GAC WEEK TWO SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 12
[18/17] Ouachita Baptist vs Northwestern Oklahoma State
Ranger Field
Alva, Oklahoma 6:00 P.M.
Series History: Ouachita Baptist leads 12-3
Last Meeting: OUA, 66-0 (September 9, 2023)
Ouachita Baptist Notes:
Ouachita opened its 125th season last Thursday night with a 42-3 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State at home. It marked the 17th consecutive win in season openers and also the 17th consecutive win in home openers. The Tigers moved to 10-1 in the Paul Sharp Cup standings and 16-4 all-time against SWOSU
SCOUTING THE RANGERS NWOSU
Opened its 2024 schedule last Thursday night on the road with a 34-7 loss to Arkansas-Monticello. The Rangers were outgained 381-162 and were limited to just one scoring drive that included a 50-yard pass and was then aided by a pass interference call against the Weevils. The Rangers did not make it past the UAM 31-yard line the rest of the game. Quarterback Beck Moss went 11-for-17 in passing for 90 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Darrien Gill led the Rangers in rushing with five carries for 46 yards. NWOSU is led by second-year head coach Ronnie Jones, who was an All-America wide receiver for the Rangers in the late 1970s as well as an all-conference performer in baseball and track. He was inducted into NWOSU’s Hall of Fame in 2001. Jones has been a head coach at two other schools, one season at Ottawa University and three seasons at West Texas A&M. He has also been an assistant coach at the D1 level and in the NFL. Jones made national headlines during this past offseason when he hired veteran coach Jerry Glanville as the program’s defensive coordinator. Glanville has been coaching for nearly six decades with stops at the NCAA D1, NFL, USFL, CFL, and XFL levels. Among many other notable roles, Glanville was the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers. He is also a former NASCAR driver and sportscaster.
LAST TIME OUT VS. NWOSU
Ouachita hosted NWOSU in week two of the 2023 season, resulting in a 66-0 victory for the Tigers. It was the most points scored in a conference game in program history and it was also a Cliff Harris Stadium record, besting a 64-point performance, also against NWOSU in 2021. In the 2023 meeting, the Tigers exploded for 35 points in the first quarter and ended up dominating in all phases. Ouachita outgained NWOSU 561-74. The Tiger defense had four takeaways, four sacks, and 12 tackles for loss. Quarterback Riley Harms was a perfect 10-for-10 in passing with 188 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Henley, Jr. rushed for 102 yards on nine carries. 13 different defenders chipped in for negative plays.
THE NWOSU SERIES
Ouachita is seeking its 12th consecutive victory over NWOSU, holding a perfect 11-0 record against the Rangers in the Great American Conference era. Overall, Ouachita leads the series 12-3. The two squads enjoyed a home-and-away series for four years from 1993-96 with NWOSU coming away with wins in three of the four meetings. Of those four games in the 90s, two games were decided by one score. Ouachita’s biggest win during the previous 15 meetings was last year’s 66-0 win at home in week two. NWOSU’s biggest margin of victory is a 34-3 win in Alva in 1996.
LONE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME
Ouachita vs. NWOSU is the only GAC matchup being played on Thursday night in week two. All GAC teams played on Thursday night last week, resulting in a 6-0 sweep for Arkansas teams against Oklahoma squads
Northwestern Oklahoma State Notes:
Saturday, September 14
Southeastern Oklahoma State vs [24/19] Henderson State
Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field
Arkadelphia, Arkansas 6:00 P.M.
Series History: Henderson State Leads 27-6
Last Meeting: HSU, 38-28 (September 9, 2023)
Southeastern Oklahoma State Notes
the 2024 season marks 111th season of Southeastern football overall, 27th since joining NCAA Division II, and the 14th season as a member of the Great American Conference.
Southeastern is 5-7 in road openers since joining the GAC and 11- 15 in road openers versus DII competition since joining the NCAA.
SE has lost its last two road openers, last picking up a win in its first road swing of the season on Sept. 2, 2021, with a 38-20 win over Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Ark.
SE trails in the season series versus Henderson State, 7-25 and has yet to beat the Reddies in GAC play with an 0-12 record. The current 13-game losing skid versus HSU is the program’s longest such streak to any opponent. SE last picked up a win over HSU during the 2009 season, downing the Reddies 54-38 in Durant.
