COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The last time Northwest won a bowl game, only five players on the current 52-man roster had even been born. That all changed Saturday afternoon as the Rangers piled up 508 yards of total offense and captured their first bowl victory in 20 years with a 47-36 win over Kilgore College at Texas A&M's Kyle Field. | Final Box | Ricky Woods Postgame | Player Interviews
Northwest closed the season 8-2 overall while Kilgore closed its season at 8-3.
Playing in the largest junior college bowl venue in the nation and against a fifth Top 20 opponent in seven games, Northwest knew it would take a big-time effort to come away with the inaugural Brazos Valley Bowl championship. The game drew 4,138 fans.
Sophomore QB Domonique Harris, similar to Heisman hopeful Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, razzle dazzled his way around pressure all afternoon to complete 19 of 23 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 56 yards.
Harris threw touchdown tosses of 47 and 21 yards to Derrell Lovelady and Dee Joyner as part of a 21-point second quarter to give Northwest a 30-7 lead at the half.
Kilgore's lone score of the first half came off an electric 76-yard punt return from James Jones.
Northwest outgained Kilgore 299-53 in the opening half and held them to minus-29 yards rushing.
But Kilgore made major halftime adjustments and gave Northwest a game in the second half.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first five minutes of the third quarter, as Kilgore's Ed'Marques Batties caught a 38-yard pass from Emory Miller on a flee flicker and Harris hit Cedrick Jackson from 34 yards out.
Freshman quarterback Tanner Tausch, who completed 28 of 53 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns, then connected with Steven Borden for a 5-yard touchdown pass to cut Northwest's lead to 37-20 with 6:20 left in the third.
Chase Carpenter booted a 21-yard field goal before Kilgore's Courtland Smith scored on a 3-yard run to make it 40-27 going into the final quarter.
After a 33-yard field goal from Yovany Arvizu cut it to 10, Percy O'Bannon scored on an 8-yard run with 3:09 remaining to put the icing on the cake for Northwest.
Kilgore scored the game's final touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Tausch to Joe Herrick.
Running back Damian Baker was Northwest's workhorse all day, running for 178 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He closed the season as the state's leading rusher with 1,161 yards and is the first Ranger over 1,000 yards in a season since Eldra Buckley (2004).
Harris was named the Brazos Valley Bowl Offensive MVP after totalling 308 yards of offense. Sophomore defensive lineman Jerome McClain was named the Defensive MVP after totalling five tackles and a sack.
Aaron Thompson led Northwest Mississippi with 10 total tackles, while Charles Woods had 11 tackles and James Jones had 10 to lead Kilgore's defense.
