Northwest held one of the nation’s top offenses to 367 total yards and its second-lowest point total of the season but it wasn’t enough as Trinity Valley outlasted the Rangers 34-24 Saturday in the Heart of Texas Bowl on ESPN3.
The Cardinals won their ninth consecutive game to close the season 11-1, while Northwest, playing in its third bowl game in five seasons, fell to 9-3 with the defeat.
Northwest spotted TVCC 10 points on consecutive special teams blunders within the first three minutes of the game as the Rangers looked out of sorts.
Drake McCarter’s punt was blocked by Jaylen Brown at the 4-yard line and recovered in the end zone for a touchdown before his ensuing punt traveled only seven yards after hitting a Northwest player. That led to a Caden Novikoff 44-yard field goal and 10-0 Cardinal lead.
After three straight three-and-outs to start the game, Northwest’s offense got going with a lengthy 14-play, 93-yard drive that spanned nearly seven minutes. Tywun Walters punched it in for a 1-yard touchdown with 2:03 to play in the first quarter to make it a 10-7 game.
Northwest rallied to tie the game at 10-10 with 2:14 to play in the second quarter on McCarter’s 39-yard field goal, a scoring drive setup by Wesley Bush’s forced fumble at the Northwest 42-yard line recovered by David Herrington.
Having only allowed 83 total yards in the first half to TVCC, the turning point of the game came on the Cardinals’ final drive of the opening half.
TVCC started from its own 35-yard line, after a kickoff out-of-bounds, and the Cardinals proceeded to drive 65 yards on 11 plays in 2:03 to retake the lead 17-10. Quarterback Michael Curtis scored from six yards out with 15 seconds left, giving TVCC tons of momentum into the half and the option to receive the second half kickoff.
Northwest held TVCC to a three-and-out to start the second half but the Cardinals scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions and quickly stretched their lead to 31-10 with 3:39 to play in the third quarter.
Backup quarterback Cam Bowman replaced Clay Holgorsen on the Rangers’ final drive of the third quarter hoping to give the Ranger offense a spark but his untimely interception on fourth-and-goal at the TVCC 6-yard line crushed an 11-play, 75-yard drive.
Northwest’s defense continued to make several key stops to give the Ranger offense a chance and they were able to capitalize with good starting field position at their own 45-yard line to start the fourth quarter.
Walters and Sloan combined for 52 of the Rangers’ 55-yard scoring drive on the ground, capped by Walters’ 1-yard touchdown run, to pull Northwest within 31-17.
One play later, a bad snap on TVCC’s next possession was recovered by Mike McGhee and returned down to the Cardinals’ 11-yard line. Bowman then hit Jerrick Orr on the very next play for an 11-yard touchdown strike to give Northwest new life with two touchdowns in 17 seconds.
TVCC burned 7:01 off the clock on its ensuing possession but Novikoff’s 38-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left to give Northwest a chance to force overtime.
Trailing 31-24 with 4:02 to play, Northwest moved the ball 19 yards to its own 40-yard line before three straight incompletions forced a turnover on downs. Bowman’s 40-yard heave to a streaking KyKy Austin on fourth-and-7 came up inches short.
Novikoff was able to ice the game for TVCC with a 24-yard field goal with 13 ticks left, making the final 34-24 Cardinals.
TVCC improved to 4-0 all-time in the Heart of Texas Bowl, while Northwest fell to 5-5-1 in 11 all-time bowl appearances.
Northwest finished with 343 yards of total offense, with Holgorsen and Bowman combining to go 19-of-42 for 181 yards, a touchdown and interception. Walters rushed for 92 yards and two scores and Sloan added 74 as both players rushed for over 1,000 yards on the season, a first in program history.
Marquisian Chapman had 11 receptions for 108 yards, becoming the third Ranger ever with 100 career receptions (109). Orr added five grabs for 48 yards and a score.
Michael Curtis, the HOT Offensive MVP, was just 15-of-30 for 129 yards and a touchdown for TVCC but his 58 yards and two scores on the ground made the difference.
Fred Garth Jr., the HOT Defensive MVP, finished with a game-high 15 tackles, giving him a team-leading 81 on the season. Quondarius Qualls and Adonis Thomas added nine tackles apiece in their final games as Rangers.
Courtesy of Kevin Maloney and NWCC
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