RANGER FOOTBALL RANKED 17TH IN
2008 NAIA SPRING POLL
In
the second annual National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football Top 25
Spring Coaches’ Poll, the Northwestern Oklahoma
State Ranger Football team is ranked 17th
after receiving 151 votes. The poll was voted upon
by a 17 member-panel of head coaches representing
each of the conferences and independents.
Northwestern finished up the 2007 football season
with an 8-4 record and made it to the first round
of the NAIA Championship Series. The Rangers were
ranked 18th in the final 2008 poll.
Northwestern opens the 2008 football season
against long-time rival Southwestern Oklahoma
State University at Ranger Field on Thursday,
August 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
2008 NAIA Football Top 25 Spring Coaches' Poll
NORTHWESTERN
RELEASES 2008 FOOTBALL
SCHEDULE
The
Northwestern Oklahoma State Ranger football team
has a full 10-game schedule set for the upcoming
2008 football season. The Rangers, under the
direction of second-year coach Keith Barefield,
open the football season with long-time in-state
rival Southwestern Oklahoma on Thursday, August 28
at 7 p.m. at Ranger Field.
Northwetern will be idle for a week before heading
to Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D.
for a 1 p.m. game on September 13, then return the
following week for a September 20 home matchup
with Southwestern College (Kan.).
After another idle week, the Rangers will then
play on seven consecutive Saturdays to close the
season. They will host Sterling College (Kan.) on
October 4 and then travel to Peru State College
(Neb.) in Peru, Neb. on the following Saturday.
Northwestern will return home against NCAA
Division II Oklahoma Panhandle State University on
October 18.
Northwestern will begin Central States Conference
Play on October 25, as they travel to Langston
University for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
The final three weeks will conclude CSFL play as
NWOSU hosts Southern Nazarene for 4 p.m.
homecoming contest on November 1. The final road
game will be at Bacone College for a November 8
game and then the season will conclude the
following week, November 15, as the Rangers host
Texas College in the final game of the regular
season.
Northwestern, who has won eight Central States
Football League titles, posted an 8-4 record and
made it to the first round of the NAIA
Championship Series. Sixteen teams make up the
NAIA Championship series, beginning November 22.
Fans and supporters can catch the Rangers this
spring, as they host their annual spring game on
Thursday, April 17 at 3:30 p.m. at Ranger Field.
|
Date |
Opponent |
Site |
Time |
| August 28 |
Southwestern Oklahoma State University |
Alva |
7 p.m. |
| September 13 |
Black Hills
State University |
Spearfish,
S.D. |
1 p.m. |
| September
20 |
Southwestern College (Kan.) |
Alva |
7 p.m. |
| October 4 |
Sterling
College (Kan.) |
Alva |
2 p.m. |
| October 11 |
Peru State
College (Neb.) |
Peru, Neb. |
1 p.m. |
|
October 18 |
Oklahoma
Panhandle State University |
Alva |
2 p.m. |
| October 25 |
*Langston
University |
Langston |
2 p.m. |
| November
1 |
*Southern
Nazarene University - Homecoming |
Alva |
4 p.m. |
| November
15 |
*Texas
College |
Alva |
2 p.m. |
| November 22 |
NAIA
Championship Series |
TBA |
TBA |
RANGER FOOTBALL TO HOST PRO DAY
ALVA,
Okla. –
The Northwestern Oklahoma State football team will
be hosting a Pro Day at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 14
at Ranger Field. Professional scouts from the
National Football League, Canadian Football League
and other professional leagues have been invited
to attend.
Pro Day allows current and recently graduated
Ranger Football players to showcase their talents
and prove to scouts that they have the ability and
tools to make it in the next level. Participants,
consisting of upcoming seniors and a few recent
grads, will be timed in the 40-yard dash and will
be measured.
Pro Day is open to the general public and is free
of charge.
