ARKADELPHIA, AR- The Ouachita Tigers (3-2, 2-0 GAC) hosted the then #13 Valdosta State Blazers (5-1) on Saturday for Homecoming, marking the midway point of the season and their second chance this season to knock off a ranked opponent. The Tigers took an early lead, jumping out 10-2 at the end of the first quarter, but were unable to finish off the Blazers, who would score 31 unanswered points and beat the Tigers by a score of 40-13.

Most notable in the game were the 203 receiving yards and three touchdowns that Valdosta receiver Seantavious Jones collected in the match-up, single-handedly providing a huge blow to the Tigers and putting the game out of reach. Blazer quarterback Cayden Cochran came in after starter Austen Roberts was pulled in the first quarter after only completing 3 of 11 passes. Cochran would collect 419 passing yards and four touchdowns in the game, 203 of which, as previously mentioned, were to Jones.

The Tiger offense was led by junior quarterback Casey Cooper, who completed 20 of 36 passes for 194 yards through the air and ran for 34 yards. His primary targets through the air were senior tight end Phillip Supernaw and senior receiver Clint Dewitt, both of which finished with five catches for 43 and 42 yards respectively. Sophomore running back Chris Rycraw carried the ball eight times for 34 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. On defense, junior linebacker Augustine Ume-Ezeoke was credited nine tackles, while senior linebacker Terrence Garrett collected eight of his own along with a foced fumble.

The game started off nicely for the Tigers, as they received the initial kickoff, drove the field and scored on a 48 yard run by Cooper, making the score 7-0 after a converted PAT attempt from junior kicker Jason Fowler.

Valdosta state would be forced into a three and out situation by the Tiger defense, but a spectacular punt by Jack Fulford backed the Tigers up to their own one yard line. Valdosta then took advantage of the opportunity provided by their punter and Jeremy Grable forced Tiger running back Daniel McGee to the ground in the end-zone, collecting the first points of the game for the Blazers on a safety. The score was 7-2.

A couple of possessions would pass before another scoring drive occured, but with 2:49 left in the first quarter, Ouachita would set up Fowler for a 40 yard field goal, marking his career long, which he converted. That field goal moved the score to 10-2, a score that would hold until the end of the first quarter.

On their first drive of the second quarter, the Blazers drove the field and answer with a field goal of their own, as kicker Daniel Anderson converted on a 28 yard attempt, making the score 10-5. Valdosta forced the Tigers to punt on their next drive and would again drive the field and score but this time it came in the form of a touchdown. Running back Reggie Lewis took a three yard carry into the endzone, taking the first lead of the game for the Blazers at 12-10, which they would not relinquish from that point on.

The Blazer defense again forced the Tigers three and out on their next offensive possession before scoring another touchdown, when Cochran completed a 21 yard pass to Jones, which forced the score to 19-10. Noone else scored until after halftime.

As the third quarter began, the Blazers received the ball and made the most of their possession, again scoring on a pass from Cochran to Jones, but this time it was a 77 yard pass, making the score 26-10.

The Tigers would take the kickoff, looking to answer the Blazer touchdown, but were unable. Cooper would take a snap and be hit in the backfield by Blazer Lawrence Virgil, forcing a fumble and a turnover for the Tigers at their own 15 yard line. The Blazers took the great field position and made the best of it, scoring on the first play of their drive when Cochran completed a 15 yard pass to Quin Roberson and making the score 33-10 with 12:43 remaining in the third quarter.

The Tigers would be forced to punt on their next possession, but an error by Quin Roberson on the punt return resulted in a turnover and a fumble recovery by Tiger senior Waylon Slabach, giving the Tigers the ball at the Valdosta 32 yard line. The Tigers then moved the ball into field goal range and Fowler converted on his second kick of the game, a 31 yard kick, which made the score 33-13.

A few short drives later, the Blazers would score on the first play of their drive, when Cochran completed a 53 yard pass to Jones, forcing the score to 40-13, which would hold until the final buzzer rang.

The Blazers outgained the Tigers 581 to 294 in total yardage, while also forcing three turnovers by the Tiger offense. The Tigers only ran three less plays than the Blazers but were just unable to move the ball as well, only averaging 4.4 yards per play to Valdosta's 8.3. Valdosta overcame a lot of penalties in the match-up, as they racked up 13 penalties for 114 yards in the game, a surprising number considering the number of points that they were able to score.

The Tigers look to rebound from their loss to the Blazers on Saturday, when they travel to Weatherford, Oklahoma to face off with the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2 GAC). The Tigers enter the game as the only team with an unbeaten record in conference play. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director