ARKADELPHIA – Ouachita senior running back Kris Oliver (Arkadelphia, Ark.) took a handoff with six minutes remaining in the third quarter and scampered for a five yard gain, the short run gave the Arkadelphia native the All-Time career rushing record in the Great American Conference as Ouachita costed to a 41-0 victory over Southern Nazarene.

Oliver carried the ball 28 times for a season high 151 yards. The senior also added a pair of touchdowns on the night, pushing his season total to eight. Oliver also holds the GAC record for 100-yard rushing games with 16 in his career. This is the second consecutive week No. 4 Ouachita  (8-0) has had a running back cross the 150 yard rushing threshold.

The Tigers offense dominated every aspect of the game against Southern Nazarene (1-7). Ouachita collected 27 first downs in the game and held the Crimson Storm to just six in the contest. For just the second time this season the Ouachita offense out gained their opponent in both the rushing and passing game. The Tigers rushed for 271 yards and scored four touchdowns as a team, through the air Ouachita passed for 170 yards and a score.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Brayden Brazeal (England, Ark.) showed his dual threat ability on Thursday night. The Natural State native passed for 133 yards and a score and added 59 yards rushing on the ground. Backup quarterback Caleb Sallisbury (Van Buren, Ark.) came in during the fourth quarter and ran for a pair of touchdowns in the period.

Senior wide receiver La’Darius McElroy took advantage of his matchup on the field recording three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown. Slot receiver Allie Freeman (Little Rock, Ark.) added to his team leading reception total with three catches on the night for 27 yards.

The Ouachita defense flexed their muscles on Southern Nazarene as they finished off their second shutout of the season. This is the first season since the turn of the century that the Tigers have recorded two shutouts in the same season. The Tigers defense has held opponents to under 10 points on five different occasions this year.

Interceptions have been the calling card for the Ouachita defense this season. Coming into the game on Thursday night the Tigers had recorded 14 interceptions and 32 pass breakups. The Tigers had their opportunities to add to the total but saw both passes fall off the fingertips of Ouachita defenders. The Tigers made up for it with hard-hitting plays late in the fourth quarter as the defense forced a pair of fumbles to close out the game.

First Quarter: Ouachita 7, Southern Nazarene 0
After a pair of three-and-outs by each team’s offense, Ouachita took over on their own 23-yardline with 10:59 remaining in the opening quarter. On the second play of the drive, Brazeal scampered ahead for a 12-yard rush, putting the ball at the Tiger 40-yard line. Two plays later, the Tigers avoided disaster by jumping on a fumbled handoff.

Facing a third-and-14 Ouachita appeared that they would be forced to punt the ball for a second consecutive drive. Brazeal was flushed out of the pocket and raced ahead for a 40-yard gain and a first down inside the Southern Nazarene 24-yardline. Two plays later Brockton Brown (Sheridan, Ark.) 17-yards inside the Crimson Storm 10-yardline. Oliver ran the ball in from nine-yards out to give the Tigers their first score of the night.

Second Quarter: Ouachita 14, Southern Nazarene 0
Oliver opened up the Tigers first drive of the second quarter with a 10-yard run to the Ouachita 24-yardline. Five plays later Brazeal connected with Freeman for a 29-yard gain on a third down to keep the drive alive. Facing their second third down of the drive, Brazeal found McElroy in the endzone for the Tigers second score of the night.

After the score, neither team was able to get into a rhythm offensively as the Tigers went into the halftime break up 14-0.

Third Quarter: Ouachita 20, Southern Nazarene 0
The Ouachita defense forced a quick three-and-out and the offense began on their own 25-yard line with 13:09 remaining in the quarter. A steady dose of Oliver proved to be lethal for the Crimson Storm offense as the Arkadelphia native touched the ball seven times during the drive. Ouachita moved the ball all the way down to the Southern Nazarene 22-yardline. The Tigers were forced to try a field goal after an incomplete pass on third down. Senior kicker Cole Antley (Atlanta, Ga.) nailed the 39-yard field goal with 8:35 remaining in the quarter.