Northwestern finished the 2007 season with an 8-4
record and claimed the Central States Football
League Championship under first year Head Coach
Keith Barefield. The Rangers returned to the NAIA
Championship Series, making it to the first round
after a two-year break.
RANGER FOOTBALL INKS 38 ON NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
ALVA,
Okla. –
Northwestern Oklahoma State
University football coach Keith Barefield and his
coaching staff have signed 38 student athletes to
national letters of intent on Wednesday, February
6, the first day of the national signing period.
The list consists of 16 college transfers and 22
incoming freshman.
“Without a doubt this signee list represents a lot
of hard work and long hours by our coaching
staff,” remarked Barefield. “I am extremely proud
of the effort that our coaches have put in
recruiting these young men.”
“We have addressed a lot of our immediate and long
term needs with this group and we are not done. We
feel this is going to be an outstanding class with
many of these guys becoming starters,
all-conference and all-american performers in the
red and black.”
College Transfers List
|
Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
Hometown/College |
|
Jeffrey Banks |
LB |
6-2 |
235 |
So. |
Fort Myers,
Fla./Georgia Military College |
|
David Barker Jr. |
DL |
6-2 |
270 |
Jr. |
Los Angeles, Calif./North Carolina A&T |
|
Raymond Butler
II |
RB |
5-7 |
195 |
Fr. |
Rice,
Texas/Waldorf College (Iowa) |
|
Michael Collins |
WR |
5-10 |
170 |
Fr. |
Oklahoma City, Okla./Langston University |
|
Jarrod Flynn |
DB |
5-9 |
155 |
Fr. |
Watonga,
Okla./Southwestern Oklahoma State |
|
Rhemas Griffith |
DB |
5-10 |
170 |
So. |
Dallas, Tex./Paul Quinn College (Tex.) |
|
Patrick Henry |
DB |
5-10 |
165 |
So. |
Capitol Heights,
Md./Lackawanna Junior Coll. (Pa.) |
|
Dwayne Heyward |
DB |
5-7 |
175 |
Fr. |
Tampa, Fla./University of South Dakota |
|
Demorris Kilow |
RB |
6-2 |
215 |
So. |
Ozark,
Ala./Concordia College (Ala.) |
|
Rocky Lee |
LB |
5-11 |
220 |
Fr. |
Jonesboro, Ga./Savannah St. (Ga.) |
|
Lamon Miller |
CB |
6-0 |
190 |
Fr. |
Fort Worth,
Tex./Texas College |
|
Bryan Perkins |
WR |
6-3 |
175 |
So. |
Pensacola, Fla./Paul Quinn College (Tex.) |
|
Ty Ray |
K/P |
5-7 |
155 |
So. |
Watonga, Okla./Northwetern
Oklahoma State |
|
David Vaitafa |
DL |
6-1 |
330 |
So. |
Savannah, Ga./Scottsdale Comm. College (Ariz.) |
|
Gregory Williams |
WR |
5-9 |
160 |
So. |
Jackson,
La./West Virginia Tech |
|
Michael Zweiacker |
OL |
6-3 |
290 |
Fr. |
Fort Worth/Texas College |
Incoming Freshman List
|
|
Name |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown/College |
|
Keith Barefield
Jr. |
RB |
6-3 |
225 |
Alva,
Okla./Victoria Memorial High School (Tex.) |
|
Thomas Byrne |
LB |
6-1 |
220 |
Victoria,
Tex./Victoria Memorial High School |
|
James Day |
DE |
6-2 |
230 |
Guthrie,
Okla./Guthrie High School |
|
Geoff Elliott |
OT |
6-4 |
240 |
Wakita, Okla./Wakita
High School |
|
Kyle Gamble |
LB |
6-1 |
215 |
Enid, Okla./Enid
High School |
|
Seth Gonzalez |
TE |
6-6 |
265 |
Inez,
Tex./Victoria Memorial High School |
|
Bradley Gordon |
LB |
6-1 |
215 |
Alva,
Okla./Cherokee High School |
|
Michael Harmon |
LB |
6-0 |
190 |
Guthrie,
Okla./Guthrie High School |
|
Marquis Harvard |
WR |
5-9 |
175 |
Stranahan, Fla./Stranahan
High School |
|
Blake Heintzelman |
WR |
6-1 |
185 |
