MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State football team fell to Arkansas-Monticello, 51-26, on Saturday afternoon.
The Rangers got off to a slow start, as the Weevils scored on their first three drives, putting the Rangers in a 17-0 hole early into the second quarter. The Rangers responded with a scoring drive of their own, as
Jax Bernard led the team down the field on a 15 play, 89-yard drive that ended with Bernard connecting with
Koda Bridges from nine yards out to cut the score to 17-7 with 7:24 to go in the second quarter. The Weevils struck again before the end of the quarter to extend their lead going into the locker room, 23-7.
In the third quarter, Arkansas-Monticello scored on three straight drives to increase its lead to 44-7, but the Rangers once again answered with
Ezequiel Luna breaking a 49-yard run down to the Weevil three-yard line before punching it in on the next play to cut the lead down to 31 with 2:15 to go in the third quarter. The Ranger defense forced a Weevil punt, and the offense found its rhythm, with the Rangers quickly driving down the field off a 23-yard run by Luna and a 37-yard strike from Bernard to
Weston Tucker to move the Rangers inside the Weevil five-yard line.
Early in the fourth quarter, Luna smashed through defenders for another touchdown to close the gap down to 44-20, and the Ranger rally continued with another stop and another score, as Bernard found
Merric Judd on a 21-yard connection to make it a two-possession ballgame, 44-26, with 8:51 left in the game. The Rangers continued to fight back, but the Weevils added one more touchdown to defeat the Rangers, 51-26.
Bernard led the Rangers in passing with 218 yards and two touchdowns on 14 completions out of 26 attempts, while Luna ran for a career-high 103 yards and two touchdowns and Tucker caught two passes to lead in receiving with 52 yards. On the defensive side,
Aiden Lewis lead the way with 12 tackles, including four tackles for loss and a sack.
The Rangers will be back in action on Nov. 14, when they travel to Weatherford to close out the regular season against Southwestern at 3 p.m.
For the latest news and updates on NWOSU, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit mwww.riderangersride.com
