ARKADELPHIA, AR- The Ouachita Tigers (6-2, 5-0 GAC) made the trip to Searcy, Arkansas on Saturday to face off against rival Harding University (3-6, 2-2 GAC) for a game in which the Tigers needed to win to stay atop the Great American Conference standings. The Tigers continued their tear through the conference and moved to 5-0 in GAC play after downing the Bisons and spoiling their homecoming festivities with a 31-27 victory.

Leading the Tigers on offense was sophomore running back Chris Rycraw, who finished the game with 111 yards on the ground and three touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry in the game. Junior quarterback Casey Cooper provided another option, both on the ground and through the air, as he racked up 161 yards and a touchdown on the ground to go along with his 85 yards through the air. Junior tight end Phillip Supernaw led the Tigers in receiving, recording two catches for 43 yards, including a 30 yard grab for a first down.

On defense, the Tigers were tasked with stopping the always difficult option attack of the Bisons. Senior linebacker Terrence Garrett again led the Tigers with 15 tackles, good enough to earn him the Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week award. Junior linebacker Augustine Ume-Ezeoke also had a terrific game, collecting 11 tackles, two of which were recorded as tackles for loss.

Tigers special teams were the difference in the contest, as junior kicker Jason Fowler's field goal and one of his extra points could very well have been the difference in a win for Ouachita. Fowler's lone field goal of the game was a 27 yarder and came late in the second quarter.

As the game began, the Bisons drove the field on their first drive of the game and scored a touchdown, taking a 7-0 lead and putting the Tigers in a tough spot when Jason Oller scored on a 16 yard run. The rest of the first quarter would be pretty uneventful until the 4:50 mark, when Rycraw answered Harding's score with one of his own, rushing four yards into the end zone and tying the score at seven after Fowler's converted PAT attempt. Neither team scored again in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a struggle for both teams and the score remained 7-7 until the clock showed 1:12 and Fowler converted his 27 yard field goal attempt, his only attempt of the game, making the score 10-7 in favor of the Tigers. Harding would take the kickoff and drive the field, answering the Tiger field goal with one of their own. Eddie Carmona's 18 yard field goal beamed through the uprights with one second remaining in the first half and the halftime score was 10-10.

The Tigers struck first at the beginning of the second half when Cooper scored his only touchdown of the game on a one yard run. Ouachita retook the lead after Fowler's PAT was good and the score was 17-10 in favor of the Tigers. Neither team would score again until the clock had ticked down to about four minutes in the third quarter. Harding's Carmona again converted a field goal attempt, this time from 29 yards out, making the score 17-13. Not much later, the Bisons would score again, when Kelvin Martin scored on a one yard run for Harding, retaking the lead from the Tigers and making the score 20-17 after the made PAT.

The Tigers would answer early in the fourth quarter, as Rycraw broke free for a 35 yard touchdown run and a Tiger lead of four points, but Harding wouldn't be down for long, as they returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and again stole the lead away from the Tigers with about 13 minutes remaining in the game. The score stood at 27-24 after the touchdown return.

The Tigers again answered though, as Rycraw scored his third touchdown of the game with 11 minutes left, marking the last scoring play of the game and sealing the Tiger victory by a final score of 31-27.

The Tigers collected a total of 441 yards in the game, including 356 yards on the ground. Harding only collected 46 yards through the air, while Cooper was limited to 85 for the Tigers. The Tigers averaged 7.9 yards per play in the game, using their rushing attack to eat away at the Bisons defense and seal the win.

With the win, the Tigers move one victory away from clinching the inaugural Great American Conference crown. If the Tigers are able to defeat Southeastern Oklahoma State this Saturday, they will take the conference championship. The Tigers match-up with the Savage Storm will kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director