Comeback bid falls short for Rangers against No. 24 Ouachita Baptist, 29-21
August 31, 2018
ALVA, Okla. – In the second straight season opener, the Northwestern Oklahoma State University football team took Ouachita Baptist late into the fourth quarter. However, a comeback bid by the Rangers fell short Thursday night as they fell to the nationally ranked Tigers, 29-21.
Early in the fourth quarter, the visiting Tigers felt like they had the game in hand after a touchdown put them up 29-14. After the squads traded possessions, the Rangers cut into the Tigers lead with a six play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just two minutes of game action.
Northwestern started the fourth quarter drive with a Jacob Peyton seven-yard run to open up the playbook on a short second down. That's when quarterback Isaiah Weed found Justin Cain for a 35-yard connection to move into opposing territory.
Redshirt freshman Jalen Williams began to open some eyes in the game, especially in the fourth. Of his 87 total yards, 29 came on back-to-back plays in the fourth, ultimately setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Jacob Peyton.
Peyton scored two touchdowns on the ground in the contest on his way to 75 yards.
On the final possession by Ouachita, the Rangers were only inches away from forcing a dramatic fourth down attempt with a little more than a minute to play. However, ball carrier Brockton Brown's second effort on a third and eight play allowed the Tigers to move the chains and seal the 29-21 victory.
Much like the Rangers did in 2017, they continued battle even when facing a significant deficit. Ouachita Baptist jumped out to a 20-0 before Weed put the Rangers on the board with a six-yard read option touchdown that capped a 14 play, 78-yard drive with 1:43 to go in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Tigers yet again extended their lead, only to be answered by another long drive by the Rangers that started on their own 13-yard line. Weed found both Horatio Smith and Baley Garza for significant yardage on the drive, leading to an 11-yard touchdown run by Peyton.
Weed finished with 146 yards on 12 completions, while Smith got both of his catches in the contest on the drive that made it a 26-14 game in the third quarter.
The Great American Conference's leading tackler in 2017, Maurice Wright Jr. was at it again in the season opener as he came up with 11 tackles, five of which were of the solo variety. Fellow standout linebacker Dakota Driskill also had double-digit tackles with 10.
Cain also put Ranger opponents on notice in his first career contest as he hauled in a 35-yard catch, returned four kicks for 92 yards, including a 39-yard return, and made multiple blocks on the outside to opening up the solid Ranger running game.
Northwestern will have an extended week of work before they take the field next on Sept. 8 at Arkansas-Monticello in its longest road trip of the season. Kickoff against the Boll Weevils will be at 6 p.m.
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