GAC WEEK 7 SCHEDULE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Southern Nazarene vs Southeastern Oklahoma State 2:00 P.M
Durant, Oklahoma
Series History: Southeastern Oklahoma State leads 8-2
Last Meeting: SE, 20-19 (October 14, 2023)
Southern Nazarene Notes
No notes available
Southeastern Oklahoma State Notes
Noteworthy…
• 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. • SE is set to renew its newest series when it meets Southern Nazarene for just the 11th time on Saturday. The first meeting came when SNU joined the Great American Conference in 2013, and the Savage Storm picked up a 31- 14 win. Southeastern then proceeded to win the next five in-a-row but saw its six-game winning streak end in a one-point loss in 2019. The series has moved to 8-2 overall in favor of SE, with all meetings coming in conference play. • after snapping a five-game losing skid in the state of Arkansas with a win over UAM, the Storm return to Oklahoma where it has compiled a 28-4 record over Oklahoma opponents in the six-plus seasons under head coach Bo Atterberry and is currently on a five-game winning streak versus in-state foes. • Southeastern junior linebacker Braeden Winters was named the D2Foot- ball.com Defensive Player of the Week following his 14 tackles, four TFL, and two sack performance in the week four win over Northwestern Oklahoma State. • 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.
#25 Henderson State vs #24 Southern Arkansas 2:00 P.M.
El Dorado, Arkansas
Series History: Henderson State leads 47-36-1
Last Meeting: SAU, 35-34 (October 14, 2023)
#25 Henderson State Notes
No notes available
#24 Southern Arkansas Notes
WEEK 7 MATCHUP
• The chase for supremacy in the Great American Conference may be observed in Arkadelphia, Arkansas as #1/1 Harding travels to #9/11 Ouachita Baptist, but the league recognizes another ranked matchup in the GAC as the two crews tied for second in the conference are set to battle it out in the Murphy USA Classic in El Dorado, Arkansas. • The two Natural rivals meet for the 88th time in their long history, but clash for just the fourth time in Eldo this Saturday. • The Muleriders, ranked 24th in the latest AFCA poll, have been victors in the last two meetings with the Reddies, but entered both as underdogs. Now both are ranked, and for the first time since 2018 Southern Arkansas outranks the Reddies. • With that variable in mind, when the two faced in 2018 was for the 10th Annual Murphy USA Classic. That saw the Muleriders earn their second victory over the Reddies in El Dorado by final of 34-14. • If the story continues the way it has been read so far, this Murphy USA Classic will result in yet another shootout as the last two have totaled 74 and 84 points. Not to mention the two groups both have top-30 offenses (SAU T10th | HSU 27th).
NOTABLES: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
• For the first time in six years, the Muleriders are ranked inside the top-25 of the American Football Coaches Association Coaches’ Poll after having rode past the Bison in Shawnee last Thursday in a 65-10 triumph. • Southern Arkansas now looks forward to doing something that has not been done in about two decades. That is, defeat the Reddies of Henderson State for the third-consecutive season. • Last season’s win in Arkadelphia marked the first time that the Muleriders had beaten the Reddies in back-to-back seasons since the years 2003-05 while also being the first time since 2004 that SAU had beaten HSU on their home turf. • As the offense continues to progress each week (418.0 yds per game | 26th nationally | 2nd GAC), the Mulerider defense rises to the top of the nation in many rankings such as defensive passing efficiency (92.47 | 4th nationally | 3rd GAC), turnover margin (1.67 | 4th nationally | 1st GAC), turnovers gained (15 | 5th nationally | 2nd GAC), passes intercepted (10 | 6th nationally | T1st GAC).
