The Northwestern Bulls will square off against the Columbus Explorers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Northwestern is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Key West 50-14 on the road. Given the Bulls' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 21st, while the Conchs are ranked 213th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Northwestern's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was King Davis, who rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Northwestern was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 313 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Columbus came tearing into Friday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by the Cavaliers at home to the tune of 33-0. Columbus' victory was all the more impressive since the Cavaliers were averaging only 14.67 points allowed on the season.
Northwestern now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Columbus, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Northwestern lost to Columbus at home by a decisive 24-7 margin when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Northwestern, Alberto Mendoza (who threw for 213 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 45 yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps