Indians preparing for ‘great’ opponent

Two wins in its last three games would give Haskell Indian Nations University’s football team its first winning season under Eric Brock, a former HINU player who was hired three years ago to rebuild the program.

It’s a difficult task, considering the 4-4 Fightin’ Indians must start their season-ending three-game home streak against NAIA’s fifth-ranked team, Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. today at Haskell Stadium.

“They’re definitely a great, great team,” Brock said.

And the Rangers certainly have proved that — they’ve routed Haskell in all four games of the series.

Northwestern has outscored the Indians 226-13 overall. Last year’s 42-0 pasting was the series’ closest game.

“It’s definitely been lopsided,” Brock said. “And they beat us up good last year, too. But had we not made a few mental mistakes, the score would have been a little more manageable.”

Northwestern again appears strong.

The Rangers sport a 5-1 record and have won both their Central States Football League contests by a 92-13 margin.

Northwestern’s offense ranks first in the CSFL, averaging 414 yards a game. The Rangers defense has allowed 233.5 yards — second in the conference.

Defense also has been a strength for the Indians this season.

“We’re not going to get in many shootout-type games,” said Brock, whose squad went 2-1 on its three-week road swing. “If we’re going to have any chance at victory, we’re going to have to have an unbelievable performance on defense.”

HINU, which allows just under 260 yards on defense, already has had one uncanny defensive effort in a win over No. 19 McPherson.

A win today would be an even more monumental step for Haskell’s program, Brock said.

“It would go down as a signature win, that’s for sure. While the past games haven’t been very pretty, this team is different,” Brock said. “We’re confident and our kids believe they can play with them despite the past struggles. It’s just a matter of execution down to every detail.”