MOORHEAD - Northwest got off to a sluggish start in the first half of its contest at Mississippi Delta on Saturday, but a strong second half effort on both sides of the ball eventually allowed the Rangers to pull away for a 26-9 victory, moving coach Benjy Parker to second all-time in program wins.

Parker tied Ricky Woods during the Rangers' Oct. 22 victory at Northeast and now sits at a 36-11 overall record (.766 win percentage). Northwest coaching legend Bobby Franklin still maintains the top spot with 201 career victories over a 24-year career.

As for the game, the Rangers forced a three and out on Mississippi Delta's first possession but failed to get anything going on offense. The Trojans marched down to the Northwest 36-yard line on their next possession, but were stopped on fourth down after Rontavious "Dude" Person's pass breakup.

It took only one play for the Trojans to regain momentum as Michael Hiers was picked off by Su'Metris Stewart, who put Mississippi Delta in excellent field position inside the Rangers' 35-yard line. Four plays later, MDCC would turn the ball back over as Micheal Campbell notched his first career pick to set the Rangers up near midfield.

Both offenses continued to sputter until the end of the first quarter when Northwest began a five-play, 20-yard drive, capping things off with a short touchdown run from Jamie Shaw to open the second quarter. Tucker Barefoot followed with the PAT, sending the Rangers ahead 7-0.

Mississippi Delta would respond with a clock-burning, 16-play drive that marched the Trojans 63 yards downfield over a nearly nine-minute span. The possession ended with points on the board, as Corblin McGinn's 30-yard field goal cut the Rangers' lead to 7-3.

Both scores would become the only highlights for either team in the first half, as Northwest held the slim 7-3 lead into the locker room. Neither team was able to break the 100-yard total offense threshold, as the Rangers were held to just 64 yards of offense compared to 99 for the Trojans.

A Mississippi Delta miscue early in the third quarter finally gave the Rangers a spark and two free points, as a high snap went over the head of Trojans' quarterback Jordan Gilleylen and into the end zone for a safety.

From there, Northwest marched the ball inside the Trojans' 40-yard line before being forced to punt. Three plays later, the Rangers got the ball back as Gilleylen was picked off by Person, setting NWCC up inside the 25-yard line.

All Northwest needed was a three-play, 20-yard drive as Hiers connected with D.T. Sheffield on an 18-yard touchdown reception that stretched the Rangers' lead to 16-3 midway through the third quarter.

Mississippi Delta would pull back within seven points on the next possession, as a quarterback switch to Freddie Byrd yielded a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a Patrick Lindsey touchdown to close the gap to 16-9.

Northwest closed out the third quarter with a pair of big passes to Sheffield and Drew Dabney as part of a 10-play, 64-yard drive, ending in a successful 23-yard field goal from Barefoot early in the fourth quarter that pushed the Rangers back to a 19-9 lead.

A solid punt return from Sheffield allowed Northwest to set up near midfield on its next possession, which led to a 22-yard touchdown reception from Jacoby Jones that stretched the Rangers' lead to 26-9 with seven minutes remaining.

From there, the Northwest defense took care of the rest, denying Mississippi Delta a chance to rally on what would be the Trojans' final drive. MDCC marched into Rangers' territory, but a Desmyn Baker sack would set up a fourth down incompletion for the Trojans with four minutes to go.

Freshman tailbacks Kenyatta Harrell and Randy Anderson burned the clock and sealed the win on the Rangers' final possession, carrying the ball three times apiece.

Northwest finished with 258 yards of total offense, compared to 185 for the Trojans. The Rangers netted 134 yards on the ground, led by 67 yards and a touchdown from Shaw.

Hiers finished 11 of 17 with 124 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, his first of the season. Sheffield and Jones combined for over half of the Rangers' receiving yards, with Sheffield earning five catches for 39 yards and Jones netting two receptions for 33 yards.

Northwest stepped up defensively and on special teams throughout the contest. Campbell posted a career day with seven tackles (six solo), a tackle-for-loss, an interception and a pass breakup. Freshman defensive lineman Roderick Daniels also compiled seven tackles and a sack, followed by six tackles and an interception from Person.

Five players also earned five tackles apiece - Baker, Drea Shumaker, Jarvis Townsend, Kylan Robinson and Rayyan Buell.

On special teams, freshman punter Tanner Gillis put in work, booting six punts for 230 yards and pinning four punts inside the 20-yard line. Sheffield also notched 79 yards on five returns.

For the Trojans, Gilleylen completed 11 of his 22 pass attempts for 78 yards, while Byrd tossed 50 yards on six completions. Kelvin Smith garnered 44 yards on 14 carries as Terrell Coleman reeled in five passes for 52 yards.

Stewart and Stemarion Edwards combined for 19 tackles for the Mississippi Delta defense. 

Northwest now leads the all-time series against Mississippi Delta by a 45-23-2 margin. The Rangers have won 14 of the last 15 matchups with the Trojans, with the lone anomaly coming in a 34-27 defeat during the 2013 season.

Now sitting at 3-0 on the season, Northwest will look to remain unbeaten next week with a trip to Holmes on Thursday, Nov. 12. The Rangers will also seek to avenge an excruciating 47-42 defeat from last season.

Kickoff in Goodman is scheduled for a rare 3 p.m. start time. All coverage, including live stats and broadcast, can be found at nwccrangers.com/watch.