SEARCY, Ark. – Just a few days ago, L.T. Pfaff was buried so far down the quarterback depth chart, he'd started taking practice reps at wide receiver just to stay busy. Come Saturday, he got all the action he could handle.
Early injuries to starting quarterback Reid Miller and back-up Jake Streck sent Northwestern spiraling to a 69-0 loss at Harding.
"You've got to take your hat off to Harding. They run a great program and are very well-coached. But the bottom line is, we didn't play very well," said Northwestern head coach Alan Hall.
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Pfaff comes with some pedigree. He terrorized Oklahoma Class 3A opponents for a state record 11,357 yards and 111 touchdowns during a standout prep career at Atoka High School but was overlooked by many college recruiters due to his 5-foot-10, 170 pound frame.
Saturday's double battlefield promotion marked Pfaff's first opportunity at the collegiate level. Despite limited quarterback reps during the past few weeks, he completed 3-of-6 first-half passes for 45 yards, including a 31-yard strike to Cameron Allen in the second quarter.
Pfaff finished the day 6-of-12 for 83 yards.
Jarion Tudman led the Rangers with 52 yards rushing on 10 carries, while Javari Liggins added 43 yards on 13 attempts. Cameron Allen's three catches for 56 yards topped the receivers.
Defensively, Derrick Thompson collected eight tackles, while Chris Ladd and Ira Hill II picked up seven-each.
Harding (1-1) outgained Northwestern 692-167, averaging over 10 yards per play.
The Bisons scored touchdowns on each of their first seven possessions in handing the Rangers their worst defeat since the 1953 team's 80-0 loss to Texas A&M Commerce (then known as East Texas State).
Romo Westbrook paced Harding with eight carries for 109 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Moore completed 4-of-5 passes for 186 yards and a score, and Alex Rachal caught three passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Harding scored on its opening drive, the big play coming on Moore's third-down completions to Rachal for 34 yards down the Ranger 2. The Bisons punched it in one play later on Moore's keeper.
Northwestern responded with a seven-play drive – all running plays – to reach the Harding 21. Midway through, Miller took a hard hit and was replaced by junior backup Jake Streck. Three plays later, Streck fumbled a snap, and Harding recovered to take possession.
That was Northwestern's only turnover of the night (and their only giveaway of the season, to date), but it set off a domino effect.
Harding scored again on Moore's 26-yard run. Miller returned briefly on the next possession before shutting it down for the night. Shortly after, Streck was knocked from the game on a hard tackle, leaving Pfaff to call the signals.
Harding led 21-0 after a quarter and 41-0 at the half.
Westbrook broke off a 76-yard run on Harding's first offensive play of the second half to widen the margin.
Northwestern (0-2) suffered its first shutout since a 41-0 loss to Colorado-State Pueblo early in the 2011 season and was blanked for only the second time in the last nine years.
"We'll learn something about ourselves," Hall said. "I told the kids – 'We didn't play very hard.' There were times where it felt like it was over, and we were just going through the motions. We've got to look inside ourselves and get some things fixed."
The Rangers travel to Arkansas-Monticello next Saturday. Northwestern defeated the Boll Weevils in Monticello in the 2012 finale. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
