Alva, Oklahoma – Northwestern Oklahoma State Football lost to Arkansas Tech, 44-21, on Saturday afternoon at Ranger Field after two early turnovers hurt the Rangers as Arkansa Tech went up 17-0 in 1st quarter before closing out the win.
The loss moves the Rangers to a 1-4 record on the season, while the Wonder Boys improved to 3-2 for the year.
Brodey Johnson led the Rangers in passing with 210 yards while providing three touchdowns, while led Chancelor Gill led Northwestern in receiving yards with 57 yards on three catches. On the defensive side of the ball, Muftah Ageli recorded 11 tackles for the Rangers, while Coby Tillman had 10 tackles including a tackle for loss.
The Rangers struggled on the first two offensive drives of the game, as the Wonder Boys recovered a fumble near midfield that set up the first touchdown for Arkansas Tech. On the next drive, Johnson threw an interception that was returned for the second Wonder Boy touchdown of the day.
Following a Ranger punt, the Northwestern defense held the Wonder Boys to a field goal to increase the Arkansas Tech lead to 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Ranger offense responded in the second quarter, with Northwestern putting together a 66-yard drive that resulted in Johnson connecting with Royal Kyle on a three-yard strike to cut the Ranger deficit to 10.
On the next drive, the Wonder Boys were stopped on fourth down, but a snap over the punter's head gave the Rangers the ball at the 20-yard line of Arkansas Tech. On the first play of the drive Johnson fired a pass that Travis Romar hauled in to put the Rangers down 17-14.
The Wonder Boys responded with back-to-back scoring drives to end the first half, giving Arkansas Tech a 31-14 lead at halftime.
The Northwestern offense was forced to punt by the Wonder Boy defense, leading to an Arkansas Tech adding a touchdown and a field goal to put the Rangers in a 27-point hole. At the end of the third quarter, Arkansas Tech had a 41-14 lead.
The Rangers marched down the field to start the fourth quarter, as Johnson found Bailee Davenport in the end zone on an 11-yard strike for the third touchdown of the day for Northwestern.
The Ranger rally fell short, as the defense could not get off the field as a result of the Wonder Boys converting multiple third downs on an eight-minute drive that resulted in a field goal.
Neither side scored again, and the Rangers lost on homecoming, 44-21.
The next home game for Northwestern is October 26, when the Rangers play Oklahoma Baptist at 2 p.m.
