Northwestern Oklahoma State clearly wanted no part of the Great American Conference cellar any longer.
Northwestern held the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s offense to 179 yards and got 206 passing yards and 2 touchdowns from Caleb Deal on Saturday in a 40-7 win over the spiraling Boll Weevils in Alva, Okla. The win for the Rangers (2-8 overall and Great American) pulled them one game ahead of last-place Southern Nazarene, one of only two teams UAM (2-8) has beaten this season.
Oklahoma Baptist is tied with UAM and Northwestern for ninth place after losing to Arkansas Tech 38-25 on Saturday. UAM defeated Arkansas Tech on Sept. 27.
The Weevils have lost five straight, matching their longest slide in the last two years. They started this season 0-3 after losing their last two in 2024.
Northwestern had 20 first downs Saturday, 9 of them converted on 17 third downs, and possessed the football for nearly 35 minutes. UAM was 1 for 13 in third-down conversions, 0 for 3 on fourth down, and had 10 first downs.
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The Weevils turned the ball over for the 24th and 25th times this season (1 interception and 1 fumble). They were held to 53 yards rushing and were outgained 334-179 in total yards.
Quarterback play struggled mightily for UAM. Tavion Faulk, who is 99 yards away from 2,000 passing for the season, was just 3-for-8 for 35 yards. Faulk was sacked twice.
With UAM trailing 20-0, junior Tyler Webb took over for Faulk early in the third quarter and rushed for 14 yards before fumbling to Northwestern’s Chism Watson near midfield. Webb completed 3 of 4 on the Weevils’ next drive, including a 19-yard pass to Tejon Tensley with 8:05 left in the quarter to make it a 23-7 game.
But things went downhill from there. Ford Stinson missed a 30-yard field goal attempt that would have narrowed the deficit, and Webb finished 4 of 15 passes for 49 yards.
The Rangers scored 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter. Kale Purvis made his second 41-yard field goal (his first was in the third quarter), and after four incomplete deep passes by Webb all from the UAM 25, the Rangers scored the next play on Deal’s pass to Bailee Davenport with 13:24 remaining.
Frank Bohanon’s interception of Webb set up the Rangers’ final scoring drive from their own 41. Jayden Bridges scored on a 2-yard carry with 7:53 left.
Austin Wadsworth relieved Webb and went 5 for 6 for 42 yards on UAM’s last drive, which also ended on downs.
Deal completed 21 of 30 passes with an interception by Dajon Doss, who had a 14-yard return. UAM’s defense sacked Deal 3 times.
Deal’s first touchdown pass was to Isaiah Taylor from 18 yards out with 2:55 left before halftime, giving the Rangers a 20-0 lead.
Ezequiel Luna rushed 19 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Bridges carried 4 times for 59 yards. Luna’s TD with 12:22 left in the second quarter was the first offensive score for the Rangers, as Rayshun Callahan put them on the board in the first quarter on a 30-yard punt return.
UAM will close its season next Saturday in Magnolia against Southern Arkansas in the 100th Battle of the Timberlands.