[my_unibots_shortcode_1]
Northwest football is residence to 6 nationwide championships. For three of these titles, Adam Dorrel was the coach on the sideline. From 2011-16, Dorrel coached Northwest to a document of 76-8 and secured 4 MIAA titles alongside three nationwide championships.
On the sideline with Dorrel, serving because the group’s assistant coach and defensive coordinator throughout the identical six-year span, was Rich Wright.
Now, over six years since Dorrel’s departure to Abilene Christian, the place the three-time AFCA Division II Coach of the Year has labored since Dec. 19, 2016, the 2 will as soon as once more be on the sidelines for a similar recreation — this time, on reverse sidelines.
“We maintain a close friendship,” Wright stated. “It’s no different, it’s just the next opponent on our schedule. We’re friends before this game’s gonna kick off, and we’ll be friends after this game is played. It’s not really about Adam Dorrel and I, it’s about our football teams.”
Dorrel joined Central Oklahoma — a group he was 5-0 in opposition to from 2012-16 — Dec. 5, 2021, and shall be on the lookout for his second win with the Bronchos in opposition to his former group Sept. 24, when No. 2 Northwest travels to Edmond, Oklahoma.
Wright began his sixth yr on the helm of the Bearcats with three straight wins. Northwest gained the primary three video games of the season with a mean margin of 23 factors. The newest win was a 24-7 overcome Central Missouri Sept. 17.
The Bearcat protection held the Mules to destructive three speeding yards and a mere 103 whole yards of offense. As if it wasn’t sufficient for Northwest, 5 gamers mixed for eight sacks.
The defensive efficiency in opposition to Central Missouri helped rank Northwest No. 1 in rush protection and No. 8 in whole protection forward of Week 4. The Bearcats’ first three opponents tried a run play a mixed 78 instances and recorded a mere 34 yards — 0.4 yards per try. The ’Cats are additionally on the high of the MIAA in scoring protection, permitting 15.3 factors per contest.
Wright stated it’s clearly a fairly good day on protection when it solely permits 103 whole yards, however there’s nonetheless loads of work left.
“We still got a long ways to go before we’re good,” Wright stated.
The rush protection of Northwest is perhaps put to the check in opposition to Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos have totaled 414 speeding yards of their first three video games and are coming off back-to-back video games of at the least 150 yards on the bottom.
With Central Oklahoma in its first yr underneath a brand new coach, the group should be adapting to the brand new schemes and system. Wright stated he thinks the Bronchos are significantly better than their 1-2 document, and he thinks they’re solely going to get higher because the season progresses.
“I think it’s just the newness,” Wright stated. “They’re growing. They’re trying to find their chemistry, and they’re trying to find their people and their playmakers; just like we are.”
One of the playmakers on the Northwest offense via the primary three weeks of the season is senior working again Jamar Moya.
The Bakersfield, California native has compiled 338 all-purpose yards to date this season and leads the group in speeding yards (193), speeding makes an attempt (36), speeding touchdowns (2), receptions (17) and receiving touchdowns (2).
“It’s something I take pride in, you know, being able to get the ball wherever the coach needs me,” Moya stated.
Moya’s contributions aided within the offense’s No. 12 rating within the nation in whole yards per recreation — 470.7. Northwest is No. 1 within the MIAA in scoring offense with 38.3 factors per recreation.
If the Bearcats play the Bronchos like they did a season in the past — a 38-0 victory for Northwest Sept. 25, 2021 — they’ll be properly on monitor to maintaining their title on the high of the leaderboard within the convention in each scoring offense and protection.
Moya, who totaled 17 yards on 5 carries in opposition to the Bronchos in 2021, stated there’s good issues to anticipate for this recreation.
“It’s gonna be a big game for us,” Moya stated. “From the running back room to the wide receivers, I feel like we all should have explosive plays.”
A distinction from final season’s win, in addition to Dorrel taking up for Central Oklahoma, is that this yr’s recreation shall be at Edmond. The 394-mile trek would be the farthest the ’Cats will journey within the common season. To Moya, it makes no distinction the place the sport is, he’s going to be prepared when that ball will get kicked off at 2 p.m.
“We take pride in going into away games and winning in hostile environments,” Moya stated. “It’s a challenge, for sure, but we’re all ready for it.”
[my_adsense_shortcode_1]
story by The Texas Tribune Source link
[my_taboola_shortcode_1]