On the Tigers, second drive of the quarter they used the same formula as the first. A steady diet of Oliver proved to be productive as the senior broke the GAC career rushing record during the drive. Once again Ouachita held the ball inside the Crimson Storm 10-yardline but had to settle for an Antley field goal.

Fourth Quarter: Ouachita 41, Southern Nazarene 0
On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Oliver proved that he would not be denied the endzone. The senior running back touched the ball five times on seven plays and pushed the Tigers lead to 27 points with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

On the second play of the Southern Nazarene drive, senior linebacker Parker Witt (Dardenelle, Ark.) completely manhandled Gage Porter for a seven-yard loss. Two plays later and the Tigers forced the Crimson Storm to punt once again. The punt by Crimson Storm punter Ryan Reid only traveled 24-yards as the Tigers setup with great field position.

The Tigers only needed four plays to score another fourth quarter touchdown. Sallisbury found Hayden Waller (Weatherford, Texas) for a 33-yard completion to set up the Tigers with a first-and-goal from the one-yard line. Sallisbury ran the ball in on the next play to give the Tigers a commanding 34-0 advantage.

Before Tiger fans could even take a seat the special teams came through with one of the biggest plays of the night. Caleb Porchia (Texarkana, Texas) lit up Brandon Perez on the return and CJ Heckard (Wisner, La.) fell on the loose ball. Two plays later and Sallisbury had found the back of the endzone for a second time in two minutes.

Southern Nazarene took over with 5:20 remaining in the game and put together their best drive of the game. The Crimson Storm had multiple first downs during the drive. On the ninth play of the freshman defensive lineman Hunter Swoboda (Bentonville, Ark.) forced the ball loose and Justin Dean (Mena, Ark.) fell on the loose ball for the Tigers.

Ouachita finished the game in victory formation as they collected their eighth consecutive win of the season. The Tiger football team will be back on the road next Saturday against the University of Arkansas at Monticello. For all the latest news on Ouachita football head over to obutigers.com.

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SHAWNEE, Okla. – Brockton Brown (Sheridan, Ark.) ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the opening quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the game as the No. 5/6 Ouachita Tiger football team literally steam rolled over Oklahoma Baptist 58-21 on Saturday afternoon.

Ouachita (7-0) dominated every aspect of the football game especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Tigers torched the Bison for 454 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Brown by himself out rushed the entire Oklahoma Baptist (2-5) team by 59 yards, on top of that his three touchdowns matched the Bison’s complete game total.
Brown now has 10 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Seven different Tigers rushed the ball on the day. Kris Oliver (Arkadelphia, Ark.) finished the game with 92 rushing yards on 13 attempts, freshman TJ Cole (Texarkana, Texas) ran for 61 yards and his second career touchdown. Quarterbacks Caleb Sallisbury (Van Buren, Ark.) and Brayden Brazeal (England, Ark.) each had 30 or more rushing yards and Brazeal added a rushing touchdown as well. Running backs Shun’cee Thomas (Bossier City, La.) and Barry Bennett (Tifton, Ga.) rounded out the carries for the Tigers, Bennett scored his first touchdown of the season late in third quarter.

The Tigers also showed that they had a passing attack this afternoon, with Ouachita quarterbacks completing all 11 throws for 108 yards. Brazeal had his first multi-touchdown game through the air on Saturday afternoon. It was the first passing touchdown for the Tiger offense since week one against Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Eight different Tigers caught passes on Saturday afternoon. Senior wide receivers Lamar Haynes (Jonesboro, Ark.) and La’Darius McElroy (Ashdown, Ark.) each had touchdown receptions. While leading wide receiver Allie Freeman (Little Rock, Ark.) hauled in a pair catches.

