ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State hosted the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils for a thrilling 37-35 game, but the Rangers unfortunately came up short in the contest.

Isiah Weed had a pretty solid night as he was 16-of-26 for 270 yards as well as two TDs through the air. He also ran the ball very effective as well, rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries, scoring three times in the ballgame.

Leading the way by way of the rush was Anthony Cota, who netted 57 yards on the night.

After a near 100-yard game last week at Ouachita, DaShawn Gordon had a spectacular night, racking up 130 yards and a touchdown, with the longest going for 57 yards.

Junior sensation wideout Horatio Smith not only had a good receiving night but was phenomenal for the Black and Red in the return game as he returned five kicks for a total of 193 yards, which brought his all-purpose yards on the night to 236 total yards.

Defensively is where a few individuals shined as Devin Peyton led the way with 18 total tackles and a tackle for a loss. Next in line were Maurice Wright Jr. and Dakota Driskill with 14 and 12 respectively.

The Black and Red had a tough time slowing down the UAM offensive unit early on in the game as the scoring started at the 7:13 mark of the first quarter and came in bunches after that.

After going down 13-0 in the second, the Rangers found the endzone on a 10-yard pass from Isiah Weed to Jamar Morris to make it 13-6, but the extra point was blocked in the process.

UAM rattled off 14 more points in the second quarter to make it a tall order for the Rangers after the break.

Coming out of halftime however, Northwestern caught fire on offense and came away with quick points, scoring with just 42 seconds taken off the clock. The fast touchdown was largely in part due to Horatio Smith surging up the field on the kickoff for a 75-yard return, putting the Rangers in the red zone.

The big return by Smith and a nice 15 yard scamper by Anthony Cota set up the one-yard TD run for Weed, who ended up in the end zone three times on the night.

With just over seven minutes left to go in the third period, the Boll Weevils took it to the house again to push the lead to 17 at 30-13.

Five plays later though, the hosts were in the end zone again making it a 10-point deficit once again. A huge play by both Weed and Dashawn Gordon led to a 57-yard touchdown, with only 1:52 coming off the clock in the process.

The very beginning of the fourth is where the game completely changed. As the Weevils attempted trickery, the Rangers saw right through it as kicker, Josh Marini of UAM passed on a fake field goal and it found the hands of Northwestern defensive lineman, Marcus Brent, who stepped out of bounds at the Ranger 20.

However, following the big momentum swinging play, Brent then ran down the field and spiked the ball in the end zone, which provoked a 10 yard penalty. The following play was devastating for the home team as Jacob Peyton was unable to hang on to the ball, giving it up on the 25 yard line.

The change in possession ultimately cost the Rangers a chance at victory as UAM punched it in after nine plays, making the deficit 17 points.

Northwestern wasn't about to give up however as their next two possessions both found the goal line, clawing their way back to down by two at 37-35.

The Weevils devastated the hosts, though, as a couple of big first downs ended the comeback on the short end.

Up Next

Northwestern will travel next weekend to Henderson State where they will battle the Reddies (1-1) in Arkadelphia.

Da'Shawn Gordon (2), out of Los Angeles, California, out-reaches Boll Weevil Curtis Williams (34) near the end of the second quarter in Saturday's game.

Box Score

Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total

UAM 7 20 3 7 37

NWOSU 0 6 14 15 35

UAM: Cole Sears (230), Cole Sears (78), Jalen Tolliver (147)

NWOSU: Isiah Weed (270), Anthony Cota (57), Da'Shawn Gordon (130)