(Update)
Northwest will host North Alabama in the semifinal game at 3 p.m. next Saturday at Bearcat Stadium. The game will be televises on ESPN2. In their first game this year, Northwest had no answer for Abilene Christian's high-powered offense. This time around, things were different.
"We knew it was going to be a high scoring game," quarterback Joel Osborn said. "They are such a great team, and I think the mindset on the sideline really helped us. We kept our focus, and we just controlled what we can control."
The Bearcat defense did enough while the Northwest offense moved methodically, taking up time while scoring touchdowns instead of field goals.
Northwest started hot, scoring on their first drive and holding the Wildcats to a field goal on their first drive.
Northwest and Abilene Christian battled back and forth in the first half, but ultimately penalties allowed Northwest to take the 28-20 halftime lead.
"(Penalties) were huge," coach Mel Tjeerdsma said. "We watched a lot film, and we felt like there was no doubt that we could get them in the neutral zone, and we did a lot of times. I thought that was really key."
The 'Cats took advantage of Wildcat mishaps using both their starting and backup quarterbacks to strike against Abilene Christian. Osborn ended the game with 247 yards passing and two touchdowns while backup Blake Bolles had 51 yards rushing, 69 yards passing and two total touchdowns.
"Blake came in and did a great job," Osborn said. "He did exactly what we need him to do, running the ball, throwing the ball. I thought the biggest play he made was that fourth down right at the start of the second half … that was huge because it kept our drive going."
On defense, Northwest couldn't possibly shutdown the powerful Wildcat offense, but they did contain them. Part of their success came from the constant pressure applied to Abilene Christian quarterback Billy Malone.
"We knew if we were going to have any success on defense today, we were going to have to disrupt their rhythm," defensive end Sean Paddock said. "We just tried to take it one series at a time and bring pressure in different ways."
Once the Northwest defensive line got pressure, it was the Northwest's secondary's job to stop the big play.
"That was our goal all day, to just limit the big plays," safety Myles Burnsides said. "The guys up front were getting to Malone quite a bit, and we had an opportunity to makes some big plays today."
While Malone spent the day with 'Cat defenders in his face, Wildcat running back Bernard Scott racked up 169 yards on 26 carries.
Northwest has another tough test next week when they take on North Alabama who defeated Delta State Saturday.
Be the first to comment on this article!