NOTABLES: Henderson State
• While the Muleriders have proven to defend the pass well while the Henderson State offense has primarily shown to run through two-time GAC Offensive Player of the Week, quarterback Andrew Edwards. • Edwards is towards the top in many passing statistical categories as the redshirt junior ranks first in the conference for passing touchdowns (15 | 13th nationally), passing yards (1,349 | 35th nationally), passing yards per game (224.8 | 36th nationally), points responsible for (96 | 21st nationally), points responsible for per game (16.0 | 24th nationally), and total offense per game (250.5 | 35th nationally). • In all but two games so far, the Reddies have accounted for 30+ points. The two contests that the Reddies did not score 30+ points came in their battles with Arkansas Tech and the defending national champions Harding. • The Reddies passing offense is just second in the conference, behind Southern Arkansas. Henderson State averages 227.7 passing yards per game, as well as 163.7 rushing yards per game. In total, the Reddies are averaging 391.3 yards of total offense (4th GAC).
Northwestern Oklahoma State vs East Central 3:00 P.M.
Koi Ishto Stadium – Ada, Oklahoma
Series History: East Central leads 52-28-9
Last Meeting: ECU, 42-7 (October 14, 2023)
Northwestern Oklahoma State Notes
East Central Notes
Arkansas Tech vs Arkansas-Monticello 4:00 P.M.
Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium – Monticello, Arkansas
Series History: Arkansas Tech lead 47-30-3
Last Meeting: ATU, 24-10 (October 14, 2023)
THE SERIES
This will be the 80th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Arkansas-Monticello in a series that dates back to 1928. Overall, Tech holds a 46-30-3 advantage in the all-time series and has an 18-17-1 lead in games played in Monticello. Since transitioning to NCAA Division II, the Wonder Boys and Boll Weevils have met 24 times previously and in that time, Tech leads 15-9-0.
Arkansas Tech Notes
KICKING OFF
At 4-2 right at the halfway point of the season, the Arkansas Tech football team is set to hit the road this weekend and play at Arkansas-Monticello in search of their third-straight win. Kick-off for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Cotton Boll Stadium in Monticello.
TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
LAST GAME
The Wonder Boys won their second-straight game last week as they beat Southwestern Oklahoma 29-19. In getting that win, the Wonder Boys out-scored SWOSU 21-7 in the second half. The Tech defense was a big part of that as they forced three turnovers and scored 14 points off those turnovers.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively after six games, the Wonder Boys are averaging 27.0 points per game and 351.5 yards of total offense. Their ppg average ranks fifth in the GAC, while their total offense also ranks fifth. In the passing game, the Wonder Boys used a trio of quarterbacks with Ethan Forrester, Ethan Everson and Hunter Loyd making at least one start. Overall, Everson has played in all six-game and has made four starts. In his time on the field, Everson has thrown for 882 yards on 64-of-115 passing with six touchdowns and three interceptions. Their 219.0 passing yards per game rank third in the GAC. On the ground, the Wonder Boys have had 10 different ball carriers against this season. Deuce Wise has shouldered the largest load with 75 carries and leads the team in net yards with 360. Luke Gall is next on the team in rushing yards with 318. He also leads in rushing touchdowns with four. Myles West has come on as of late in the backfield and is up over 150 yards and has two touchdowns. Jordan Edington, who handles most of the short-yardage downs, has recorded three rushing touchdowns. Their 132.5 rushing yards per game ranks seventh in the GAC. In terms of receiving, Tech has had pass completions to 12 different targets. Caleb Tanis leads the team in receptions with 26, yards at 388 and is tied for the team-lead in touchdowns with two. Joyrion Chase has gone over 200 yards receiving through six games and has a touchdown. Tight End Dayton Keller and wideout Jordan Jackson are tied with Tanis for the lead in receiving touchdowns with two.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively through six games, the Wonder Boys allow an average of 279.5 yards of total offense per game by their opponents and 25.3 points per game. The total defense ranks third in the GAC, while their scoring defense is sixth. Individually, Tech has eight players that registered at least 20 tackles overall are led by Jyrin Steward and his 49 stops. Steward also lead the team in tackles for loss with 14.5 and has 2.0 sacks. Israel Whitmore is currently the team leader in sacks with 3.5. In terms of takeaways, the Wonder Boys have recovered three fumbles and come away with seven interceptions. Three of the picks have been hauled in by CJ Palmer. The Wonder Boys also have two pick-six interceptions this season with Diego Sanchez having a 62-yard one against Northwestern Oklahoma and Steward a 15-yard one against Southwestern Oklahoma. The fumble recoveries have been secured by Jordan Thompson, Tyler Mosley and Whitmore.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Christopher Baldazo has assumed the placekicking duties for the Wonder Boys and in five games he is 9-for-10 in field goals with a long of 47 yards against Oklahoma Baptist. He is also 11-of-13 in extra point kicks. In the punting game, Logan Tymeson has been called upon to punt 25 times this season and is averaging 41.3 yards per punt. In the return game, Tyrique Jones leads the team in kickoff return yards with 90 yards on three returns. His long is 40 yards. On punts, he has returned three for 22 yards with a long of 16.
