By CADE KENNEDY, Sports Editor
The Northwestern football team lost against Oklahoma Baptist 56-42 Sept. 18 at Crain Family Stadium in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
The Rangers’ offense showed improvement against Bison, with the Rangers getting their first three rushing touchdown of the year.
“We looked at what we were doing and decided to keep the offense simple,” said Matt Walter, the head coach of the Rangers.
The Rangers had several breakthroughs on offense, as Tanner Clarkson threw for 413 yards and 3 touchdowns with 36 completions out of 53 attempts. Torrence Stevens also had a big game for the Rangers, as he had 13 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. Calion Baker ran for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 carries, giving him an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
Another positive for the Rangers involved turnovers, as the Rangers only turned the ball over one time, compared to the four turnovers they had against Henderson State.
The defense was still a problem for the Rangers, as Preston Haire, the quarterback for Oklahoma Baptist, threw for 310 yards and 6 touchdowns with 25 completions out of 34 attempts.
The Rangers could not stop Oklahoma Baptist on the ground either, as the Bison ran for 221 yards on 37 carries. Tyler Stuever, the running back for the Bison, ran for 191 yards and 1 touchdown on 23 carries. This gave him an average of 7.8 yards per carry.
The turning point of the game occurred in the second quarter, when Keilahn Harris ran a kickoff back 87 yards for a touchdown for Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison scored 28 points in the second quarter, and the kickoff return provided the momentum that they needed. That quarter was the difference in the game, as both teams scored 21 points in the second half.
Penalties were once again a problem for the Rangers, as they committed 11 penalties worth 100 yards. Oklahoma Baptist struggled with penalties as well, as the Bison committed nine penalties for 87 yards.
The offensive line was another issue that the Rangers dealt with, as Clarkson was sacked four times for a loss of 32 yards.
The Rangers will play Saturday against the East Central University Tigers at 6 p.m. at Ranger Field.
The Rangers have maintained a 4-4 record against the Tigers since 2012, but have won the last four meetings against East Central.
East Central has a 2-1 record on the season, with wins over Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene, and a 28-0 loss to Harding.