SE heads into the 2024 season picked to finish fifth in the GAC Preseason Poll. The poll, voted on by the league’s coaches, saw the Savage Storm pick up 72 points in the voting, finishing eight points ahead of Arkansas Tech in sixth. Harding was the preseason top pick with 10 of the 12 possible first-place votes, followed by Ouachita Baptist in Second and Southern Arkansas in third place with one first-place nod apiece. Henderson State was fourth just ahead of the Storm, while Oklahoma Baptist checked in seventh, followed by Arkansas-Monticello and East Central in eighth and ninth, respectively. Southern Nazarene, Southwestern Oklahoma State, and Northwestern Oklahoma State would round out the poll in order.
SE returns a pair of All-GAC honorees, both in the backfield as DJ Brown was the team’s leading rusher and was a second team pick at running back, while Ryan Hirt was the number two rusher and was a selection for his special teams play.
The Storm returns five players who started at least five games last season on offense, and six on the defensive side.
SE’s initial 2-deep features plenty of youth as 10 of the 22 listed offensive players are sophomores in standing or younger, including three starters. Defensively the number is also 10, with four in starting roles. Storm special teams has just one but returns all its starters from last season.
SE RB DJ Brown is one of a record 178 nominees for the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team which features players and coaches from across the country and at every four-year collegiate level. A junior from Leonard, Texas, he becomes the fourth Savage Storm player in the last eight seasons to earn a nomination to the team. He put together 641 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in his first season with the Storm and added 94 yards and two scores receiving on his way to a second team all-GAC honor. Off the field, he has been an academic All-GAC selection and will be the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for the upcoming season.
Henderson State Notes
No. 19 Henderson State returns to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for tonight’s home opener after helping Greg Holsworth earn his first head coaching win in last week’s 41-17 victory at East Central. The Reddies are a perfect 12-0 against Southeastern Oklahoma State in the Great American Conference era.
Southeastern Oklahoma looks to bounce back after suffering a heartbreaking 36-31 loss at home versus SAU in the season opener. The Savage Storm is not only on the hunt for their first win of the young season. They are also looking for their first-ever GAC victory over Henderson State.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
No. 19 Henderson State returns to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for tonight’s home opener after helping Greg Holsworth earn his first head coaching win in last week’s 41-17 victory at East Central. The Reddies are a perfect 12-0 against Southeastern Oklahoma State in the Great American Conference era.
Southeastern Oklahoma looks to bounce back after suffering a heartbreaking 36-31 loss at home versus SAU in the season opener. The Savage Storm is not only on the hunt for their first win of the young season. They are also looking for their first-ever GAC victory over Henderson State.
Running back Frederick O’Donald made his presence known in the season opener against ECU. He ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns – both career highs – on just 16 attempts against the Tigers. Jeremiah Davis added 61 yards of his own to complete an effective one-two punch from the Reddies’ backfield.
Redshirt junior Andrew Edwards captained the HSU offense to victory to bring his record as a starting quarterback to 17-6. He went 14-of-24 passing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The Bentonville native rushed for 24 yards as well.
All-Region tight end Cayden Davis led Henderson’s receiving efforts with 99 yards last week, including an 84-yard touchdown reception that allowed the Reddies to separate themselves from the Tigers in the second half.
Timieone Jackson found himself at the top of the team’s reception leaderboard with six catches for 51 yards against in the first game of the year.
Though they only had one reception each against East Central, Elijah George and Jalen Abraham made the most of their opportunities. George turned his catch into a 24-yard gain, while Abraham hauled in an eight-yard scoring strike.
Henderson’s offensive line showed signs of growth by paving the way for a ground game that finished with 272 yards against East Central – the second most in the GAC’s first week of play. The Reddies also posted the second-most total yards in the league with 496.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
As a unit, Henderson’s defense spoiled the debut of ECU quarterback Sergio Kennedy by limiting the redshirt freshman to eight completions on 24 attempts for just 95 yards. The Reddies also forced three interceptions, with the picks being credited to Bryant Hammond II, Tim Jennings, and Cameron Thomas. Jennings capped off his interception with a 43-yard return. Henderson State leads the GAC in interceptions after one week.
