7:16 left in the third, Northwestern responded again as Miller connected on another short pass to freshman DeShawn Gordon for a 32–yard touchdown following an extra point attempt from Will Dawkins that would give the Rangers a 14-6 lead to end the third.
Northwestern’s defense performed relentlessly against the Bulldog offense throughout the third, but in the fourth it was a different reality. Star linebacker Alex Hemberger had a marvelous day for the Ranger defense. The senior racked up 20 tackles on the day, 13 assisted along with seven solos. Alongside Hemberger’s dominance were Shane Collins, and Brandon Cannon, who added 10 and nine tackles respectively. Minutes of the fourth started to tick closely, for Northwestern it was “Miller Time”. The sensational sophomore quarterback threw a deep 64–yard touchdown pass to receiver Justin Schanbacher with 5:47 left in the game, which resulted in a 21-6 Ranger advantage. A minute later, senior running back Avery Morris scored on a 4-yard rush along with a Will Dawkins extra point to give the Rangers a winning score 28-6.
Northwestern finished the 2014 campaign 3-7 in the regular season, following a 3-7 Great American Conference finish. The win against the Bulldogs put the Rangers on a three-game winning streak to end the season.