ARKADELPHIA, AR- Among many other games occuring around the nation on Saturday was one of great importance to the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist University (5-2, 4-0 GAC). The Tigers were coming into the game 3-0 in Great American Conference play, and were looking to stay the lone unbeaten in conference play. The Tigers hosted the Muleriders from Southern Arkansas University (2-6, 2-3 GAC) in a game that would prove to be nothing short of an offensive battle. The Tigers jumped out to a 33-21 lead at halftime and would finish the game with a 53-43 victory, again sustaining their hold atop the Great American Conference for one more week.

Junior quarterback Casey Cooper put the Tiger offense on his back, collected 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while also throwing for 260 yards and another two touchdowns. Sophmore running back Chris Rycraw and counterpart junior running back Daniel McGee continued their domination of opposing defenses, rushing for 81 and 73 yards respectively. Rycraw finished with a touchdown while McGee finished with two. Without the play of the Tiger offensive line though, the Tiger running game could not have been what it was, as they continued opening big holes in the defense and giving their backs huge running lanes. At receiver, senior Clinton Dewitt led the pack, collecting six catches for 78 yards, while senior tight end Phillip Supernaw had a spectacular game as well, gathering three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Freshman receiver Jalen Jones had a touchdown of his own on a 69 yard reception from Cooper.

The Tiger defense had some breakout performances as well. Most notable was senior linebacker Terrence Garrett, who finished with 13 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a sack and three pass break ups. Fellow linebacker Augustine Ume-Ezeoke had himself a pretty solid game as well, gathering 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass break up. Freshman defensive lineman Marquez Massey had two sacks in the game, while senior A.J. Williams and junior Jamiean Neal both collected interceptions in the contest.

On special teams, the Tigers saw junior kicker Jason Fowler with another solid performance, as he put the first six points on the board with field goals from 35 and 40 yards. Sophomore punter Clark Gaddis also had a solid outing, punting four times for a 41.8 yard average and pinning the Muleriders inside their own 20 yard line twice. His longest punt of the day was a 52 yarder.

The game started off quickly for the Tigers, as they drove the field and set Fowler up for a 35 yard field goal at the 12:01 mark of the game, giving the Tigers an early 3-0 lead. They wouldn't take long to strike again either, as the offense then drove the field a few short possessions later and Fowler again converted a field goal, this time a 40 yarder, making the score 6-0. That is the second time that Fowler has made a kick from 40 yards this season, tying his career long.

Southern Arkansas answered the Tiger field goals at the 4:08 mark of the first quarter, when Mulerider quarterback Tyler Sykora connected with Carlos Brown for a 42 yard touchdown. SAU then took the lead on the made PAT, 7-6. The Tigers followed the Mulerider touchdown immediately with one of their own, as Supernaw dashed into the end zone after a 35 yard pass from Cooper. Following the made PAT, the Tigers regained the lead, 13-7. The final scoring drive of the first quarter was not by the Tigers though, as the Muleriders again found daylight and capitalized on it, when SAU running back Mark Johnson ran into the end zone for a four yard touchdown run. The first quarter ended with the Muleriders leading 14-13.

With 12:49 remaining in the second quarter, Cooper regained the lead for the Tigers. Cooper darted into the end zone on a three yard carry, giving the Tigers a 20-14 lead after Fowler's PAT. The Tiger defense stepped up on the ensuing Mulerider possession and the Tigers again drove the field, scoring at the 11:53 mark when Cooper again used his feet to get into the end zone, scrambling 25 yards into the promised land and making the score 26-14 in favor of the Tigers after a failed 2-point conversion. Southern Arkansas just wouldn't go away though, as they scored at the 5:37 mark of the quarter on a 21 yard pass from Sykora to receiver Brooks White, again making it a one possession game. The Tigers led 26-21 after the score. Not much time ticked off before the Tigers scored again though, when Cooper hooked up with Jones on a 69 yard touchdown pass. Jones found a seam in the defense and had miles of open field, finishing the drive with a touchdown and a 33-26 lead to end the first half.

The Tigers struck first in the second half, continuing their offensive onslaught, as McGee ran into the end zone on a 10 yard carry, making the Tiger lead 19 points with 6:36 left to go in the third quarter. Southern Arkansas would score back to back touchdowns to end the third quarter, as Sykora added two more touchdowns to his total after connecting with Caleb Patterson for a 16 yard touchdown and then following it up with a 19 yard touchdown pass to Damion Atkins. As the third quarter closed, the Tigers led 40-35.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Tiger offense was looking to score quickly, and they did just that, as the Tiger offensive line opened up a gaping hole for Rycraw who darted 66 yards into the end zone, giving the Tigers a little bit more breathing room and a 46-35 lead. The Tiger offense wouldn't stop there though, as McGee broke off a 33 yard run of his own, pushing the Tiger lead to 53-35 with just six minutes remaining in the game. Southern Arkansas was unable to score until the 00:40 mark of the fourth quarter, when Patterson was again on the receiving end of a Sykora touchdown pass, this one just for three yards though, making the score 53-43, which would hold until the final horn.

The Tiger offense finished the game with a total of 518 yards, while the Muleriders finished with 559. The Tigers held the Muleriders to 39 yards on the ground while they collected 258 of their own through the rushing game. The difference in the game was turnovers, as the Tiger defense forced four turnovers, while Ouachita's offensive unit was only forced into one. The Tigers averaged 33.5 yards per kickoff return in the game, placing themselves in great field position to start the majority of their drives. The Tigers also helped themselves with four sacks on Sykora, all adding up to a total of 38 yards.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday when they travel to Harding for a conference match-up with the Bisons. Harding is coming off of a school record performance in which they scored 70 points in a 70-28 win over Southwestern Oklahoma. Kickoff for that game is scheduled at 3 p.m.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director