COACH SHIPP
Kyle Shipp is in his sixth season as head football coach at Arkansas Tech and is in his fifth season of competition after the 2020 season was not played due to COVID-19. After a 3-8 season in his first year on the sidelines of his alma mater in 2019, Shipp would improve his team’s win output each of the next two seasons with four wins in 2021 and five wins in 2022. This past season, Shipp matched that win total of five. Overall, Shipp carries a 21-29 record.
KNOW YO FOE
LAST GAME
The Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils enter this weekend’s game at Arkansas Tech at 2-4 overall and 2-4 in the GAC. They have lost four-straight games. In their most-recent game, the Boll Weevils were shutout at home against Southeastern Oklahoma, 27-0. THE COACH The Boll Weevils are coached by Hud Jackson, who is in his 14th year as the head coach at UAM. In his time with the Boll Weevils, Jackson has amassed a 46-92 overall record. In six different seasons, Jackson has led the Boll Weevils to at least five wins. In 2018, UAM won the most games under Jackson with six and appeared in the Corsicana Bowl that same year.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, through their first six games of year, UAM has the seventh-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 17.8 ppg and the sixth-best total offense with an average of 324.7 ypg. Through the air, the Boll Weevils are averaging 194.0 ypg to rank eighth in the GAC. On the ground, UAM is averaging 130.2 ypg to rank eighth in the GAC. The leading rusher thus far has been Tyler Reed with 307 yards gained and two touchdowns. Quarterback Demilon Brown is second on the team in rushing yards with 277, but leads the team in rushing touchdowns with four. In the passing game, Brown has completed 60% of his passes (105-of-174) and has thrown for 1,082 yards with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The leading receiver for UAM is Isaiah Cross. He has 21 receptions for 285 yards and one touchdown. Royal Williams is not far behind with 238 yards receiving on 17 receptions. He also leads the team in TDs with two.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Boll Weevils currently rank ninth in scoring defense, allowing 36.0 ppg. Their total defense ranks seventh in the GAC allowing 357.0 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, UAM ranks third in the GAC with 137.2 ypg On the ground, the Boll Weevils allow an average of 219.8 ypg and rank 10th in the GAC. Collectively, the Boll Weevils have forced four turnovers with one interception and three fumble recoveries. Individually, UAM’s have six players with at least 20 stops and are led by Ervin Jones with 33. Alfernee Hankins leads the team in TFLs with 6.0 and sacks with 2.5.
Arkansas-Monticello Notes
The University of Arkansas at Monticello Football team hosts Arkansas Tech University this Saturday at Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium for the 2024 Pink Out Game, sponsored by BFGoodrich.
“Our players are really working hard to get us back on track,” said Head Coach Hud Jackson. “Our mindset has always been on winning. We have to take on more responsibility to make that happen. We have to make plays that are game-changing. We have players to do that. Our focus is to get better each day and commit to winning! Eat’em Up!”
