ALVA – Northwestern Oklahoma State didn't necessarily beat itself, Thursday, but it certainly didn't do much to help its own cause, either, in a 38-10 setback against Arkansas Tech.
The Rangers avoided many of the mistakes typical of a young team in the early stages of the year, committing just six penalties, while lasting the entire night without a turnover. But positive, momentum-swinging plays also alluded them. Northwestern managed just 94 total yards in the second half and went scoreless over the final 43 minutes of the game.
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Redshirt freshman Reid Miller led a field goal drive on the Rangers' second possession of the night and also scored on a 26-yard run early the second quarter to pull them to within 14-10.
For Miller, who showed flashes of potential in his first-career start, that was the high point. He finished the night 10-of-32 passing for 83 yards and was sacked four times by the Wonderboy defense.
"I knew it was going to be a little chaotic for him," said Northwestern head coach Alan Hall. "There were time where he settled down and let it come to him, and I thought he played well. There were also times when he made snap decisions and didn't follow through with his progressions. But Reid's a great athlete. I think he'll learn a lot from tonight."
Tech punted on its first two drives but wouldn't need to again until the fourth quarter. By then, the margin had widened considerably, thanks to five touchdowns and a field goal in a span of seven possessions. The lone stop came on a missed 31-yard field goal early in the third.
Luke Halpin completed 25-of-34 passes for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Tech (1-0, 1-0 Great American Conference). Casey Henderson, Ketrich Harmon and Justin Owens all rushed for scores.
Northwestern (0-1, 0-1 GAC) totaled 214 yards on 64 plays and saw its four-game winning streak snapped. The Rangers have now dropped four-straight season openers.
Miller rushed for a team-high 46 yards. Javari Liggins rushed for 30 yards to go with 28 from Zachry Doyle and 32 from Jarion Tudman.
Jeremi Anderson led the receiving core with five catches – one short of his career high. Cameron Allen and Danontaa Bryant had two receptions each.
The Ranger defense keyed up three sacks – more than it had in any one game in 2012. Rontez Smith posted a game-high 11 tackles, and sophomore transfer Alex Hemberger had a solid Ranger debut with nine total stops.
Northwestern enjoyed an early lead, stopping Tech on its first two drives. On the second, they succeeded in pinning the Wonderboys back at their own 5-yard line.
After a punt gave them the short field, the Rangers marched 12 plays. Miller made the first of several nice plays with his legs, slipping ahead for four yards to convert on fourth-and-short.
Tech helped out with a holding penalty and later a personal foul – both coming on third-and-long – to keep the chains moving.
The Rangers ultimately stalled at the Tech 8 and were forced to settle for a 25-yard Kevin Ditch field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Northwestern appeared to have the Wonderboys stopped cold again, but Halpin connected on a big third-down pass to Jonathan Keener to flip the field. That softened things up for the run game. Tech followed with seven-straight rushes, covering 35 yards to the goal line, and Owens plunged forward for a 2-yard score to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.
Northwestern drove to the Tech 43, but the Wonderboy defense held strong on fourth down. A couple of long completions quickly moved Tech back the other way, and they expanded their lead to 14-3 on Henderson's 5-yard TD run.
The Rangers' lone touchdown drive came in response. Treveon Kelly sprung a big return on the ensuing kickoff, which – with help from a 15-yard personal foul penalty – set them up at the Tech 44.
Miller hit Tevian Parnell for another 18 yards on the first play from scrimmage before finishing the drive himself. Miller found open space down the left side of the field and took off, winning a footrace to the South endzone against several Wonderboy defenders.
Tech's 14-play, 82-yard march took the crowd right back out of it. Halpin finished it off with a 14-yard toss to John Simpson, making it 21-10 Tech with 6:42 to go in the half.
The Wonderboys added a field goal on their next possession and also succeeded in draining the rest of the first-half clock with another long, 12-play trek that made it 24-10 heading into halftime.
Northwestern had a couple of opportunities to get it back to a one-possession game early in the third quarter but couldn't put together a sustained drive.
Tech regrouped and slammed the door with TDs on back-to-back possessions. Harmon scored the first on a 10-yard run and Halpin dialed up John Simpson from 13-yards for the second to produce the final scoring margin.
The Rangers now hit the road for two straight, beginning with a visit to Harding on Sept. 14. That game is scheduled to kick at 6 p.m. Following a trip to Arkansas-Monticello on Sept. 21, Northwestern returns home Sept. 28 against Southern Arkansas.
"The greatest progression a football team makes is between week one and week two," Hall said. "So we'll how this team comes back and responds."
