Story by: Cade Kennedy
Photos By: Jara Reeder
The Northwestern football team lost against Southern Arkansas 32-13 September 2 at Ranger Field.
The Rangers had several problems against the Muleriders, with red-zone scoring being one of them.
“We struggled in the red zone,” said Matt Walter, the head coach of the Rangers. “You can not win games without scoring touchdowns, so that’s where we have to be.”
The Rangers were able to score on two of their three possessions in the red zone, but they had to settle for field goals both times. The third possession in the red zone ended with Northwestern fumbling the ball.
Red-zone scoring was not the only problem that the Rangers had, as penalties were a problem as well. The Rangers committed 10 penalties throughout the game for a total of 87 yards.
Some of these penalties directly led to points for the Muleriders, such as the second drive of the game.
On that drive, the Muleriders were facing 3rd and 18 at their own 39-yardline when Mallory Hayden, the quarterback for the Muleriders, threw an incomplete pass that would bring up 4th down. However, one of the Rangers was flagged for being offside, making it 3rd and 13 instead of 4th and 18. The next play, Hayden was able to find a receiver for a 13-yard gain, giving the Muleriders a first down.
Southern Arkansas would go on to kick a field goal later in the drive to take a 6-3 lead over Northwestern.
Another problem that would plague the Rangers would be the offensive line, as Tanner Clarkson, the quarterback for the Rangers, was sacked eight times during game for a combined loss of 40 yards.
The ability to run the football would be another problem for the Rangers, as Northwestern only had 26 total rushing yards throughout the entire game.
There were also some positives for the Rangers, as Clarkson threw for 413 yards and one touchdown with 26 completions out of 40 attempts.
The lone touchdown of the game was caught by Torrence Stevens, who had six receptions for 103 yards.
Stevens spoke about how it felt to catch the first touchdown of the year.
“I saw the ball in the air and I was wide open, so I knew I had to make a play,” Stevens said.
The Rangers will play Saturday against the Henderson State University Reddies at 6 p.m. in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
The Rangers have maintained a 2-5 record against the Reddies since 2013. Henderson State defeated
Southwestern last week 31-13 on September 2, giving the Reddies a 1-0 record for the season.
