Box Score FULTON – Trying to pull a Top 10 upset for the first time since 2011, Northwest drove down to the Itawamba 16-yard line with under a minute to play and trailing by a touchdown but couldn't find the go-ahead score in a hard-fought 27-21 loss to the 7th-ranked Indians on Saturday.

Itawamba moved to 5-0 (3-0 north) for the first time in school history and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Rangers as Northwest dropped to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the division. 

Northwest fell behind 14-0 early in the second quarter after ICC quarterback Griff Loftis rushed in from four yards out and then connected with JaNardreon Jones for an 80-yard touchdown strike. 

The Rangers, however, would come storming back with 21 unanswered to take a 21-14 lead at the half. 

Northwest responded to ICC's second touchdown with a 4-play, 75-yard drive in just 1:41, as Karsten Miller hit D'Montrise Swinney twice for 42 yards to setup a 17-yard TD pass to Josh Hamilton. 

After forcing an ICC punt, the Rangers strung together a 5-play, 90-yard drive that resulted in a 66-yard TD pass from Miller to Damian Baker on 2nd-and-16. Baker took a 2-yard dump off pass and did the rest himself as he raced past the ICC secondary to knot the game at 14-14 with 5:27 left in the half. 

ICC drove down to the Northwest 18-yard line with 24 seconds left in the half and looked poised to get at worst a field goal out of the drive, but an ill-advised pass from Loftis when he was under pressure fell 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage for a fumble. Alertly, Keith Reynolds Jr. picked up the loose ball and raced 75 yards the other way to give Northwest a 21-14 lead at the half. 

The score stayed the same into the fourth quarter as neither team found the end zone in the third, despite Northwest driving deep into ICC territory twice. After driving down to the 3-yard line, Boone Frederick missed a 30-yard chip shot, and after taking it to the ICC 27-yard line the Rangers turned it over on downs. 

ICC tied it at 21 on an 11-play, 69-yard drive as Chris Ingram rushed in from 1-yard out. 

With ICC going in again for the go-ahead score, Brandon Mack picked off Loftis in the back corner of the end zone to keep the score tied at the 10:23-mark of the fourth. 

ICC would not be denied on its next possession after forcing a Northwest punt, as the Indians capitalized off three Ranger penalties for a personal foul, pass interference and illegal substitution to go in for the eventual game-winning score with 4:23 remaining. Ingram went in from 1-yard out again and ICC missed the PAT to give them a 27-21 lead.

Northwest had its chance as the clock counted down under a minute, driving from its own 32-yard line down to the ICC 16, but Miller was sacked on back-to-back plays to end the game.

ICC piled up 470 yards of total offense against 270 for the Rangers.

Loftis hit eight different targets and went 27-of-39 for 375 yards and a touchdown, while Miller was 20-for-30 for 248 yards and two scores. Hamilton, Derrell Lovelady and Kentrell Spencer had five catches each for the Rangers.

Defensively, four Rangers finished with double digit tackles including Terrell White (12), Kalen Coleman (12), Demetrius Farmer (11) and Alec Michael (10). Farmer added a sack, forced fumble and 2.5 TFL. 

Northwest finished the night just 1-for-13 on third down and was held to 1-of-3 scores in the red zone. 

The Rangers will try and bounce back on Saturday, Oct. 5, welcoming winless Mississippi Delta (0-5, 0-3 north) to Senatobia for a 2 p.m. kickoff on Homecoming. 

Live video at njcaatv.com/nwccrangers and live stats available at www.sidearmstats.com/northwestms/football.