Moore,
Okla./Moore High School |
|
Kyle Henricks |
QB |
6-3 |
220 |
Little Elm,
Tex./American Heritage Academy |
|
Eric Herbert |
DB |
5-11 |
185 |
Pensacola,
Fla./Pensacola High School |
|
Vincent Hill |
RB |
6-0 |
195 |
Pensacola,
Fla./Pensacola High School |
|
Greg Hines |
OT |
6-5 |
320 |
Guthrie,
Okla./Guthrie High School |
|
Taylor Hooper |
WR |
5-9 |
170 |
Alva,
Okla./Okeene High School |
|
Hunter Kidder |
RB |
6-0 |
245 |
San Antonio,
Tex./O'Conner High School |
|
Bennie Poole |
DB |
5-8 |
155 |
Savannah,
Ga./Jenkins High School |
|
Jordan Ragland |
OC |
6-3 |
285 |
Eufaula,
Ala./Eufaula High School |
|
Jonathan Sherman |
FS |
6-1 |
185 |
Pensacola,
Fla./Pensacola High School |
|
Willie Smith |
OG |
6-5 |
310 |
Pensacola,
Fla./Pensacola High School |
|
Jonathan
Washington |
FB |
5-11 |
230 |
Guthrie,
Okla./Guthrie High School |
|
Brandon Yadon |
S |
6-0 |
200 |
Waynoka,
Okla./Waynoka High School |
NORTHWESTERN FALLS TO SIOUX FALLS
IN PLAYOFF GAME
 |
| No. 18
Northwestern Oklahoma State's season came to
an end as the Rangers fell 35-7 against No. 1
University of Sioux Falls. |
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –
In its first playoff game after a two-year
absence, No. 18 Northwestern Oklahoma State
University fell 35-7 to the NAIA’s top-ranked
University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D. in
the first round of the NAIA National Championship
Series. The Rangers dropped to 8-4 on the year,
while USF extended its win streak to 25 games and
are 11-0 on the season.
The Cougars’ offense was very efficient in the
first half, scoring on all four possessions. After
Northwestern received the opening kickoff, the
Rangers drove 28 yards on six plays before turning
the ball over on a first-and-ten. Sioux Falls
didn’t waste any time and took 1:43 off the clock
on four plays to score the game’s first touchdown.
USF quarterback Chad Cavender completed a 36-yard
pass to Matt Lindgren for the Cougars to go up 7-0
at the 11:26 mark in the first quarter.
Northwestern answered the Cougar’s call, and on
the next drive Thez Robinson capped a 16-play,
83-yard drive to knot the game at 7-7. During the
drive, the NWOSU converted six first downs and
killed almost eight minutes of clock.
Sioux Falls took a 14-7 lead at the one minute
mark in the first quarter. The Cougars did so on a
10-yard keeper from Cavender.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Rangers marched
20-yards on 13 plays to erase six minutes off the
clock, before being forced to punt.
The Cougars received the ball on their own
eight-yard line after a 50-yard punt from Aaron
Vermillion. Sioux Falls went the length of the
field, 92-yards, to score their third consecutive
touchdown and take a 21-7 lead. Cavender completed
a 26-yard pass to Jon Ryan for the score.
Northwestern received the ball with 6:28 to go
before halftime and went four and out. A
Vermillion punt left the Cougars on their own 32
yard line.
Sioux Falls used six plays to go 68 yards while
scoring their fourth touchdown and took a
commanding 28-7 lead on the Rangers. Cavender
again found the end zone on a pass, this time on a
14-yard completion.
After the half, the Cougars took the wind out of
Northwestern as they scored on the first down of
the half. Erik Cimpl got loose for 71 yards to
score the Cougars final touchdown on their fifth
drive.