Oklahoma Baptist quarterback Preston Haire managed to pass for 236 yards in the contest, but Zack Curry (Nashville, Tenn.), Dillion Scott (Arkadelphia, Ark.) and Keandre Evans (Junction City, Ark.) each got an interception in the contest. The Ouachita defense now has 14 interceptions on the season and 32 pass break ups. Tevin Jones (Jonesboro, Ark.), Hunter White (Nashville, Ark.) and Airric Parker (San Diego, Calif.) tied for the team lead in tackles with six. Freshman linebacker Tommy Crumpton (Little Rock, Ark.) led the team with a sack and a half in the game.

On special teams Cole Antley (Atlanta, Ga.) connected on his lone field goal of the afternoon. The senior kicker also had five touchbacks on 10 kickoff attempts. Freeman returned his only punt of the day for 30 yards and Thomas and three kickoff returns for 55 yards.

With the victory on Saturday, Ouachita is now 6-2-1 All-Time against Oklahoma Baptist and the Tigers are currently riding a five game winning streak in the series. Oklahoma Baptist will have to wait another season to try and end their 79-year winless drought against the Tigers.

Ouachita currently sits alone at the top of the Great American Conference standings after Southern Arkansas fell 21-0 to Southeastern Oklahoma State.

First Quarter: Ouachita 24, Oklahoma Baptist 0
On the first offensive play of the game, Oliver took the handoff from Brazeal and scampered 41 yards to the Oklahoma Baptist 29-yard line. A penalty and a failed third down conversion brought the Tigers special teams unit out onto the field. Antley easily connected on his 43-yard attempt and Ouachita had an early 3-0 lead.

The Ouachita defense stepped up and forced a quick three-and-out. The Ouachita offense began their second drive of the afternoon with 11:46 to go in the opening quarter. On the second play of the drive Brown sprinted ahead for a 36-yard gain, down to the Bison 15-yard line. This time the Tiger offense would not be denied as Brown rumbled into the endzone three plays later.

The Tiger defense forced another three-and-out and the offense was once again set up with great field position. Brown lined up in the backfield on a third down play and blew past the Bison defense in route to a 50-yard touchdown run.

Down 17-0 Oklahoma Baptist began to click on offense during their third drive of the afternoon. The Bison marched the ball down inside the Ouachita 10-yard line, but Evans made sure that’s as far as they would go. On the 12^th play of the drive Evans intercepted his fourth interception of the season.

The Tiger offense setup shop at their own 23-yard line and seemed content to run the ball with only a 1:37 remaining in the quarter. On the third play of the drive Brown exploded for a 68-yard touchdown run, to give the Tigers a 24-0 lead after a single quarter of play. The 68-yard run was the longest rushing touchdown of Brown’s career.

Second Quarter: Ouachita 38, Oklahoma Baptist 7
Oklahoma Baptist got the ball to start the second quarter of play. Once again the Bison appeared to be clicking and worked their way back into the Tigers redzone. A pair of incomplete passes forced the Bison to turn to their special team’s units. Luke Wendl lined up for the 41-yard field goal and he clanked it off the right upright.

Ouachita decided to burn some clock on their fifth possession of the afternoon. On the third play of the drive Brazeal showed off his running ability with a 20-yard scamper to the Ouachita 49-yard line. On the second third down of the drive Brown received the handoff to Brazeal and busted another 25-yard run down to the Oklahoma Baptist 18-yard line. A few plays later and Brazeal ran the ball in from 14-yards out to give the Tigers 31-0 lead on Oklahoma Baptist.

With under five minutes remaining in the half Oklahoma Baptist faced a third down on the Tigers 40-yard line. Tyler Stuever found a hole in the Ouachita defense and the ran the ball in for the Bison’s first score of the game.

The Tiger offense immediately responded on their next possession. On the second play of the drive Thomas gashed the defense for a 16-yard gain. A few plays later Brazeal connected with McElroy for the Tigers first passing touchdown of the afternoon.

The half ended with Ouachita leading 38-7 at the halftime break.

