MONTICELLO - Arkansas-Monticello put three quarterbacks and three Jamie McGee field goals to good use on Saturday night.
McGee, a freshman kicker, hit a 43-yard field goal and UAM’s defense came up with two big plays to help the Boll Weevils hold on for a 22-20 Great American Conference victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-3, 0-3) at Cotton Boll Stadium.
“We got some momentum going up here,” Arkansas-Monticello Coach Hud Jackson said after his team won for the second consecutive time after ending an 11-game losing streak.
UAM (2-1, 2-1) used quarterbacks Brett Courville, Mike Early and Colton Morrison in the first half, but it was Morrison in charge on the drive that ended with McGee’s go ahead field goal, his third of the night, with 10:03 left.
Jackson has made it a point to get all his quarterbacks some experience after losing two quarterbacks to injury last season.
“Any quarterback wants to be on the field as much as possible,” Morrison said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get a win.”
McGee kicked a 52-yarder for Lake Charles (La.) High School and his game-winner Saturday marked his longest as a college player.
“It definitely felt good,” McGee said. “Kickers do the same thing they do in practice in games, so it felt good.”
A fumble recovery by Boll Weevils’ linebacker Marshall Everett and an interception by defensive back DeMarcus Robinson in the fourth quarter helped Arkansas-Monticello hold on against a Northwestern Oklahoma team coming off a 69-0 loss to Harding last week.
“Our defense really played good all night,” Jackson said. “When you go back, it was two or three big plays they gave up.”
Arkansas-Monticello led 16-14 at halftime and got a defensive stop when it stuffed a fake punt to start the third quarter. With Courville in, the Boll Weevils increased their lead to 19-14 with 6:19 left in the third quarter on McGee’s 23-yard field goal.
Northwestern Oklahoma turned a Lamarquis King fumble into a 38-yard touchdown drive, scoring on Zachary Doyle’s 2-yard run but failing on the conversion attempt to leave the Rangers with a 20-19 lead.
Calvin Ursin recovered a fumble for Arkansas-Monticello at the Northwestern 37 to end the Rangers’ first drive of the game, but the Weevils struggled to move the ball despite a pass interference call and settled for McGee’s 32-yard field goal that made it 3-0 with 11:35 left in the first quarter.
Northwestern Oklahoma responded with a five-play drive capped by L.T. Pfaff’s 39-yard pass to Mervin Stewart to put the Rangers ahead 7-3 with 9:06 to go in the first.
Arkansas-Monticello’s Anthony Hughes blocked a punt in the closing seconds of the quarter to set up the Weevils at the Rangers 6. Courville ran it in out of the Shotgun formation on the first play of the second quarter to make it 9-7 Weevils after the extra point was blocked.
A three-play Northwestern State drive ended with Pfaff’s 42-yard touchdown connection with Montrell Logan for the 14-9 Rangers lead with 6:04 to go in the half.
Early replaced Morrison and hit Jamal Nixon on a 76-yard catch and run. Nixon cut back to set up a resounding block by King, and scored to make it 16-14 with 1:47 left.
SATURDAY’S GAMES So. Arkansas 20, SW Okla. St. 17 Ouachita Baptist 24, E. Cent. (Okla.) 17 Ark.-Monticello 22, NW Okla. St. 20 Arkansas Tech 49, So. Nazarene 7 Henderson St. 44, SE Okla. St. 35
Sports, Pages 31 on 09/22/2013