By Oaklee Fielder, Sports Editor
The Rangers looked to change their luck as they stayed home last weekend and faced the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders.
NWOSU has not had a very good season as they sit with a 0-5 record. They went against the 4-1 Muleriders, a tough opponent on the Rangers’ schedule.
The Rangers won the coin toss and decided to defend in the first half.
Northwestern was able to stop Southern Arkansas’ first drive, and they received possession quickly in the first quarter. Not only did NWOSU earn possession, but they scored. The Rangers charged towards the Muleriders’ endzone and walked away with a field goal scored by Kale Purvis. The two teams continued in the quarter, struggling to find scoring opportunities. The first quarter ended with the Rangers up 0-3.
Both Southern Arkansas and Northwestern failed in their first two drives in the second quarter. Eventually, the Muleriders were able to find themselves, and they scored a touchdown with four minutes left in the half, making it 7-3. With 51 seconds left, the Rangers kicked a punt to end their possession, but when Southern Arkansas muffed the ball, John Fonseca scooped the ball to give NWOSU possession at the end of the quarter.
A 12-yard rush by Ezequiel Luna gave Northwestern a touchdown and the lead at the end. Just when the Rangers thought they were going to be up at the start of the second half, Southern Arkansas charged down the field with just 45 seconds left on the clock and scored a touchdown to respond and make it 14-10 with 18 seconds left. The Rangers ran one play, but the half ended with Northwestern down by four.
The Rangers started with possession in the third quarter, but nothing came from it. Northwestern struggled to get any offense moving, which sparked something for the Southern Arkansas team, and the Muleriders scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, giving SAU the lead 28-10 to head into the final quarter of the game.
The fourth quarter started very well for the Rangers. Another rush from Luna gave Northwestern another touchdown, making it 28-16. Southern Arkansas took the quick touchdown personally and responded with a 57-second drive to score a touchdown and push the lead back to three scores. The quarter continued for a while without any points until SAU scored another touchdown with just a minute left in the game. The game ended with a 41-16 loss for the Rangers.
Northwestern’s next game is against Henderson State University on Saturday in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.