Ranger seniors cap career with rivalry blowout
November 12, 2017
ALVA, Okla. – It was Senior Day at Northwestern Oklahoma State where six Rangers and their teammates were able to rise above the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State for the first time since 2014 in a blowout, 35-7.
There were several Northwestern players who had banner days, including running back Anthony Cota, who destroyed the Bulldogs, rushing for 163 yards and a score. He was just a portion of the big rushing night by the Rangers, who toted the rock for a total of 403 yards.
The Ranger quarterbacks only threw for a total of 106 yards, but it didn't matter as the rushing attack and the stingy defense was good enough for the big win.
Defensively, there were several Rangers involved as Maurice Wright Jr. led the attack with 10, bringing his yearly total to 104 in just eight games, which leads the conference. Dakota Driskill also had a great game, recording eight tackles with 1.5 for loss while also earning himself a sack.
It didn't take long for the home team to take control of the game, as four plays into the contest they were in the end zone. DaShawn Gordon opened up play with one of the biggest of the game with a 61-yard rush, eventually setting up a score.
The touchdown came just three plays later on a 13-yard TD pass by Jake McClurg to Jamar Morris, making it 7-0 following the extra point by Zave Goodrich. The drive lasted just 1:35.
Southwestern threatened in quick fashion as well, getting all the way down to the three yard line, but a threat was all that it would be, as quarterback Tyler Marr was sacked for a seven-yard loss to the 10, but lost the ball on the way, which was recovered by Maurice Wright Jr.
The Black and Red were extremely quick in the next score as it took all of 16 seconds, following a huge 88-yard rush to the house by Anthony Cota, who rolled down the field leaving all Bulldogs in the dust. The TD by the powerful back made it 14-0.
Each team had the ball a couple more times in the first quarter, both coming up empty, but in their first possession of the second quarter, the hosts poured it on some more, taking their already sizable advantage to 21 points after a deep pass to Kentrez Bell from Isaiah Weed who replaced McClurg at the QB position following an injury to the redshirt freshman.
Neither team was able to put any more points on the board in the half as the hosts took the 21-point advantage into the break.
The Ranger defense remained tough as SWOSU had a tough time getting things going, taking just over five minutes off the clock and still scoreless on the evening.
Starting out the same way they did in the beginning, the home team scored on their first possession of the second half where they drove the ball 85 yards on 11 plays. The final play of the drive was a complete pass to Morris from Weed while the black-and-white clad Rangers burned 4:41 off the clock in the process.
The two drives almost took up the entire third quarter and the score would be the last of the quarter. Northwestern added on another seven points, bringing the score to 35-0, but that was the final time the Rangers scored on Senior Night.
Pitching a shutout for the majority of the evening, it came to an end with just 16 ticks left on the board on a 21-yard pass to the corner of the end zone, but it was too little too late, as the Rangers blew out the arch rivals from Weatherford.
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