MONTICELLO, Ark. – Northwestern Oklahoma State's defense played well, but Arkansas-Monticello's played big. The host Boll Weevils scored their first 10 points off of a turnover and a blocked punt and used two more fourth-quarter takeways to close out a 22-20 win over Northwestern, Saturday evening at the Cotton Boll.
It was a measure of revenge for Monticello, which lost the 2012 finale to Northwestern on a last-second field goal drive. The two teams have played twice now in the Great American Conference era, with both games decided by a total of just five points.
"When you're in a tight ballgame, you can't turn the ball over," said Northwestern head coach Alan Hall. "The team that doesn't usually comes out on top. We turned it over more than they did."
Northwestern dropped to 0-3 on the year.
Those game-changing plays and the final score overshadowed a bounce-back effort from the Northwestern defense. They allowed five scoring drives, but just one of them covered more than 37 yards.
One week after surrending over 400 rushing yards and 69 points at Harding, the Rangers pinned the Boll Weevils to just 98 yards on the ground and 324 total yards. They also forced their first two turnovers of the young season.
Also easily overlooked is an otherwise remarkable showing by the Ranger offense. With top quarterbacks Reid Miller and Jake Streck still sidelined by injuries suffered at Harding, Pfaff helped key an efficient performance that included two long touchdown passes.
"I can't say enough about the effort and the heart that these kids played with tonight, given the circumstances," Hall said. "You change a play here and a play there and this game turns out just the opposite."
Pfaff – making his first career start – seemed to benefit from a full week of practice reps. He completed 15-of-26 passes for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Javari Liggins also saw extended quarterback action out of the wildcat, tallying 87 yards on 19 carries. Jarion Tudman ran seven times for 41 yards.
Montrell Logan led the Ranger receivers with three catches for 84 yards, while Mervin Stewart added two receptions for 44 yards.
Alex Hemberger and Jeremy Gutierrez shared the team lead with eight tackles each. Gutierrez's total includes a key second quarter sack that knocked Monticello out of field goal range. Traveon Kelly notched his first interception of the year just before halftime.
Northwestern's turnover troubles began early. On the Rangers' second offensive play of the game, Liggins fumbled, giving Monticello the ball with good field position. That eventually turned into a 32-yard Jamie McGee field goal and a 3-0 Boll Weevil lead.
The Liggins turnover ended a string of 221 carries (spanning eight-plus games) by Ranger running backs without losing a fumble.
Northwestern almost immediately made amends. Pfaff looked crisp, breaking off a 15-yard run on a bootleg to move the Rangers into Monticello territory. He converted a third-and-six by wedging through a pass to Cameron Allen at the 40, setting up the Rangers' first score.
That came on some well-executed play action. Pfaff faked a handoff, sucked in the defense and lofted deep to an uncovered Mervin Stewart for a 39-yard touchdown.
Pfaff's first career touchdown was also the Rangers' first touchdown pass in three games this year.
Northwestern spent the remainder of the first quarter pinned deep, twice punting from deep in its own territory. The second ended in disaster when Anthony Hughes blocked Stetson Broce's punt, giving Monticello the ball at the Ranger 8.
One play later, quarterback Brett Courville dashed eight-yards on a keeper to push the Boll Weevils back in front. Derrick Thompson blocked the extra point for the Rangers, keeping the score at 9-7.
Northwestern stalled on its next possession but again got a lift from its defense, which stonewalled Monticello on fourth-down at the Ranger 35.
Northwestern surged back in front with a bit of trickery, running a reverse for Pfaff, who had lined up in the slot as a receiver. Wideout Montrell Logan gained a small amount of separation on two Monticello defenders and hauled in a deep pass from Pfaff before tumbling into the endzone. The 42-yard strike and a Kevin Ditch extra point made it 14-9 Northwestern with 6:04 to play before halftime.
The Rangers seemed destined to take that five-point lead with them into the break, but another big play lifted Monticello with less than two minutes to go in the half. A short screen pass from Cody Trimble to Jamal Nixon turned into much more when Nixon broke a pair of tackles near the line of scrimmage, picked up a downfield block and galloped 76 yards for the go-ahead score.
Monticello led 16-14 at the break and added to its lead midway through the third. The Boll Weevils swarmed Broce, tackling the Ranger punter at his own 43 before he could get the kick away. They used that short field effectively, moving 37 yards before settling for a short field goal to up 19-14.
Northwestern took the lead back in the early moments of the fourth quarter on drive that featured several heroes. Pfaff hit Allen for a 17-yard pass to get the ball rolling. Liggins picked up a key third-down conversion, bowling 11 yards up the middle, and Tudman bounced outside for 21 yards on the very next play to move the ball inside the Monticello 5. Doyle finished the drive with a short touchdown plunge.
The Ranger also appeared to have notched a two-point conversion, but it was waived off an illegal formation penalty. A second attempt from five yards back fell incomplete, and Northwestern was forced to settle for a 20-19 edge with 13:52 to go.
Those two points would turn out to be critical.
Quarterback Colton Morrison completed a pair of huge passes on Monticello's ensuing possession - a 22-yard pass on third-and-19 to keep the chains moving, then a 20-yard completion on third-and-25 that moved the Boll Weevils back into field goal range.
McGee boomed a 43-yarder, giving Monticello a 22-20 lead with 10:03 left.
Then came Northwestern two ill-fated possessions. On the first, Pfaff sparked the Rangers from their own 28 to the Monticello 38. The Rangers dialed up another reverse, but Monticello sniffed it out with pressure and forced a Davontaa Bryant fumble deep in the backfield.
The Northwestern defense succeeded in pushing Monticello backward over the next three plays, forcing a Boll Weevil punt.
With 4:21 remaining, Northwestern took over at its own 29. Pfaff dialed up Liggins on a screen near the left sideline. The senior avoided several Boll Weevil defenders and the sideline before cutting back for 26-yard gain.
Two plays later, from the Monticello 43, Pfaff found himself under duress, leading to the game-clinching interception with 2:59 to go.
"We've got to build on this," Hall said. "Hopefully we can come back and put a great week of practice together going into the Southern Arkansas game. Obviously there was a lot of improvement between last week and this week."
Northwestern hosts SAU on Saturday, Sep. 28 in a 1:00 kick at Ranger Field.
