Preview: Northwest Rankin Cougars vs. Brandon Bulldogs
Northwest Rankin is 1-8 against Brandon since September of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Northwest Rankin Cougars will look to defend their home field against the Brandon Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Northwest Rankin has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Brandon will arrive with seven straight wins.
Northwest Rankin pushed their score all the way to 31 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 38-31 hit to the loss column at the hands of Petal.
Meanwhile, Brandon faced Meridian in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Brandon secured a 41-35 W over Meridian on Friday. Given Brandon's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked third, while Meridian is ranked 25th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Nate Blount iv went supernova for Brandon, rushing for 155 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Landon Varnes was another key contributor, throwing for 230 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.0 yards per attempt.
Northwest Rankin's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Brandon, their victory was their fourth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 7-2.
Northwest Rankin came up short against Brandon when the teams last played back in October of 2022, falling 36-28. Will Northwest Rankin have more luck at home instead of on the road?