Below you will find important information regarding live coverage, tickets, game match-ups, and social media links to keep up with the game.
THE MATCHUP
The University of Arkansas at Monticello Football team is playing Arkansas Tech at home for the 38th time in program history. The teams have met 80 times since 1920, with their first meeting in Russellville. The result was a 12-0 loss for the Weevils.
LAST MEETING
Arkansas-Monticello lost to Arkansas Tech, 24-10 on the road in 2023. The Boll Weevils tabbed 366 yards of total offense, recording one touchdown in that contest. Buddy Taylor led the air attack, connecting with 19-33 attempts for 282 yards. Tristen Smith led the team on the ground, rushing for a net of 42 yards in the contest, with a long of 11 yards.
All-TIME SERIES
UAM trails in the all-time series, 30-47-3, with the last win for the Boll Weevils coming in 2022. Monticello is 17-20-1 at home against Arkansas Tech, with the last win being a score of 35-14 in 2022. The largest margin of victory for the Weevils came during the 2013 season with a 34-0 win. The Weevils average 18.25 points against the Wonder Boys.
PRE-GAME NOTES
The Boll Weevils are currently sitting 2-4, following a home loss to Southeastern Okla. State in week six. Monticello sits seventh in the GAC in scoring and sixth in total offense, averaging 17.8 points per contest and 324.2 yards per game. The Boll Weevils land fifth in the conference in rushing, posting 781 total yards and averaging 130.2 on the ground per game. Defensively, UAM ranks seventh in total defense, surrendering 357 yards per contest, and nineth in scoring defense, allowing 36 points per game. Offensively, running back Tyler Reed leads the running game, averaging 51 yards a contest. Isaiah Cross is the third-ranked target in the GAC, totaling 285 yards on 21 receptions for an average of 47.5 yards per game.
PROGRAMS
Pick up a game-day football program at the gate for $5. Fans can find school information, team rosters, conference standings, the latest updates to the Legacy Campaign, and more! Programs will be available at every home game of the season.
Southwestern Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma Baptist 6:00 P.M.
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Series History: Oklahoma Baptist leads 15-11-2
Last Meeting: OKB, 20-13 (October 14, 2023)
Southwestern Oklahoma State Notes
For a second straight week, SWOSU Football plays on the road when they face Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday.
The Bulldogs will be looking to bounce back from a 29-19 loss to Arkansas Tech last week in a game that SWOSU led for nearly three quarters until three turnovers in the fourth quarter spoiled the result.
Against ATU, the Bulldogs were 11-for-16 on third down and eclipsed the 300-yard mark on offense for the second time this season. Kai Kunz rushed for two scores and now has nine (2nd GAC) on the year, while Desmond Greene intercepted his league-leading fifth pass of the season.
Kunz has ran for at least 90 yards in three of his last four games. He’s also coming off a game at Tech in which he threw for a season high 177 yards on 16-of-24 passing. Michael Arceneaux II scored his first touchdown as a Bulldog when he housed a 28-yard catch in motion in the fourth quarter. Keshaun Jackson led the defense with 12 tackles and was in on a sack.
OBU beat the Dawgs in Weatherford a year ago 20-13 and has won five of the last six in the series. The lone win in that span came in 2022 when SWOSU beat the Bison 38-31 in Shawnee in overtime. In the eight matchups between schools since 2015 when OBU joined the GAC, all but two have been decided by a touchdown or less including the last three games in ’23, ’22, and ’21.
Oklahoma Baptist enters the contest 1-5 in 2024. They are averaging 15.8 points (9th GAC) and 218.5 yards (11th GAC) on offense and are allowing 43.2 points (12th) and 430.3 yards (12th) on defense.
Matchups to watch will be SWOSU’s run game against the Bison defense and OBU’s passing game against the Bulldog pass rush and secondary.