Third Quarter: Ouachita 58, Oklahoma Baptist 14
The Ouachita defense forced the Bison to go three-and-out on their opening drive of the second half. A 30-yard punt return by Freeman set the Tigers up with a golden opportunity from the Bison 37-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Brazeal connected with Haynes for his second passing touchdown of the game and his third score overall.

Oklahoma Baptist once again appeared to have the makings of a decent drive, but defensive lineman Zack Curry put an end to it with an interception on the fourth play of the drive.

With 8:51 to go in the quarter Oklahoma Baptist called a timeout as Ouachita faced their first fourth down of the afternoon. The Tigers elected to go for it as freshman running back TJ Cole burst through the Bison defense for a 33-yard gain. Cole finished off the drive on the next play with a two-yard touchdown run.

The Ouachita defense smelled blood as they looked to finish off their prey. Dillion Scott intercepted the ball and ran it back 37-yards to the Bison’s three-yard line. Bennett pounded the ball in one play later and the Tigers held a 58-7 lead over the Bison.

Oklahoma Baptist took over with 7:10 remaining in the quarter. The Bison worked their way methodically down the field and scored in seven plays.

Fourth Quarter: Ouachita 58, Oklahoma Baptist 21
At this point in the game it was a foregone conclusion that the Tigers would walk away with the victory. Oklahoma Baptist scored a touchdown on an 11-play drive but that did not make much of a dent in the deficit they faced.

Ouachita took over with 9:15 left in the game and the Tigers ran 14-plays to run the clock out. The victory gives the Tigers seven on the season and it is their first 7-0 start since the 2014 season.

The Tigers will have a short turnaround this week as they host Southern Nazarene on Thursday evening at Cliff Harris Stadium. Kickoff for the Southern Nazarene game is scheduled for 6 p.m. For all the latest news on the Ouachita football team head over to obutigers.com or follow the official social media accounts of Ouachita Athletics.

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Bryan Allen, Arkansas Tech, RB, sophomore
Allen’s freshman season was stellar. His 1,150 yards rushing for the season is the third most in ATU history and his 279 against Ouachita is the second-highest single game total. The backfield is full once again with junior Brayden Stringer and fellow sophomore Kristian Thompson, but there should be plenty of opportunity for Allen to shine this season.

Trevon Biglow, Harding, DL, senior
The senior can get into the backfield quickly. Biglow had 9.5 tackles-for-loss last year and all of them were sacks. He is now fourth on the HU list in sacks (17.0) since 2000 and at his current pace could be at the top of that list by midseason. One of three of last season’s starters on the defensive line returning for their senior campaigns, the Bisons’ front line of defense should be formidable.

Michael Bowles, Lyon, RB, senior
As a junior, Bowles racked up 1,431 yards (third in the NAIA) and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He was also in the top 15 in the country in all-purpose yards. Bowles is one of a very small group of seniors on the squad and will definitely be one of the leaders on the team.

Harding’s Trevon Biglow wraps up the ball carrier. Photo courtesy HU Sports Info.

Jaquan Cole, Henderson State, RB, senior
The Reddies did not lose a single player on the two-deep of the offensive line to graduation. That means strength up from for Cole to run behind and then burst into the open field. The senior tallied 1,189 yards in 2015, fourth most in HSU history, and is poised to become the first Reddie back since Blake Christenson (2002, 2003) break the 1,000 yard barrier twice. He was last season’s Offensive Player of the Year in the GAC.

Josh Davis, Henderson State, LB, senior
Don’t forget about the Reddies’ defense, which was consistent throughout the season, holding nine of the 11 GAC opponents it faced to 17 points or less, and Davis is an anchor in the middle. In 2015, he was one of only two unanimously selected to the All-GAC First Team, recording 103 tackles, 15 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and he forced two fumbles.

Willie Duncan III, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, LB, junior
The Lions need a big performance from the defense and Duncan could be that leader in the middle, especially with the graduation of Jontrell Lockett. Duncan is solid against the passing game and led the team in tackles last season, averaging 10.7 per game.

