DURANT, OK- In what was a battle from the beginning, the Ouachita Tigers (7-2, 6-0 GAC) captured the inaugural Great American Conference championship on Saturday with a victory over the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State (2-7, 1-6 GAC). The Tigers won the game by a final score of 21-18 after a confusing string of events during the last minute of the game.

Ouachita posted 378 total yards of offense while Southeastern finished with 424 yards of their own. The Tiger offense was again led by junior quarterback Casey Cooper, who finished the game with a 12 of 15 performance through the air for 124 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Senior receiver Clint Dewitt finished the game with 50 receiving yards, while senior tight end Phillip Supernaw finished with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Chris Rycraw finished with a team high 99 rushing yards while junior back Daniel McGee finished with 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

On defense, the Tigers were led by senior linebacker Terrence Garrett, who finished with 17 tackles and a tackle for loss. Sophomore defensive lineman Antwion Patterson finished with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Tigers did not turn the ball over in the game, while forcing a lone interception. The GAC championship marks the first time that the Ouachita football program has captured a conference championship since 1982, when they won the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference.

For complete stats from the game, click here.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director