OBU is surrendering 239 yards on the ground per game and has allowed 17 rushing touchdowns in six games so far this season. They rank seventh in the GAC in passing yards per game, having attempted more passes (197) than rushes (183), but have seen four different quarterbacks throw a total of 10 interceptions.
SWOSU has more than double the rush attempts when compared to passes this season and is tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions this season which includes a combined eight from Greene and Wyatt Rohmer.
It will be the final 6:00 pm kickoff of the season.
Oklahoma Baptist Notes
Homecoming Special
Saturday’s contest with Southwestern Oklahoma State marks the 11th Homecoming game since the program restarted in 2013. The Bison are 6-4 on this day and have won five of their last six including last year’s 28-7 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State. This will be the second time the green and gold match up with SWOSU on Homecoming. The last time came during the 2017 season when OBU won 28-24.
Historically Speaking
Just like the recent Homecoming games, the Bison have fared well against SWOSU. They have won five of the last six contests and in the D2 era, hold a 5-3 series advantage. The Bulldogs won the first two meetings in 2015 and 2016, but since then OBU has controlled the series. Southwesterns’ only win in the last six tries was a 38-31 overtime victory in Shawnee on Sept. 24, 2022.
Rosenthal’s Return
Six-foot-one dual-threat quarterback Kenny Rosenthal moved back into the Bison depth chart this week. It’s anticipated that he’ll see significant playing time against SWOSU. A season ago, made his first career start against the Bulldogs in Weatherford on Oct. 14, 2023. He helped lead the green and gold to a 20-13 win. In that contest, he threw for 231 with one touchdown and rushed for 24 yards and a score.
Quite the Return Specialist
Redshirt senior Darius Melton added 85 kickoff return yards against Southern Arkansas last Thursday in Shawnee. That bumped his season total to 507 yards. That’s not only the best mark in the Great American Conference (by 237 yards), it’s the sixth-best total in the nation. Also, Melton’s 507 return yards are second-most in school history. To date, program great Keilahn Harris owns the single-season kickoff return yardage record with 716 yards during the 2022 season.
Stepping Up
Over the last few weeks, Bison linebacker Tyler Johnson has filled in very well for injured linebacker Brayden Johnson (who is expected to be available against SWOSU). Johnson, a 5-foot-11 sophomore from Tulsa has racked up 26 total tackles. That included 13 tackles at Henderson State and 10 against Southern Arkansas. With those performances, Johnson shot up to 13th in the league in total tackles.
Stacking Things Up
Offensively, both teams have had their struggles. SWOSU is eighth in scoring at 16.0 points per game while the Bison follow at 15.8 points. On the passing front, the Bison are sitting in seventh in the GAC at 141.2 yards per game. As for Southwestern, it ranks 11th averaging 107.0 yards per contest. On the rushing front, SWOSU sit there in fifth overall (157.2) while OBU is 11th (77.3). Defensively, both teams have not slowed down opponents’ rushing attacks. SWOSU is 11th in the league giving up 230.8 rushing yards per game while the Bison follow at 239.0 yards. In the secondary, the Bulldogs have been pretty good. They are fourth allowing 146.8 passing yards per game. As a unit, SWOSU’s secondary has recorded 10 picks, a league-high. OBU’s passing defense checks in at tenth, allowing 191.3 passing yards per game.