Kolbi Crawford led the HSU defense with seven total tackles in week one.
Reigning All-American Gary Lewis paced the team with three tackles for loss. The former Fordyce Redbug had six total tackles for the game and recovered a fumble in the second quarter.
Jaylen Powell, Jordan Batts, Jakobe Shell, Jakob Neel, Ty Thomas, and Catrell Wallace all had tackles for loss in the Reddie victory. Wallace posted the unit’s only sack of the night.
Henderson State finished the week third in the GAC with 230 total yards allowed.
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Kolby King went a perfect five-for-five on PAT opportunities and also made both of his field goal attempts from 39 and 41 yards, respectively. His 11 points scored were tied for the most by a GAC kicker in week one.
Axel Robertson’s lone punting opportunity last week went for 44 yards.
THE OPPONENT: SOUTHEASTERN OKLA. ST
Southeastern Oklahoma State held a 24-14 lead at halftime against Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders outscored the Savage Storm 22-7 in the final two quarters to hand the home team a loss in the season opener.
Against SAU, starting quarterback Luke Hohenberger completed seven of his 14 pass attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a game-ending injury. His replacement, Cergio Perez, closed out game with a 10-for-19 effort through the air for 100 yards.
Kobe Jennings, Gabe Corona, and Taylor Victor all had at least 65 yards in the week one loss. Jennings and Taylor were responsible for Southeastern’s two scores through the air.
Facing a three-headed monster in the form of Jariq Scales, Judd Barton, and Kadyn Roach, the SE defense allowed 252 yards on the ground against SAU last week. Southern Nazarene and East Central were the only GAC teams to allow more rushing yards in week one.
Michael Hoofkin had the only turnover of the young season for the Savage Storm after he intercepted a Judd Barton pass in the first quarter.
Tyveon Williams is the GAC leader for tackles with 13 after one week of competition. Braeden Winters is tied for fifth in the league with two tackles for loss.
Punter Jackson Nailey had an average of 43 yards per punt on seven attempts against the Muleriders. Two of his punts went for 50 or more yards, including a 55-yard touchback in the third quarter.
THE LAST MEETING
Andrew Edwards accounted for 355 yards of total offense – the second-best mark of his 2023 season – and four touchdowns to lead HSU to a 38-28 win in Durant.
Jalen Abraham tallied a career-best 190 yards on seven catches. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native had two touchdowns on the night, including a 63-yard score in the fourth.
Southeastern wide receiver Kaleb Whitley hauled in four receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Hawthorne narrowly missed out on being the Savage Storm’s second 100-yard after finishing the game with six catches for 95 yards and score.
The Reddie defense sacked quarterback Bryson Fields five times, with five players being credited with at least half of a sack. Tyler Strain led the team with eight total tackles, while Trenton Moore had the most tackles for loss with 1.5.
AROUND THE GAC
No. 1 Harding puts its 20-game winning streak to the test in a road matchup at OKBU. � No. 17 Ouachita faces the first road test in the form of Northwestern Oklahoma State.
Southern Arkansas hosts East Central in its home opener at Powell Field in Magnolia.
Arkansas Tech travels to SNU after winning a 44-41 instant classic in OT versus OKBU.
Arkansas-Monticello vs Southwestern Oklahoma State
Flex-Chem Field at Milam Stadium
Weatherford, Oklahoma 6:00 P.M.
Series Tied 6-6
Last Meeting: UAM, 58-21 (September 9, 2023)
Arkansas-Monticello Notes:
The Boll Weevils are coming off a dominant 34-7 win over the Rangers of NWOSU. The win marks the fifth straight season with an opener win for UAM. Arkansas-Monticello looks to go 2-0 for the third year in a row, as they travel to Weatherford, Oklahoma to take on the Bulldogs. In 2022, the Weevils saw their first 2-0 start to the season since 2011, defeating both Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist. In 2023, the team started the season with wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
THE MATCHUP
The University of Arkansas at Monticello Football team is on the road in Oklahoma to face Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The Weevils are 1-0 after week one, after defeating NWOSU 34-7 in the season opener at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium. SWOSU is currently 0-1 after a 42-3 loss to #17/#19 ranked Ouachita Baptist University
LAST MEETING
Arkansas-Monticello defeated SWOSU 58-21 at home in 2023. The Boll Weevils posted 489 yards of total offense, recording nine touchdowns in the contest. Demilon Brown led the air attack, connecting with four different Weevils for five touchdowns in the game. Buddy Taylor threw a touchdown pass to Kristian Gammage in the fourth quarter. Hayden Thomas and Tristen Smith each rushed for a touchdown, with the offense gathering 189 total net yards. Zachary Grisotti was the kicker in the game, going 4-7 on PATs.