The Rangers got as close as the Sioux Falls
16-yard line during the third quarter, but turned
the ball over on downs. The fourth quarter proved
to be tough for the Rangers to move the ball,
going three plays and out all three possessions in
the final quarter.
Northwestern finished with 278 yards of total
offense, including 181 yards on the ground.
Robinson finished with 107 yards, just one yard
shy of tying Patrick Crayton’s single season
rushing record of 1,426 yards. Barefield picked up
61 yards on 10 carries and completed 12-of-20
passes for 97 yards, including two interceptions.
Korey Williams was the leading receiver with 62
yards on eight catches.
The Ranger defense gave up 506 total yards, with
355 of those yards on the ground. Kelvin Morgan
paced NWOSU with six tackles, including five solo
stops. Jimmy Gomez and Patrick Travis had 5.5
tackles each.
The Cougar’s Erik Cimple and Ryan Lowmiller
combined for over 300 yards rushing, with Cimple
running for 177 yards on 18 carries. Cavender
completed 10-of-13 passes for 151 yards and three
touchdowns.
Northwestern finished the season with an 8-4
record and claimed the Central States Football
League Championship under first year head coach
Keith Barefield.
RANGER FOOTBALL DOMINATES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS;
BAREFIELD, ROBINSON AND VERMILLION TOP LIST
 |
| First year
head coach Keith Barefield highlights 22
Ranger football players named to the CSFL
all-conference teams. |
Northwestern Oklahoma State’s football team
dominated the Central States Football
League all-conference teams, released by the
league office on Wednesday. Twenty-two Ranger
football players filled 25 positions, along with
head coach Keith Barefield, gracing the list.
First year head coach Keith Barefield was named
the CSFL Coach of the Year after leading the
Rangers to a conference title, an 8-3 overall
record and to an undefeated 4-0 conference mark.
Thez Robinson and Aaron Vermillion were named
Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year,
respectively.
Robinson, a senior running back from Lyons, Ga.,
repeats as the Offensive Player of the Year and
led the conference in rushing with 131.8 yards per
game. The four-time CSFL player of the week is
ranked sixth in the NAIA in scoring per game
(10.2) and rushing yards per game (131.8).
Robinson has scored 17 touchdowns and averages 7.1
yards on 186 rushes.
Vermillion, a four-year starter at kicker/punter
from Cordell, is ranked second on the team in
scoring, behind Robinson, with 74 points. He has
converted 9-of-13 field goals with a long of 45
yards and hit 47-of-50 PAT’s. Vermillion was named
the CSFL Special Teams Player of the Week three
times and averages 36.3 yards on 32 punts.
Joining Robinson on the first-team offense are:
junior quarterback Billy Barefield, senior running
back Rod Gray, senior wide receiver Zach Edwards,
senior tight end Cotton Green, freshman offensive
lineman Cale Fischer, sophomore offensive lineman
Kyle Koricanek and senior offensive lineman
Christian Quintana.
Barefield anchors the Rangers offense in his first
season as the Rangers’ signal caller. He has
thrown for 1,559 yards and 11 touchdowns and
completed 113-of-181 attempts. Barefield ranks
ninth in the NAIA with a 149.3 pass efficiency and
thrown for 141.7 yards per game.
Gray, the second leading rusher for the Rangers,
has rushed for 69.7 yards per game and has found
the end zone seven times. Edwards paces the
receiving corps with 59.5 yards per game and has
scored twice. Green has scored three touchdowns as
a tight end and averages 12.2 yards per catch.
On the defensive side of the ball, four
student-athletes were named first-team. Lineman
Lantz Mathers, defensive back Derrick Thomas and
linebackers B.J. Hodshire and Bradley Hartfield
were all named to the squad.
Mathers, a sophomore defensive end from New
Orleans, La., is second on the team with 78
tackles. He has 20.5 tackles for losses of 107.2
yards and ten sacks. Mathers also has four forced
fumbles, a recovered fumble and six pass breakups.