Last Time vs. SWOSU
During last year’s 20-13 win in Weatherford, the Bison generated six sacks and held Southwestern to 241 yards of offense including 166 yards through the air. It was the sixth straight game OBU held a team under 200 yards through the air. Tainique Taylor broke up a career-best four passes to break the OBU record for PBUs in a season, eclipsing D’Ante Meeking’s mark (10) set in 2016. Quarterback Kenny Rosenthal racked up 255 yards of offense, a significant contribution towards OBU’s total of 305 yards. Aaron Smith rushed for 51 yards while Nick Harris hauled in five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Scouting Southwestern
Team statistics were mentioned above but we’ll focus individually here. Quarterback Kai Kunz is the GAC leader with 504 rushing yards. He averages 84 yards per game and has scored nine times, second-most in the league. Only one SWOSU receiver is slotted in the conference stat rankings: Baylor Nash. He ranks 24th with 15 catches for 147 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Logan Monroe is fifth in the conference with 53 tackles. He is also 18th with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and seventh with 3.0 sacks. In the secondary, there are two outstanding defensive backs for SWOSU: Desmond Greene and Wyatt Rohmer. Green is tied for the GAC lead with eight pass break-ups and five interceptions. As for Rohmer, he has notched a trio of interceptions with four more break-ups. On special teams, Ethan McBee ranks third with five made field goals while Dylan Mauro ranks third with a 42.2 punting yards average. Maura has also pinned 10 punts inside the 20-yard line with four, 50-yard boots.
#1 Harding vs #9-#11 Ouachita Baptist 7:00 P.M.
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Series History: Harding leads 34-26-4
Last Meeting: HU, 41-10 (October 14, 2023)
Harding Notes
Harding Team Notes
• Coming off a 62-0 shutout victory Saturday against Northwestern Oklahoma, No. 1 ranked Harding plays its second nationally ranked team of the season Saturday at No. 9 Ouachita Baptist … kickoff at Cliff Harris Stadium is at 7 p.m. • Harding enters the game with a 25-game overall winning streak, tied for the 11th-longest streak ever in NCAA II football, a 21-game conference winning streak, and a 12-game road winning streak. • KEY STAT: Harding and Ouachita Baptist are the top two scoring defenses in Division II. The Bisons have allowed only one touchdown this season, and Ouachita Baptist has allowed six. • This will be the 65th meeting between HU and OBU with the Bisons holding a 34-26-4 lead … HU had a 10-game winning streak end in 2001 and the teams have split 22 meetings since with both teams winning 11 times. • No. 9 Harding emphatically ended No. 5 Ouachita Baptist’s 11-game road and 18-game conference winning streaks with a dominant 41-10 victory last sesaon in Searcy, extending its own winning streak to 11 games and improving to 7-0 overall. • Harding is ranked No. 1 in the AFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll … Harding has appeared in 71 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 is 74-9 (.892) in GAC games since 2016. The Bisons have lost one conference game by more than 10 points since 2015. • Harding leads D2 with 461.0 rushing yards per game and have eclipsed 500 yards twice … HU (2,766) has 729 more rushing yards than second place in D2 (Eastern N.M., 2,037) … HU also leads D2 with 7.56 yards per rush and 37 rush TD. • Harding is the only D2 team to allow fewer than 300 rushing yards (289), fewer than 2.00 yards per rush (1.77) and no rushing TD … the Bisons have allowed only one rush TD in their last 13 games dating to last season. • Harding leads Division II in scoring offense at 61.3 points per game … the Bisons have scored 57 or more points in six straight games … Harding’s 51 touchdowns are eight more than any other Division II program. • For only the second time in program history, Harding’s defense has allowed fewer than 10 points in six consecutive games … only longer streak came over a 7-game stretch in 1928 and 1929 … HU has allowed only 13 points in six games. • Harding’s defense has allowed fewer than 200 total yards in nine straight conference games and has allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards in 16 of its last 21 games overall … HU’s defense has scored four touchdowns this season. • OPPONENT WATCH: Ouachita Baptist’s defense is 12th nationally in rushing defense (75.3) … OBU is 100th in D2 in turnover margin (-0.33) and 128th in time of possession (28:08) … QB Eli Livingston is second in the GAC with 8.06 yards per rush and third in D2 in passing efficiency (182.5) … RB Kendel Givens is fourth in the GAC with seven rush TD.