All-TIME SERIES
UAM leads the all-time series, 6-6. The Boll Weevils have yet to win a game in Weatherford, holding a record of 0-5 against the Bulldogs since the teams first met in 2011. The worst loss on the road came in 2015 when SWOSU bested UAM 20-50. The largest margin of victory for the Weevils came during the 2023 season with a 58-21 win. The Weevils average 3-.17 points against the Bulldogs.
Southwestern Oklahoma State Notes:
It’s the first Saturday contest of the young season after the Bulldogs (0-1) began the campaign last Thursday against a stout ranked Ouachita Baptist team who claimed a 42-3 win.
First year SWOSU head coach Andrew Rice remains on the hunt for the first win of his coaching career. He’ll hope current trends in the SWOSU/UAM series continue after Saturday. In the 12 games the two teams have played against each other dating back to 2011 and the formation of the Great American Conference, the home team has one all but one game. The Bulldogs are 5-0 against the Weevils when the game is played in Weatherford. The road trip is the second longest in the conference between any teams. Only Monticello’s trek to Northwestern is further.
The Bulldogs are 7-5 in home openers as a member of the GAC.
The Dawgs had a tough opening game to the season with the No. 19/17 Tigers of Ouachita first on the schedule. The road game started well, with defensive stops on back-to-back drives including a turnover – but an offensive turnover of their own late in the first quarter led to points the other way and the sequence seemingly flipped the game’s momentum for good.
Quarterbacks Chandler Galban and Kai Kunz split time behind center. After a pair of Galban fumbles, Kunz found himself in the game for much of the second half. He finished 13-for-21 for 94 yards and had one interception. He also ran the ball 15 times for a team high 85 yards. The offense totaled 247 yards in the game with a good chunk of that number coming in the fourth quarter.
Baylor Nash caught six balls for 48 yards to lead all pass catchers. Logan Monroe led the team with seven tackles and a sack. The defense recovered three fumbles on the night.
The Opponent
Arkansas-Monticello (1-0) comes to town riding a win in week one over Northwestern, 34-7. The Weevils finished 2-9 a year ago, losing their last nine contests after starting 2-0 against SWOSU and Northwestern. Sixth year dual-threat quarterback and the 2019 GAC Freshman of the Year Demilon Brown will lead the UAM offense. He missed more than half of last season and returns for one final season. In 2022, despite missing three games of that season, he still ranked fifth in the league in rushing and sixth in passing.
Alongside Brown is senior wide receiver Isaiah Cross who was named an All-GAC selection last year.
Defensively, UAM limited Northwestern to 162 yards of total offense in week one and forced three turnovers.
Arkansas Tech vs Southern Nazarene
SNU Football Stadium
Bethany, Oklahoma 6:00 P.M.
