SCOOBA - Nearly three years ago to the day that Northwest handed East Mississippi its first-ever regular season home loss at Sullivan-Windham Field, the fourth-ranked Rangers repeated history once more, earning a 38-21 victory against the No. 8 Lions on Thursday evening.

Northwest improved to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in the MACCC North, while extending the all-time series record to 43-26-1 in favor of the Rangers. Additionally, Northwest is the only team to defeat EMCC twice on its home field, also joining Copiah-Lincoln (2012) and Hinds (2021) as the only MACCC programs to win at Sullivan-Windham Field since the facility opened in 2011.

East Mississippi dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in division play, thanks mostly to a staunch effort from the Northwest defense and a pair of 100-yard rushing efforts from Cayden Betts and Jamarien Bracey. The Rangers also posted their second consecutive game with 500-plus yards of total offense, totaling a season-high 519 yards.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Lions' first possession of the contest, Northwest moved the ball swiftly downfield and inside East Mississippi's 30-yard line. However, back-to-back false start penalties and a pair of incompletions brought the drive to a screeching halt, ending in a short 16-yard punt from Shade Foster.

East Mississippi's next possession stalled near midfield and the Rangers took over from their own 10-yard line, once again moving the ball well into Lions' territory. Northwest would again come up empty-handed inside the 30-yard line and a decision to go for it on fourth and short failed, turning the ball back over to EMCC with less than five minutes left in the opening quarter.

For the third straight drive, the Northwest defense stood tall and refused to let the Lions move the ball, forcing yet another punt back to the Rangers. Beginning with two minutes left in the first quarter, a 10-play, 85-yard drive finally ended in success for Northwest, as a short three-yard carry from Bracey put the Rangers on the board early in the second.

It took just seven plays for East Mississippi to respond, as Mike McGowan's 41-yard carry on third and short briefly tied the game at 6-6. Cole Arthur's extra-point attempt would then give the Lions a slight 7-6 edge with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Northwest embarked on another drive down the field on its next possession, but the Lions swarmed the Rangers near midfield, forcing a fourth down. What many assumed to be a punt turned into a brilliant fake from Foster to tight end Leo McIntyre, but the completion fell four yards short of the line to gain, sending the ball back to EMCC with 5:27 to go.

Just as Eli Anderson and the Lions were marching the ball back into Northwest territory, a break came for the Rangers in the form of a 28-yard interception and return from Rontavious "Dude" Person. The play would ultimately set up a six-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a short touchdown pass from Ren Hefley to Kevin Diaz, pushing Northwest back ahead at 13-7 just in time for halftime.

Northwest opened the second half with the ball and made the biggest plays on third down. Facing third and eight at their own 27-yard line, Hefley kept it himself for a 24-yard gain to midfield, followed later by a 31-yard touchdown strike to D.T. Sheffield on third and short, which allowed the Rangers to gain some breathing room at 20-7.

EMCC promptly responded on the ensuing possession, but not without some pressure from the Northwest defense. Facing 4th & 2 at the Rangers' 46-yard line, Anderson escaped for a 21-yard pickup aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, sending the Lions into the red zone. Three plays later, Anderson hit Duke Miller on a nine-yard touchdown reception, trimming the Northwest lead to 20-14 midway through the third quarter.

Hefley and the Rangers moved the ball to midfield once again on the next drive, but the Lions officially gained the momentum on a rare Hefley interception, as Laurence Sullivan returned a 58-yard pick six to put East Mississippi on top, 21-20.

Perhaps the biggest roller-coaster moment came on the Rangers' next possession. Facing 2nd & 10 at midfield, Hefley's pass was picked off by Rodney Groce, Jr., only to be fumbled back to Northwest, saving the possession. After hitting the reset button, Betts drove the Rangers down the field and scored from nine yards out, while Sheffield followed up with a two-point conversion trick play pass to Hefley, giving Northwest the 28-21 advantage with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter.

As the third quarter gave way to the fourth, EMCC continued to move the sticks deep into Northwest territory. However, a big stop by the Rangers' defense on 3rd & 2 made the difference, as the Lions' attempt on fourth and short was denied by a combined tackle-for-loss from Jykeveous Hibbler and Sam Brumfield, flipping the ball back to Northwest.

Although the Rangers came up empty on their next drive, Northwest would take advantage of a miscue by the Lions two plays later. Anderson's pass was picked off by Jay Adams and Byron "Tank" Pearson kept the possession in favor of the Rangers after the Lions knocked the ball out of Adams' hands. Five plays later, Bracey put Northwest up by two touchdowns with his eight-yard carry with 10 minutes left.

Anderson and the Lions failed to keep the drive alive, as the Northwest defense once again denied EMCC on fourth down, sending the ball back to the Rangers with nine minutes left in regulation. From there, the offense burned the clock with a successful 12-play, 59-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes and ended in a 19-yard field goal from Eli Hamlin, effectively sealing the win for the Rangers.

Northwest outperformed East Mississippi's offense with 519 yards of total offense, compared to just 289 by the Lions. The Rangers also accounted for 301 total rushing yards, the most in a single game since October 10, 2019, when Northwest accounted for 407 yards on the ground.

Bracey led the rushing charge for Northwest, totaling 159 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Betts picked up steam in the second half, compiling 102 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Hefley finished 20-for-31 with two touchdowns and 210 yards, canceling out two interceptions. His top target, Jaycob Horn, reeled in six passes for 84 yards, followed by six catches for 68 yards from Sheffield.

Four Rangers finished atop the defensive stat sheet with seven tackles apiece - Brumfield, Pearson, Omar Pew and Jykeon Cunningham. Pew, Pearson and Brumfield combined for four tackles-for-loss, including 1.5 sacks, while Adams, Ford and Hibbler each finished with a tackle-for-loss. Additionally, Stephen Hall swatted away two passes and Hibbler, Jeremy Jackson and Kiyon Williams each earned one quarterback hurry.

For EMCC, Anderson finished 19-for-26 with 173 yards through the air, one passing touchdown and two interceptions. His top target was Miller, who totaled 68 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.

On the ground, McGowan led the charge for the Lions, but was held to just 76 yards on seven attempts. One of his carries was for 41 yards.

Keno Shelby paced the Lions' defense with 15 total tackles, followed by eight apiece from Groce, Keyshawn Lawrence and Ray Lias, Jr. Cole Arthur booted three punts for 135 yards, including one that went for 50 yards.

Next up for Northwest will be a home battle with Mississippi Delta on Thursday, October 6 at 7 P.M. The Rangers are 47-23-2 all-time against the Trojans and have won nine straight meetings and 16 of the last 17 contests.

Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 P.M. on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch), Facebook Live and WMC Plus. Read Full Article