Harding Player Notes
• QB COLE KEYLON … 30-2 as a starter … 4th in GAC passing TD (8) and 8th in rushing TD (4) … 6th in HU career rush TD (25) and 9th in pass TD (21) — only HU player ever with 20+ rush TD and pass TD … rushed for 83 yards vs. OBU in ‘23 • FB BLAKE DELACRUZ … GAC leader, 3rd in D2 in rush TD (10) … 10th in GAC rush yards (327) … 3rd in HU career rush TD (42) and 5th in rush yards (2,728) … needs 96 rush yards for 4th (Jim Howard, 2,823, 1964-67) … 71 rush yards, 1 TD vs. OBU in ‘23 • FB ANDREW MILLER … 5th in GAC rush TD (6) and 3rd in rush yards (432) … needs 84 rush yards for 1,000 career … rushed for 107 yards vs. NWOSU, second 100+ yard game of the season and third of his career • SB JHALEN SPICER … 12th in HU career rush TD (19) and 13th in rush yards (1,819) … 6 rush, 51 yards vs. OBU in ‘23 • SB BRADEN JAY … 2nd in GAC all-purpose yards (115.00) and receiving TD (3) … 6th in GAC rush yards (403) and 5th in rush TD (6) … HU career leader in yards/rush (13.73), 5th in TD (29), 15th in rush yards (1,771) … 131 rush yards, 2 TD vs. OBU in ‘23 • DL DRE HALL … 8th at HU in career TFL (29.0) and 2nd in sacks (21.5) … 3.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks in 3 games vs. OBU • DL GAGE PRICE … 3rd in GAC sacks (4.0) and 7th in TFL (7.0) • DL TIRRELL JOHNSON … has a TFL in four of the season’s six games • DL WESLEY COLEMAN … has TFL in last two games … set career high with 5 tackles vs. OBU in ‘22 • LB CLARK GRIFFIN … needs 1 tackle for 200 career and 16 tackles for HU career top 10 … leads HU with 33 tackles • LB CAYDEN PIERCE … has 14 tackles in the last two games … needs 12 tackles for 100 career • DB TY DUGGER … GAC DPOW … had 83-yard INT TD return vs. NWOSU … one of only four HU players with 2 INT TD in the same season (Jacory Nichols, 3, 2019; Rob Stroud, 2, 1996; Jasper Bodiford, 2, 2011) • DB TRAVIS GREENAWALT … season-high two tackles vs. NWOSU • DB JEREMIAH JORDAN … needs 1 PBU for 10 in his career • DB KYLE MCDONALD … needs one tackle for 50 in his career • DB DARION DUNLAP-JOHNSON … playing his 20th game as a Bison • RS KENDALE ALLEN … has 1,182 career return yards, third at HU … has 6 tackles, 2.0 TFL in last two games • K MAGNUS LEPAK … 2nd in GAC in scoring (57), 4th in field goal pct. (66.7), 5th in FG per game (0.67)
Ouachita Baptist Notes
TIGER TRACKS
TOP 10 MATCHUP
For the third straight season, the regular season battle between Ouachita and Harding features both teams nationally-ranked in the top 10. This Saturday’s game in Arkadelphia pits the ninth-ranked Tigers against the top-ranked Bisons. Last year, it was No. 9 Harding beating No. 5 Ouachita 41-10. In 2022, it was No. 9 Ouachita beating No. 7 Harding 21-13. Unofficially, this is the just the fourth time ever that Ouachita has competed in a matchup of top 10 in-state teams. The first was in 1975, when then-NAIA ranked No. 6 Ouachita snapped No. 2 Henderson State’s 17-game conference winning streak with a 21-20 win to earn a share of the AIC title. Regarding the Ouachita-Harding matchup, Saturday’s game marks the seventh time the two squads have held national rankings when they faced off against each other since the two squads joined the GAC in 2011. In 2021, Ouachita held a No. 8 national rank when it lost to Harding 38-21 in Searcy. The Bisons were just receiving votes in the AFCA poll and were ranked No. 22 by D2Football.com. In 2019, then-ranked No. 5 Ouachita beat No. 18 Harding at home 16-14 in the NCAA DII Showcase Game of the Week on ESPN3. In 2018, then ranked No. 6 Ouachita beat No. 19 Harding 7-3 in Searcy. In 2014, then-ranked No. 22 Ouachita won by a field goal in overtime in Searcy over No. 13 Harding by a final score of 31-28.