Series History: Arkansas Tech Leads 8-2
Last Meeting: SNU, 38-31 (September 9, 2023)
Arkansas Tech Notes:
After a thrilling 44-41 win at home in overtime in their season-opener back on September 5, the Arkansas Tech football team is in position to do something that the program has not done since 2017, and that’s start the year 2-0. In that 2017 season, the Wonder Boys won their first four games and ended with an 8-3 regular season record and appeared in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl in Texarkana. In order to get to 2-0, the Wonder Boys must win on the road at Southern Nazarene. Saturday’s game will be the sixth trip all-time for the Wonder Boys to Bethany, Okla. but their first since 2021. Tech is 4-1 in the previous games played at SNU.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively after one game, the Wonder Boys are averaging 44.0 points per game and 479.0 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks third in the GAC, while their total offense ranks third as well. In the game against Oklahoma Baptist, the Wonder Boys used a pair of quarterbacks with Ethan Forrester getting the start and Ethan Everson taking over as an injury replacement and finishing the game. Forrester was 15-of-18 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 78 yards of rushing on eight carries. Everson would go 2-of-8 passing for 37 yards. On the ground, the Wonder Boys had seven different ball carriers against Oklahoma Baptist. Deuce Wise shouldered the load with 25 carries. He fell just a yard shy of 100 as he finished with 99 net yards. Luke Gall was next with 91 yards rushing on 10 carries with two touchdowns. Jordan Edington handled most of the short-yardage downs and recorded the other rushing touchdown. In terms of receiving, Tech had pass completions to seven different targets. Joyrion Chase led the team in receptions and yards with six catches for 119 yards. Caleb Tanis had one of the two receiving touchdowns in the opener, a 45-yard score at the end of the first half. Tight End Dayton Keller had the other receiving touchdown.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively through one game, the Wonder Boys allowed an average of 299.0 yards of total offense per game by their opponents and 41.0 points per game. The total defense ranks fifth in the GAC, while their scoring defense is eighth. Individually, Tech had six players that registered at least five tackles in their season-opener and are led by Javon Love and his eight stops. Jyrin Steward lead the team in tackles for loss with 3.5 while Israel Whitmore and Jordan Thompson recorded the sacks. In terms of takeaways, the Wonder Boys recovered a fumble and had two interceptions. Both picks were hauled in by CJ Palmer while the fumble recovery was secured by Jordan Thompson.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Returner Austin Hosier started the placekicking duties for the Wonder Boys, but Christopher Baldazo ended up taking the final two attempts and was successful on both, including the game-winning 28-yard kick in overtime. In the punting game, Logan Tymeson was called upon twice and averaged 40.0 yards per punt. In the return game, Tyrique Jones handled a pair of kickoffs and one punt return. On kickoffs, Jones totaled 63 yards and had a long of 40 yards. On punts, he returned one for six yards.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Crimson Storm feature a spread-option attack. After the first week of the season, SNU has the 12th-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 0.0 ppg and the 12th-ranked total offense with an average of 49.0 ypg. Through the air, the Crimson Storm are averaging 16.0 ypg to rank 12th in the GAC. On the ground, SNU is averaging 33.0 ypg to rank 12th in the GAC. The leading rusher thus far is wide receiver Evan Rader as he gained 37 yards on his lone carry in week one. In the passing game, the Crimson Storm used a pair of quarterbacks in Rasheed Noel and Bryson Evans. The two combined to complete just three passes for 16 yards against Harding in week one. All three of those receptions were recorded by different receivers with Dalen Smith, Karomo Collins and Westyn Smith recording catches.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Crimson Storm base out of the 3-4 scheme and currently rank 12th in scoring defense, allowing 59.0 ppg through one week of play. Their total defense ranks 12th in the GAC allowing 607.0 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, SNU ranks second in the GAC with an average of 53.0 ypg. On the ground, the Crimson Storm allow an average of 554.0 ypg and rank 12th in the GAC. Collectively, the Crimson Storm have forced three turnovers with all three being fumble recoveries. Each fumble recovery was made by a different player. Individually, SNU’s have three players that registered at least eight tackles in their season-opener and are led by Brock Carter and his nine stops.
THE SERIES
This will be the 11th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene in a series that began in 2013 when SNU joined the Great American Conference. Overall, Tech holds an 8-2-0 advantage. The Wonder Boys started off winning the first six games in the series before the Crimson Storm won their first game of the series in 2019. In games played in Bethany, the Wonder Boys lead the series 4-1.
Southern Nazarene Notes:
Southern Nazarene is coming off their best season in the DII era after finishing 6-6. This also included the Storm’s first appearance in a bowl game in the DII era as well. The offense seemed to be the catalyst for a lot of the SNU success after quarterback, Gage Porter broke the Great American Conference rushing record with 1987 yards and a rushing touchdown record with 28. The Crimson Storm offense aver- aged 31.50 per game, relying highly on rushing yards as they tallied 3806 rushing yards as a team. SNU’s six wins conference wins marked the most in the DII era. The Crimson Storm saw enough success to become bowl game eligible earning them a trip to the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl. They met the Hornets of Emporia State who defeated the Storm, 55-24. The Crimson Storm return 17 total starters from last season. SNU will lose All-American quarterback Gage Porter, but will return a handful of veterans. Tight end Dalen Smith will return after receiving All-GAC Honorable Mention Honors and collecting 403 receiving yards in 2023. The defense will return key linebacker Carter Brock who posted 62 solo tackles and 20 assisted tackles in the 2023 season.
