By, Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
The Northwestern football team lost to the Southeastern Savage Storm, 44-7, Saturday afternoon at Ranger Field.
Dakota Michaels made his first start at quarterback for the Rangers. He replaced an injured Tanner Clarkson in the 26-23 win over Arkansas-Monticello Oct. 8.
The momentum from that win carried over to the first drive Saturday against Southeastern, as the Rangers forced the Savage Storm to punt on their first drive of the game.
When the Rangers got the ball, they used a combination of short passes and runs to create a 13-play, 71-yard drive that lasted nearly five minutes and ended with Michaels running into the endzone to give the Rangers a 7-0 lead.
The Savage Storm responded with a five-minute drive of their own to tie the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. From this point on, the Southeastern never looked back.
The Rangers did not keep pace with the Savage Storm, as Michaels threw an interception on the second play of the drive to give Southeastern the ball just 22 yards away from the endzone.
A five-play drive ending with a Southeastern touchdown gave the Savage Storm its first lead of the game, 14-7, with 13 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Northwestern failed to get a first down on the next drive, meaning the Rangers had to punt the ball away again.
Before Zack Stone could send the ball across the field, Michael Hookfin batted the ball back towards the turf. Tyveon Williams scooped up the football and sprinted into the endzone to extend Southeastern’s lead to 21-7.
The Rangers continued to punt, while the Savage Storm continued to score, which gave Southeastern a 24-7 lead at halftime.
The Rangers continued to struggle on offense in the third quarter, as Northwestern put up a measly 32 yards compared to the 115 yards that the Savage Storm racked up. At the end of the third quarter, Southeastern had a 30-7 lead.
Southeastern continued to put points on the board, as the Savage Storm scored two more touchdowns to win the game, 44-7.
The next game for the Rangers is on Saturday, when Northwestern travels to Bethany to take on the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene at 3 p.m. at SNU Football Stadium. The Rangers defeated the Crimson Storm in Alva last season, 47-27.