Thomas, a senior in his first season of collegiate
football, led the Rangers in interceptions with
five for 83 yards. The Mooreland native has
garnered 54 tackles and had two passes defended.
Hodshire, a four-year starter from Pawnee, led the
way in tackles with 80. He has 39 solo stops, nine
tackles for loss and four sacks. Hartfield, a
sophomore from Alvord, Tex., picked up 63 tackles
and had eight tackles for loss.
Vermillion and Edwards were both named to the
all-conference first-team special team squad.
Vermillion was recognized as a place kicker while
Edwards repeated as a punt returner.
Junior running back Colt Oller and offensive
linemen sophomore Matt Brand and junior Shane
Lewis were selected to the second-team offense.
Making the second-team defensive all-conference
team were: sophomore defensive lineman Kevin
McDonald, senior defensive lineman Shawn Meek,
freshman linebacker Jimmy Gomez, freshman
defensive back Nate Cotton and junior defensive
back Tyler Grey.
Vermillion was named the punter on the second-team
special teams.
Northwestern (8-3) tangles with the NAIA’s top
ranked team, The University of Sioux Falls, in a
noon game in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs
at
USF Sanford Health Sports Complex on Saturday, November
17.
ROBINSON AND HODSHIRE HONORED BY CSFL
Northwestern
Oklahoma State’s Thez Robinson and B.J. Hodshire
were honored this week by the Central States
Football League as they were named Offensive
Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the
Week, respectively, in the final week of the
regular season.
Robinson received his fourth Offensive Player of
the Week award this season, pounding out 274 yards
on 27 carries while setting a school record, in
the Rangers’ 45-7 victory over No. 25 Southern
Nazarene. He broke the previous single-game
rushing record of 257 yards set by Al Hunt against
Sioux Falls (S.D.) in 2000. Robinson, a senior
from Lyons, Ga., is 108 yards shy of the
individual season mark of 1,426 yards. He
currently has 17 touchdowns and is averaging 7.1
yards per carry.
Hodshire, a four-year starter from Pawnee, tied
his career-high in tackles with 15, including
eight solo tackles in his final regular season
game. He also had a half a tackle for three yards
of loss. Hodshire leads the Rangers with 80
tackles and has four sacks on the season.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PLANS FAN BUS
TO RANGER FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF FOOTBALL GAME
AGAINST
SIOUX FALLS
The
Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alumni
Association is taking reservations from Ranger
football fans to ride a chartered bus to the
Saturday, Nov. 17 playoff game in Sioux Falls,
South Dakota
The Rangers will face the number one team in the
NAIA, the Sioux Falls Cougars, on Saturday Nov. 17
at 12 p.m.
On Nov. 16, the bus will begin loading on the east
side of Ranger Field at 9:30 p.m. with departure
from Alva scheduled for 10 p.m. Breakfast on
Saturday morning will be approximately 7 a.m. with
arrival at the game around 11:30 a.m.
Kickoff for the game will be 12 p.m. Check-in at
the Hampton Inn following the game, and departure
from Sioux Falls on Sunday morning, Nov. 18, at 8
a.m.
Cost for this trip is $153 per seat and 55 seats
are available. This includes bus trip and hotel
expenses. The rooms are non-smoking, double
occupancy with two beds. An extra $50 charge will
be added if you want to stay in a room by
yourself. Reservations may be made by calling
(580) 327-8593 or e-mailing
nwalumni@nwosu.edu.
The deadline is 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
Tickets for the game are not included in the bus
fare and food and entertainment expenses are up to
the passenger. The cost for tickets will be $10
for adults and $6 for students. Various bus stops
will be made to and from Sioux Falls.
Don’t miss this opportunity to cheer the Rangers
to a first-round playoff victory!
