SENATOBIA - Thursday night provided a game that will forever be remembered as an instant classic.

Faced with a 14-0 deficit late in the third quarter and on the verge of missing out on the MACCC Playoffs, Northwest stormed back to tie the game and force overtime, eventually earning the 28-27 victory against Northeast.

In true must-win fashion, Northwest provided the biggest play of the night on the Tigers' two-point conversion attempt. After the Rangers scored first in overtime, Northeast responded back with a score and chose to go for the win after first mulling it over in a timeout. Chris McMillian took the handoff and had what seemed like open space on the left side to score the winning points, until Charles Thomas wrapped up the legs of the Northeast tailback, stopping McMillian just a couple yards shy of the pylon, sealing the victory for the Rangers.

For Northwest, it was a banner ending to what started as a rough night. Through nearly three quarters, the Rangers were shutout on the scoreboard and went into halftime down 7-0, marking the first time since a 31-9 loss at Jones College on September 9, 2021 that Northwest failed to score any points in the first half.

Turnovers were aplenty for both teams in the first half, with three combined fumbles. Two of those came from Northwest, while the Tigers fumbled away a would-be touchdown on their first drive of the game, which was recovered in the end zone by the Rangers for a touchback.

On its third possession of the game, Northeast marched into the Rangers' red zone, but were forced to settle for a 33-yard field goal attempt from Guy Gillespie. His kick sailed wide right, denying points for the Tigers with 1:47 left in the first quarter.

Northwest threatened to get on the scoreboard late in the quarter as well, as Keegan Patterson hooked up with K.D. Gibson on a 52-yard pass, that put the Rangers on the edge of the red zone. However, Patterson was picked off by the Tigers just two plays later, ending the Rangers' threat.

Midway through the second quarter, Northeast began a seven-play, 64-yard drive that finally resulted in points. Highlighted by a 28-yard touchdown pass from Justin Kowalak to T.J. Fields, the Tigers took a 7-0 lead with 2:36 left in the second quarter.

Northwest tried to answer before the halftime break, only to come up short on its own 37-yard line, forcing a 47-yard punt from Shade Foster to essentially end the first half.

Though the Rangers received the ball to open the second half, Patterson was picked off on fourth and short near midfield by Jermaine Ray, giving the Tigers great field position early in the third quarter. The Northwest defense managed to stop any momentum from the Tigers, and Gillespie punted the ball 52 yards to pin the Rangers at their own two-yard line.

With Northwest once again unable to get anything going on its next possession, the Tigers took full advantage late in the third quarter. A 10-play, 61-yard drive ended with a 12-yard score by McMillian, allowing Northeast to stretch its lead to 14-0 with 59 seconds left.

That's when the sleeping giant of the Northwest offense came to life. On the Rangers' first play of the following possession, Patterson aired out an 81-yard touchdown pass to Kyler Hutton, slicing the deficit in half at 14-7 entering the fourth quarter.

Five plays into the fourth quarter, Northeast responded with a 21-yard touchdown run from Jayden Robinson, seemingly wiping away what momentum the Rangers had just gained. Gillespie converted his third point-after kick of the evening, stretching the Tigers' lead back to two touchdowns, 21-7.

However, Northwest did everything except back down. A nine-play, 77-yard drive was highlighted by a 37-yard catch by Hutton and three plays later, Cam Young scored from five yards out to pull the Rangers back within 21-14.

Northeast went nowhere but backwards on its next drive, bookmarked by a seven-yard sack from Dimonyai Lacey. The failed possession resulted in a punt from Gillespie, giving Northwest a chance to tie.

With 8:53 left in regulation, the Rangers began a six-play, 57-yard possession. Facing second down on the Tigers' 34-yard line, Patterson connected with Jarnorris Hopson for the touchdown, as the home crowed erupted. Jackson Uselton followed through with the point-after kick, tying the contest at 21 apiece with 6:44 remaining.

Northeast went three and out on the next possession and the Rangers took over from their own 34-yard line. However, the Tigers caught a break on third and long, as Patterson was intercepted by Ray for the second time in the second half, setting Northeast up at midfield with 4:42 left.

