After a brutal loss last week, Northwestern is back at home this week against Arkansas-Monticello.
It is homecoming weekend for Northwestern, and several activities are happening around Alva this weekend, with the game starting at 4 p.m. at Ranger Field.
For the Rangers, they come into the game with a record of 0-5, but have improved in all three phases of the game.
The Rangers offense has shown major improvements, but is still only averaging 19 points per game. The offense will need to show up if the Rangers want to win this game. Arkansas-Monticello has given up an average of 32.4 points per game, so the Rangers might have some more opportunities than usual to get some points on the board..
The Rangers will need to stop the run, as the Rangers gave up over 400 rushing yards and 64 points against Ouachita Baptist. The Rangers are currently giving up 45 points per game.
If the Rangers can continue to clean up some simple mistakes, such as missed tackles and penalties, they have a good chance to beat Arkansas-Monticello. One position that has improved is the offensive line, as they only allow a sack or two per game, compared to giving up eight sacks to Southern Arkansas.
Looking at the records, Northwestern is 0-5, but has played a tougher schedule than Arkansas-Monticello Central. The Rangers were defeated by Southern Arkansas, Henderson State, Oklahoma Baptist, East Central, and Ouachita Baptist.
The Rangers have maintained a 5-3 record against the Boll Weevils since 2012, but three of the last four meetings between the two teams were one possession games.
Arkansas-Monticello has a 3-2 record on the season, with wins over Southwestern, Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene, and losses to Henderson State and Oklahoma Baptist. Arkansas-Monticello has not had a winning season since joining the Great American Conference in 2011.