WHEN THESE TWO TEAMS LAST MET…
Just as they are this season, Southern Nazarene and Arkansas Tech met for the second game of the season. The Storm traveled to Rus- sellville where they defeated the Wonder Boys, 38-31. ATU jumped on SNU early in the first quarter notching two touchdowns to lead early, 14-0. Gage Porter went on a 26- yard run to put the Storm within one score before the second quarter. Another run from Porter tied the score at 14-14 with 4:57 left in the first half. An ATU field goal put them back in the lead going into the break. The Storm tied the score 17 all after a 23-yard field goal from Kameron Van Prooyen. Porter rushed in another touchdown to put SNU back in front, 23-17 with 3:39 left to play in the third quarter. The Wonder Boys continued to battle scoring in the final second of the third quarter to lead by one. Two touchdowns from the Storm gave them some breathing room as they led 38-24 with just 2:42 left on the clock. ATU was able to score one final touchdown before the clock ran down and the Storm claimed the 38-31 victory in Russellville.
East Central vs Southern Arkansas
Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field
Magnolia, Arkansas 6:00 P.M.
Series History: Southern Arkansas Leads 15-9
Last Meeting: SAU, 24-17 [OT] (September 7, 2023)
East Central Notes:
Southern Arkansas Notes:
Southern Arkansas and East Central match up together for the two squads 25th meeting all-time as the Muleriders lead the series 15-9 against the Tigers.
Last year’s meeting became the talking point of the conference as the two met for lone Thursday night matchup in Week Two of the regular season. All eyes from the Great American Conference were locked in the action taking place in Ada, Oklahoma on September 7, 2023. Much like the lead-up to this campaign’s matchup, SAU comes off a hard-fought victory against Southeastern Oklahoma while ECU was given its first defeat of the season to Henderson State.
In the 24th meeting, East Central jumped in front of the Muleriders and quick as the group held a 0-17 lead over SAU at the break. Over the next 30 minutes (plus overtime), Southern Arkansas erased the deficit using two touchdowns in the final seventy-five seconds of regulation which were sandwiched between a recovered onside kick, forced overtime and never flinched en route to a 24-17 win in the extra action.
Prior to last fall, the Muleriders have been the victims of the Tigers as East Central claimed two victories in a row against Southern Arkansas.
Since becoming a charter member of the Great American Conference in 2011, week two of football season has been kind to the Muleriders as Southern Arkansas has accounted for a record of 10-2 over the last 12 campaigns.
SAU’s two losses in week two have both been afflicted by schools of the Sooner State as East Central defeated the Muleriders in 2014 (40-47) and SWOSU overcame Southern Arkansas in 2022 (20-24; Smiley’s First Year).
Both losses were delivered to SAU while on the road, Southern Arkansas is undefeated at home on week two since 2011, which includes a pair of nationally recognized Harding groups.
NOTABLES: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Entering week two 1-0 is something the Muleriders have been able to claim for nine of the last 12 home-openers.
Much like a season ago, Southern Arkansas’ depth outlasted the Savage Storm as nearly the entirety of the second half was run by THE Blue & Gold for the Muleriders sixth-consecutive season-opening victory dating back to 2018.
That streak continues as Southern Arkansas has yet to lose a season-opener since being on the road in Russellville, Arkansas against (RV) Arkansas Tech (L, 21-28 | 8/31/17).
That second half that SAU controlled was led by the newest leader of the Southern Arkansas offense, Judd Barton.
Barton’s performance nearly carried him just 11 yards shy of 100 yards rushing as well as tossing the pigskin for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns. After his first start in the Mulerider uniform, Barton was selected as the Great American Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.
In the junior’s first collegiate start, seven Muleriders received the ball through the air, with only one wideout acquiring more than two, the Angelo State transfer Rasheen Green. Green recorded nine receptions for 62 yards and a long of 18.