Jeremy Jackson, Arkansas-Monticello, RB, junior
Jackson’s impact can be felt on any down. He was the team’s leading rusher in ’15 and picked up 5.2 yards per carry. He is also an able receiver and will get his offense good starting field position with consistency as he averaged 20.1 yards per return on kickoffs. Jackson’s role may increase in ’16 with a new signal-caller to work with as the Weevils to try improve offensive numbers this year.

Drew Morgan, Arkansas, WR, senior
The ground game will likely be a part of what is regularly a balanced offense in Fayetteville with Coach Bielema. But with graduations and injuries to the running back corps, the air attack shouldn’t go unnoticed and Morgan can be a big part of that. As a junior, Morgan led the team in receptions (63) and receiving yards per game (64.8) while hauling in 10 touchdown receptions as well.

Kris Oliver, Ouachita, RB, sophomore
The GAC was loaded with stellar freshman running backs in 2015, and Oliver may have been the best. He was named the Don Hansen National Freshman of the Year, running for 1,176 yards and 19 touchdowns (a school record for rushing TDs by a freshman) in 2015. Oliver is also a strong receiver out of the backfield and along with Pope (see below) make a solid one-two punch that goes beyond the numbers on their jerseys.

Park Parish, Harding, QB, senior
Parish is a versatile player, but then any quarterback in Coach Huckeba’s offensive scheme has to be. He rushed for 864 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, while passing for 783 yards and five more TDs, giving up only two interceptions. With two years as an understudy, Parish stepped seamlessly into the starting QB role in 2015 and was named to the First Team All-GAC as a utility player for his overall effectiveness.

Seth Peters, Hendrix, QB, senior
Peters has started in all but one of the games in which he has played during the last three years. He owns school records in pass attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, efficiency and total offense yards. The Warriors have improved in each of those three years and Peters, along with 22 other seniors, would like to make a deep run in the playoffs. The potential and opportunity are there.

Ke’vontae Pope, Ouachita, KR, senior
Pope has been the ‘go-to’ guy for three years in Arkadelphia, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards in each of his seasons with the Tigers. Only Harding’s offense was more run-heavy (rushing to passing) in the GAC last season than Ouachita’s and with a focus on Oliver, Pope should be able to get free for catches and scores.

Hendrix running back Dayton Winn had the most rushing yards of any college back in Arkansas in 2015. Photo courtesy HC Sports Info.

Barrett Renner, Southern Arkansas, QB, sophomore
Renner was the All-GAC First Team quarterback as a freshman and named the league’s Freshman of the Year. With a strong arm and good decision-making ability he passed for an SAU single-season record 33 touchdowns and (in keeping with the ‘three is a magic number’ theme) 3,333 yards. Three starters on the O-line from 2015 have graduated, but there is strength coming up and four of the his top five receivers will be back this year.

Warren Wand, Arkansas State, RB, sophomore
Wand had a solid season in his freshman campaign, behind Michael Gordon, as the Red Wolves tore through the Sun Belt. But with the graduation of Gordon, the load of the ground game now falls to Wand and backfield mate Johnston White. Wand’s speed will be fun to watch and the running game could be big again to start the season as Arkansas State will have a new QB to lead the charge in 2016.

Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, WR, junior
Wilson can catch, run and return and is useful to the Bears’ offense in multiple facets. He and Desmond Smith should see plenty of action. It was a balanced offensive attack in 2015, but with star running back Blake Veasley moving on, will the passing game play more of a role this year?

Dayton Winn, Hendrix, RB, senior
He topped the charts for college running backs in the state last season with 1,761 rushing yards, and topped the 100-yard mark in 10 of 11 games. That total was good enough for fifth in the nation in D-III. The 2,732 all-purpose yards was at the top of that list nationally. Throw in 22 touchdowns scored in various ways and Winn has to be one of the most difficult players for opposing defenses to plan for each week.

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