Northwestern continues a familiar Soul Bowl trend with another lopsided win over Jackson

The annual “Soul Bowl” between Miami Northwestern and Miami Jackson has a long and storied history.

But recently, it’s been more of the same.

And on Saturday night at Traz Powell Stadium, it was as lopsided as ever as Northwestern dominated Jackson once again with a 63-0 victory believed to be the largest blowout by either team since the series began in 1967.

Jackson was shut out for the third consecutive year, and the Bulls are now 10-1 against the Generals in their past 11 meetings. Other than a 44-15 loss in 2014, it’s been pure dominance for Northwestern, which has outscored its longtime rivals 424-103 during that span.

The Bulls set the tone during warmups when players formed a line and jogged around the field, chanting “beat Jackson” in perfect synchronicity.

Then the game began, and Northwestern scored nine touchdowns by way of passing, rushing, fumble recoveries and an interception. After failing to score on their opening drive, the Bulls responded with a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Leon Strawder to wide receiver Calvin Russell Jr. in the back corner of the end zone to get on the board.

Northwestern had its first of two fumble returns for a touchdown moments later, and the Bulls never looked back. New Bulls coach Michaelee Harris, a former star wide receiver for Northwestern, earned his first win after getting hired in March.

“This is the part of the game that sometimes we can forget about,” Harris said. “Always trying to worry about wins and losses, we forget [to] cherish and count our blessings on things like this, making sure we soak up this kind of atmosphere. It’s special being about to play in this game and come back as a head coach and win this type of game.”

Saturday’s environment certainly favored Northwestern, as the Bulls had more fans, a cheerleading squad and a marching band. After every score — which happened frequently — the band picked up its instruments and blared anthems as fans sang along.

Jackson did have opportunities to put points on the board, but disaster always seemed to strike before they could find the end zone. The Generals’ best opportunity came on a drive in the second quarter when a 22-yard completion put them at the 30-yard line.

But the Bulls’ defensive line, which wreaked havoc for much of the night, returned a fumble for a 70-yard touchdown to preserve the shutout. Northwestern led 48-0 at halftime, and the second half flew by with a running clock.

But even though the rivalry has been one sided in recent years, Harris believes it’s about much more than just the game.

“It’s still a ‘Soul Bowl.’ So even though we’ve dominated the win column, it’s still something that you get up for, something that you look forward to and it means more than just dominating it,” Harris said. “It goes back to the tradition of Miami Northwestern and Miami Jackson, back when people of color were only allowed to go to certain schools. That’s where it began.”

The Generals continue the search for their first win of the season next week when they face Miami Dr. Krop Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Ives Estates Park, while Northwestern will host state powerhouse Venice on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Traz.