The Southern Arkansas running game looked as strong as ever as the backfield saw three rushers with 60+ yard days as well as a deeper lineup at the running back position with.
While he may not be wearing number eight anymore, he is still looked at as a leader on the field as Elvin Calhoun leads the team in sacks with his one for 11 yards.
NOTABLES: EAST CENTRAL
The Tigers of East Central, picked ninth in the GAC Preseason Coaches Poll, began their season in Koi Ishto Stadium where they received their third-consecutive home-opening loss and sixth-consecutive season-opening loss.
Last week in Ada, Oklahoma, ECU was overwhelmed by a dynamic offensive and defensive power in Henderson State as the Tigers have had to open their last four campaigns against the Reddies or the Bisons out of Harding.
The offense presented by East Central primarily came on the ground as the group rushed for 135 yards and were held under 100 yards passing.
The Tigers lone form of scoring came on the ground attack as ECU ac- counted for a pair of touchdowns both from the signal caller, Sergio Kennedy.
Kennedy’s rushing performance saw the redshirt freshman tote the rock 10 times in which he recorded 52 yards gained, but only ended with 19 net yards as he lost 33 in the contest. The quarterback did however recorded a long rush of 42 in the contest against the Reddies.
Kennedy managed to complete just eight of his 24 pass attempts that brought his yards to 95 while also throwing three interceptions and being sacked once.
The Tigers leading tackler from the week one outing was Darian Williams, a senior defensive lineman from San Diego, California.
Williams accounted for a shared sack with teammate Seth Aguilera for six yards.
[1/1] Harding vs Oklahoma Baptist
Crain Family Stadium
Shawnee, Oklahoma 7:00 P.M.
Series History: Harding Leads 8-0
Last Meeting: HU, 49-10 (September 9, 2023
Harding Notes:
• Coming off a 59-0 victory in its season opener, No. 1 ranked Harding goes on the road for the first time and will take on Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Crain Family Stadium at Hurt Athletic Complex … Harding enters the game with a 20-game winning streak, the longest streak in NCAA football. • KEY STAT: Harding had 607 total yards in its season opener against Southern Nazarene, including 554 yards on the ground (7 TD) … Oklahoma Baptist’s defense allowed 479 yards in its opener, including 245 rushing yards and 3 rushing TD. • Last season, HU went 15-0, won its third GAC outright championship and its first NCAA Division II national championship. • This will be the ninth meeting between HU and OKBU with the Bisons holding a 8-0 series lead … HU has won the games by an average score of 41-15. • No. 12 Harding rolled up 513 total yards, scored three rushing touchdowns, three passing touchdowns and had a 72-yard fumble return for another touchdown in a 49-10 victory over Oklahoma Baptist last season in Searcy. • Harding is ranked No. 1 in the AFCA Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll … Harding has appeared in 66 consecutive AFCA polls, dating to the final poll of the 2017 season … Harding is 1st on the D2Football.com poll and 1st at MasseyRatings.com. • Harding has a school-record 20-game winning streak from the last two seasons, a 16-game conference winning streak, and a 9-game road winning streak (tied for the school record from Nov. 2, 2013-Nov. 22, 2014). • Harding has six captains — DL Wesley Coleman (#99), DL Dre Hall (#9), RB Jhalen Spicer (#10), DL Gage Price (#55), RB Blake Delacruz (#26), DB Kyle McDonald (#2) • Harding is 69-9 (.885) in GAC games since 2016. The Bisons have lost one conference game by more than 10 points since 2015. • Harding’s 554 rushing yards vs. Southern Nazarene are the most in a Division II game thus far and were the seventh-most in a Harding game … it was the 16th time HU went over 500 yards rushing in a game … including the national championship, HU has rushed for more than 500 yards in consecutive games for only the second time (also, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, 2015) … HU has never rushed for more than 500 yards in three consecutive games. • Harding’s defense has shutouts in three of its last four conference games and five of its last eight GAC games … the Bisons have allowed only one TD (to ECU with 5:44 left in the 4th Qtr) in their opponents last 48 drives … HU has shutouts in its last three true road games (62-0 at Northwestern Okla., 55-0 at Southeastern Okla., and 56-0 at Arkansas Tech). • OPPONENT WATCH: Oklahoma Baptist converted 9-of-16 third downs against Arkansas Tech, while Harding held Southern
Oklahoma Baptist Notes:
Rosenthal Rises Up
ast week at Arkansas Tech, sophomore quarterback Kenny Rosenthal did a good job leading the Bison. He completed a career-high 62.9 percent (22-of-35) of his passes and also posted a personal-best two touchdown throws, both to junior Charles Whitebear. His 218 passing yards were also the second-most of his young career. The Houston, Texas native also compiled 25 rushing yards. Heading into week two against No. 1 Harding, Rosenthal is second in the GAC in passing yards and sixth in total offense (243.0).