NO. 18 NORTHWESTERN MEETS NO. 1
SIOUX FALLS
IN FIRST ROUND OF NAIA PLAYOFFS
Northwestern
Oklahoma State University returns to the NAIA
Football National Championship series after
two-year layoff. The NAIA announced the pairings
for the 16-team field on Sunday afternoon and the
No. 18 Rangers (8-3) are set to travel to Sioux
Falls (S.D.) to take on the No. 1 team in the
nation, the University of Sioux Falls (10-0), at
noon on Saturday, Nov. 17 at USF Sanford Health
Sports Complex.
Northwestern will be making its 10th
appearance in the NAIA Championship series. The
Rangers last appearance was in 2004, when Azusa
Pacific (Calif.) defeated the Rangers 16-0 in Alva
during the first round. Northwestern has made
appearances in 1987, 1989, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2003 and 2004.
Northwestern claimed the 1999 NAIA National
Championship and were the runner up in 2000 and
2003.
Sioux Falls is currently on a 24-game winning
streak and was last year’s National Champion. The
Cougars are an undefeated 10-0 this season.
The Rangers and Cougars have met three times, with
NWOSU owning the 2-1 series record. Northwestern
defeated USF 50-27 in 2000 and in 2001 the Cougars
defeated NWOSU 48-20. In the last meeting, NWOSU
snuck by USF 16-13 in a semifinal game during the
2003 season.
The winner of the Northwestern Okla. St.-Sioux
Falls game will advance to quarterfinal action
which will be played on Saturday, November 24.
The team will be staying at the
Ramkota Best Western in Sioux Falls, S.D. A
block of rooms has been reserved for Northwestern
fans. For more information contact the Ramkota
Best Western at (605)336-0650.
2007 NAIA Football Playoff Schedule
First Round
Pairings | Saturday, Nov. 17 | All Times Tentative
Game 1:
#1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) (10-0) hosts
#15 Northwestern Oklahoma State (8-3) - 12 p.m.
CST
Game 2:
#2 Carroll (Mont.) (11-0) hosts #16
Black Hills State (S.D.) (7-3) - 12:07 p.m. MST
Game 3:
#3 Ohio Dominican (11-0) hosts #14
Cumberlands (Ky.) (8-2) - 12:30 p.m. EST
Game 4:
#4 Bethel (Tenn.) (10-1) hosts #13
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (9-2) - 2:30 p.m. CST
Game 5:
#5 St. Francis (Ind.) (9-1) hosts #12
Lindenwood (Mo.) (10-1) - 12 p.m. EST
Game 6:
#6 Jamestown (N.D.) (9-1) hosts #11
Morningside (Iowa) (8-2) - 12 p.m. CST
Game 7:
#10 St. Xavier (Ill.) (9-2) hosts #7
St. Ambrose (Iowa) (8-2) - 1 p.m. CST
Game 8:
#8 Friends (Kan.) (9-1) hosts #9
Missouri Valley (8-2) - 1:30 p.m. CST
RANGERS CROWNED CSFL CHAMPS AFTER
CRUSHING NO. 25 SOUTHERN NAZARENE; ROBINSON BREAKS
SINGLE GAME RUSHING RECORD
|
|
| Thez
Robinson set an individual game school record
for most rushing yards in a game with 274 in
the Rangers 45-7 CSFL clinching win over SNU. |
BETHANY, Okla. –
In a matchup of two NAIA top 25 teams, No. 19
Northwestern Oklahoma State (8-3, 4-0) should
further its season after cruising past No. 25
Southern Nazarene (6-4, 4-2) in the regular season
finale for both teams. Thez Robinson broke the
school’s individual game rushing record, while
Northwestern rolled to the 45-7 win at SNU
Football Stadium in Bethany.
Northwestern got off to a great start in the first
quarter. Kicking off to start the game, NWOSU got
the ball back after standing up the Crimson Storm
in their first three offensive plays. On first and
ten from the SNU 40, Rod Gray got loose to score
the Rangers first touchdown to cap a 52-yard drive
with 12:11 in the first quarter.