Despite an initial five-yard rush by Northeast, the Rangers' defense sent the Tigers backwards once more, forcing yet another punt by Gillespie. The 50-yard boot put Northwest on its own 15-yard line with 3:35 left to go.

Unable to cross midfield, Shade Foster was eventually forced to punt the ball away, giving the Tigers the ball at their own 19-yard line with 1:59 remaining. Though Northeast managed to get the ball to the Rangers' 41-yard line, the Tigers were out of field goal range and went for the deep ball on the final play of regulation. The pass was picked off by Ja'Marlin Green, denying the Hail Mary for Northeast and setting up overtime.

It took just three plays for the Rangers to strike first in overtime, as D'mariun Perteet carried the ball for gains of seven and 11 yards, before scoring from seven yards out. Uselton followed through on the point-after kick, giving Northwest the 28-21 advantage.

For Northeast, the Tigers got a nine-yard gain from C. Dill and then a 16-yard touchdown from Robinson. After the timeout, the Tigers chose to go for the win, where McMillian's attempt was denied, securing the comeback for Northwest.

Northwest totaled 480 yards of offense in the win, with 353 of those coming through the air. Northeast racked up 373 total yards, with 253 coming in the passing game. 

Despite his three interceptions, Patterson completed 22 of his 42 pass attempts with a season-high 346 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the third 300-yard passing performance for the Longmont, Colo. native and USC transfer, putting him on the cusp of a 2,000-yard passing season.

Patterson's top target was Jarnorris Hopson, who caught eight passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Hutton, who logged his first 100-yard receiving game, also caught three passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, followed by four receptions and 86 yards for K.D. Gibson.

On the ground, Northwest totaled 127 yards, led by Perteet's late surge. The Courtland native rushed 15 times for 67 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown in overtime.

Kowalak went 12-of-27 for Northeast, passing for 212 yards and a touchdown. Fields caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the Tigers' receiving corps, while Tyrell Randall hauled in seven passes for 85 yards.

Northeast was led by Robinson on the ground, who carried the ball nine times for 66 yards and a pair of scores. 

Defensively, Tristan Shorter led Northwest with 10 tackles, including three tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry. Dyllon Bullard logged eight tackles, followed by seven from D.J. Burgess.

Jalik Yancey and Keaton Thomas combined for 11 tackles apiece to lead the Tigers, with Yancey also forcing two fumbles and a pass breakup. Thomas and Ray combined for three interceptions with 20 return yards.

Despite not attempting a field goal, Uselton was perfect in point-after kicks, going 4-for-4. Shade Foster also punted the ball three times for 120 yards, with two landing inside the 20-yard line. Carlando Crump had three kick returns for 55 yards, including a 26-yard return. 

Gillespie did it all on special teams for Northeast, punting the ball five times for 192 yards, with two landing inside the 20-yard line and one going over 50 yards. He also made all three of his point-after attempts, while Wesley Corbitt had four kick returns for 52 yards.

With the win, Northwest improved to 7-2 overall and finished 5-1 in the MACCC North Division. The win allowed the Rangers to clinch a playoff berth for the 10th straight season, marking the program's longest postseason streak.

Northeast fell to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the MACCC North, dropping out of playoff contention, despite a No. 13 national ranking entering the contest. Northwest also stretched the all-time series lead to 44-18-2 against the Tigers, recording its ninth straight victory against the Tigers.

Of note, this was also the first overtime game for Northwest since October 22, 2020, when the Rangers knocked off Northeast in Booneville by a 34-28 final. Three of the last five overtime games since 2014 have featured Northwest and Northeast.

As the No. 2 seed in the division, the Rangers will travel to South Division champion Copiah-Lincoln on Saturday, November 11. The Wolves finished 8-1 overall and 5-1 in division play, most recently earning a 13-0 victory against Hinds.

A confirmed kickoff time will be announced in the coming days on nwccrangers.com.  Read Full Article