Speaking of Whitebear
The 6-foot-4 junior from Haslet, Texas had a career night in Russellville. His 75 receiving yards were a career-best. His two receiving touchdowns were as well. Plus, his 61-yard score in the first quarter was his longest career reception. After the opening week of competition, Whitebear was the only GAC player to have multiple receiving touchdowns. To boot, among players with three receptions, his 25.0 yards-per-catch average was tops in the league.
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
OBU registered 41 points last week at ATU. That was the most points scored by the Bison in the past 24 games. The last time the program reached at least 40 points was Nov. 16, 2021 at Southern Nazarene, a 42-14 win.
Baker, the Tackling Machine
One can almost pencil in Scooter Baker collecting double-digit tackles game in and game out. Against the Wonder Boys, the Jacksonville, Texas native notched 12. That was the second-highest total by a GAC defender in week one. His total included eight solo stops, one tackle-for-loss and a fourth quarter forced fumble. Over his Bison career, Baker has attained at least 10 tackles in seven of 12 games played.
Defending the Skies
A season ago, Tainique Taylor recorded 15 pass break-ups, the most by a Bison player in program history. As it stands right now, Taylor is on pace for 33 this season. Against the Wonder Boys, the 5-foot-11 corner knocked down three passes, all of which were near-interceptions. His three PBUs are No. 1 in the GAC and tied for fifth in the nation heading into week two.
A Rare Occurrence
Early in the third quarter at Arkansas Tech, junior Brayden Johnson blocked a punt and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 31. That blocked punt return touchdown was just the second in program history. Previously during the 2015 campaign, sophomore corner Jesse Salisbury returned a blocked Arkansas-Monticello punt 20 yards for a score on Oct. 3.
Cause for Concern
Arkansas Tech averaged 4.8 yards-per-rush last week and compiled 287 rushing yards against the Bison defense. The opponent coming in, the triple-option based Harding football squad, cranked out a remarkable 554 yards at Southern Nazarene last week. HU averaged 8.94 yards-per-carry and scored seven times on the ground during the 59-0 victory. As one might expect, HU leads the nation in team rushing yards heading into week two.
Scouting HU
As mentioned above, Harding’s triple-option attack generated 554 rushing yards last week. Five different players rushed for at least 54 yards at SNU, led by Andrew Miller’s 129 yards. Blake Delacruz and Cole Keylon each scored twice as well. Passing wise, HU threw just five times by Keylon with 53 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Harding tallied an impressive 15.0 tackles-for-loss and five sacks against the Crimson Storm. It also allowed a mere 58 yards of all-purpose yards to SNU, the fewest ever allowed to an opponent. Individually, junior defensive back Ty Dugger registered 2.0 TFLs and a sack while Cayden Pierce and Clark Griffin led with 6.0 tackles a piece.
Historically Speaking
Oklahoma Baptist has never defeated Harding in eight tries. HU, which usually has a top-20 NCAA defense, has surrendered just 120 points to the green and gold, a 15.0 average in those games. Plus, in terms of competition in Shawnee, Harding has scored at least 31 points in three of the four contests on Bison Hill.
Top-Five Matchup
After winning the NCAA Championship last season, Harding ended the year ranked No. 1. They continued to hold that ranking after last week’s big win at Southern Nazarene. For the Bison, this will mark the first time in program history that it will have played the number-one ranked team. The last time OBU played a team ranked highly was in 2019. During that campaign, the Bison played the Ouachita Baptist Tigers on Oct. 19 when it was ranked fifth.
