By ELY NOBLE
Senior Reporter
The Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers football team fell to Ouachita Baptist in their 2024 season home opener Thursday evening by a score of 56-2.
The Tigers set the tone early, capitalizing on a Rangers punt to open the game, and never looked back, improving to 2-0 on the season while the Rangers drop to 0-2.
The Tigers quickly found their stride on offense with a 22-yard drive to get into Ranger territory before Quarterback Eli Livingston connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to AJ Jones. The early strike gave Ouachita Baptist a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes, a lead they would continue to build on as the game progressed.
Northwestern’s defense fought hard, keeping the score at 7-0 for the remainder of the first quarter.
However, the Tigers found the end zone again in the second quarter, putting their lead at 14-0.
A big moment came when the Rangers threw an interception, but a hustle play on defense led to a safety, cutting the deficit to 14-2.
It was a brief moment of momentum for the Rangers, but the Tigers responded with a late drive capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Livingston to Jones just before halftime, pushing their lead to 21-2.
The second half started in disaster for the Rangers with Ouachita Baptist returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, extending the lead to 28-2, pushing the score out of reach. From there, the Tigers continued to dominate where they eventually win 56-2.
The Rangers struggled offensively throughout the game, managing just 61 passing yards. Starting Quarterback Beck Moss completed 12 passes, with Mark Zamora leading the receiving core with 24 yards, followed by Travis Romar with 19 yards. Defensively, Colby Tilman led the squad bringing in 10 tackles, including a Tackle for loss, While Wilson Cal contributed five tackles. The team’s highlight on defense came when Bashu Delco recorded his first interception of the season.
Eli Livingston led the Tigers’ attack all game, passing for 171 yards and three touchdowns, While Kendel Givens dominated the ground game with 147 rushing yards and a touchdown.
After the game, Rangers’ running backs coach and special teams coordinator Dax Benway, expressed his frustration but remained hopeful. “We have to be better across the board, starting with special teams,” Benway said. “The opening kickoff after half hurt us. We’ll be back better next week.”
Assistant linebackers coach Bryce Mack highlighted the defensive effort, especially early on. “We came out strong and kept them in check for a bit,” Mack said. “You can see the heart. Coby [Tilman] played great for us tonight. We can check the film and build off of it for sure.”