TOP 10 TIGERS
Ouachita moved up one spot to No. 9 in this week’s American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll following its 40-0 homecoming win over East Central last Saturday. Also, this week, the Tigers moved up one spot to No. 11 in the D2Football.com Top 25. The Tigers have been ranked nationally by the AFCA in 70 of the last 71 polls, reaching as high as No. 3 during the 2022 season. Ouachita is one of four teams in the GAC receiving national recognition this week. Harding is No. 1 in both polls. Southern Arkansas and Henderson State are now ranked in the AFCA Top 25 poll at No. 24 and No. 25, respectively.
TIGERS MENTIONED ON NCAA.COM
NCAA.com D2 columnist Wayne Cavadi publishes weekly power rankings that highlight the top 10 teams in the nation. For the third straight week, the Tigers were included in this week’s first five out: “The Tigers are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents 237-48 thus far. We’ll find out what they are made of next weekend against Harding.”
OUACHITA STAT NOTABLES • Ouachita is just one of 13 unbeaten teams in all of NCAA Division II. • Ouachita has tallied 32 touchdowns so far this year and has only allowed six. Only one of the six touchdowns allowed has been rushing. The other five have either been passing or a defensive score. • Ouachita leads the GAC and ranks second nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 31.2 per return. Carter McElhany leads the GAC and is 10th in the nation individually at 32 yards per return. • Ouachita is third in the GAC and sixth in the nation in kickoff return defense, only allowing opponents an average of 13.8 yards per return. • Ouachita leads the GAC and ranks second in the nation in net punting with an average of 43.9 yards per punt. Tom Weston leads the GAC and ranks fourth in the nation individually with an average of 46.1 yards per punt. Overall this year, Weston has 14 punts downed inside the opponent 20-yard line and seven punts of at least 50 yards. He had a career-long 76-yard punt in week five vs. Southeastern. • Ouachita leads the nation in punt return defense, actually holding opponents to a negative average of 4.5 yards per return. • Ouachita leads the GAC and ranks eighth nationally in punt returns with an average of 18.2 yards per return. Connor Flannigan leads the GAC and ranks third in the nation individually with an average of 19.7 yards per return. • The Tigers lead the GAC and rank eighth nationally in redzone offense, scoring 91.2 percent of the time. • The Tigers are one of five teams in the nation with a scoring defense average still in the single digits. Ouachita ranks second nationally at 8.0 points allowed per game. • Ouachita is back on top nationally in the tackles for loss category. The Tigers had 10 TFL last week against ECU and now average 10.7 negative plays per game. The Tigers have totaled 64 tackles for a combined loss of 229 yards. • The Tigers attempted their first fourth down conversion attempt last week against ECU on a fake field goal. The play resulted in a first down which put Ouachita No. 1 nationally in the category tied with Barton, who is 4-for-4 this season. • A key matchup this Saturday will be Harding’s top-ranked rushing offense and Ouachita’s run defense, which is second in the GAC and 12th nationally at 75.3 yards allowed on the ground per game. • Quarterback Eli Livingston leads the GAC and ranks third nationally in passing efficiency with a QB rating of 182.5. He also leads the GAC in yards per completion (16.9) and points responsible for (16.8). • Not only has he been efficient as a passer, Eli Livingston has also been instrumental in Ouachita’s run game this year, leading the team in rushing yards (411 total, 82.2 per game). • Defensive end Mikey Gonzalez is second in the GAC and fifth nationally in sacks with six. He is 15th nationally in tackles for loss with an average of 1.7 per game.