The Rangers took advantage of two more first
quarter miscues by the Crimson Storm. On the
ensuing kickoff, Southern Nazarene fumbled the
return at the SNU 17-yard line. Northwestern was
stood up in four plays and Aaron Vermillion booted
a 33-yard field goal to give the Rangers 10-0
lead, just over five minutes into the game.
Forty-eight seconds later, the Rangers struck
again. Two plays after the NWOSU kickoff, SNU
turned the ball over again. This time Carlos
Cotton was off to the races, as he picked off
quarterback Tyler Schneider’s pass at the Crimson
Storm 27-yard line for an interception return.
After a scoreless second quarter, Northwestern led
17-0.
The Rangers’ domination continued in the second
half, scoring a touchdown in their first
possession. Northwestern quarterback Billy
Barefield finished a 10-play, 80-yard drive, with
a 14-yard keeper to put NWOSU up 24-0.
Southern Nazarene chipped away and found its way
into the end zone after driving 93-yards on eight
plays. Schneider completed an 18-yard pass to
Jared Elmore for the score and got SNU on the
scoreboard, trailing 24-7.
Three plays later, Northwestern took a 31-7 lead,
as Colt Oller finished a 56-yard drive.
Robinson found the end zone for the second time of
the afternoon with a 27-yard run on Northwestern’s
first possession of the fourth quarter. The
touchdown increased the Rangers’ lead to 38-7 with
11:11 to play.
The final Ranger score came on a Courtney Jones’
touchdown with 3:37 left in the game. Jones scored
on a one-yard run to end a Ranger 56-yard drive.
Robinson never lost a yard in 27 rushes and
finished with 274 yards, breaking the single game
rushing record. The previous record was 257 yards
held by Al Hunt against Sioux Fall (S.D.) in 2000.
Robinson is 108 yards shy of the individual season
record, set in 2003 by current Dallas Cowboy and
former Ranger Patrick Crayton.
Northwestern racked up 496 yards rushing on the
Crimson Storm on its way to 534 yards of offense.
Gray racked up 92 yards on 20 carries and was
followed by 84 yards from Barefield. Barefield
completed 4-of-7 passes for 38 yards. Zach Edwards
led the Rangers in receiving with 28 yards.
Defensively, NWOSU held the Crimson Storm to 308
yards, including 99 yards on the ground. B.J.
Hodshire paced the Black Cloud defense with 15
tackles and a half of tackle for three yards lost.
Nate Cotton had 11 tackles, a tackle for loss,
fumble recovery and a pass break up. Tyler Grey,
Jimmy Gomez and Lantz Mathers all finished with
eight tackles.
Assuming a ranking of 20 or higher in the final
NAIA poll, Northwestern (8-3, 4-0) advances to the
field of 16 teams at NAIA Football National
Championship Series on Saturday, Nov. 17. The
Rangers opponent, site and game time will be
released at noon by the NAIA.
VERMILLION CAPTURES CSFL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER
OF THE WEEK
 |
| Aaron
Vermillion was named CSFL Special Teams Player
of the Week for the third time this season. |
Senior kicker/punter Aaron Vermillion received the
Central States Football League Special Team Player
of the Week award for his performance against
Texas College. This marks the third time that
Vermillion has received the award this season.
Vermillion scored eight of the Rangers’ 20 points
in Northwestern’s 20-7 win against Texas College.
He had two field goals, 44 and 45 yards, and
converted both PAT’s. Vermillion also punted four
times, averaging 29.5 yards and had five kickoffs
for a 63.4 yard average.
For the season, Vermillion leads the CSFL and is
ranked No. 9 in the NAIA in kick scoring (6.5
pts./game) and ranks second in conference punting
average (37.6 yds./punt). Vermillion has made
8-of-12 field goals and is second on the team in
scoring, with 65 points.
RANGERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME;
DEFEAT TEXAS COLLEGE 20-7
 |
| Rod Gray
scored both Ranger touchdowns on his way to
124 yards. |
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