DURANT, OK- The campus at Ouachita Baptist University is celebrating after Saturday after the Ouachita Tigers (7-2, 6-0 GAC) brought home the inaugural Great American Conference championship with a victory. The Tigers traveled to Durant, Oklahoma for a match-up with the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State (2-7, 1-6 GAC). The Savage Storm played the Tigers all the way to the wire, but were unable to steal the spotlight from Ouachita and the Tigers took the game by a score of 21-18.

The Tiger offense was led by quite a few players, including senior tight end Phillip Supernaw, who reigned in a 23 yard touchdown pass that would prove to be the difference in the game. Supernaw finished with 61 yards on four catches and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Clint Dewitt had a solid outing as well, recording five catches for 50 yards in the contest. Junior quarterback Casey Cooper had another solid performance, rushing for 98 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while throwing for 124 yards and a touchdown while completing 12 of 15 pass attempts. Sophomore running back Chris Rycraw collected 99 yards on the ground, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, while junior running back Daniel McGee collected 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Senior linebacker Terrence Garrett finished with 17 tackles, marking the third straight game that he has finished with double digit tackle totals. Also notable on defense was sophomore Antwion Patterson, who finished with eight tackles of his own, including 1.5 tackles for loss. The only turnover of the game was forced when senior defensive back AJ Williams picked off Southeastern quarterback Logan Turner's pass early in the third quarter.

The contest began with the Tigers striking first, taking a 7-0 lead on a three yard rushing touchdown from McGee and converted PAT attempt by junior kicker Jason Fowler, capping off a 17 play, 83 yard drive early in the first quarter. The Tiger defense would force the Savage Storm to punt on the ensuing possession, leading to the next Tiger drive. The Tiger drive would be interrupted by the end of the first quarter, with a Tiger lead of 7-0.

As the second quarter began, the Tigers continued where they left off, finishing their second drive of the game on a four yard touchdown carry by Cooper, forcing the lead to 14-0 after Fowler's PAT attempt. Cooper's run capped off an 11 play 79 yard drive, giving the Tigers a comfortable lead early after only two offensive possessions. After the Tigers took a 14 point lead, the Savage Storm knew the pressure was on and answered, as Southeastern kicker Chris Peoples converted a 24 yard field goal attempt, making the score 14-3 in favor of the Tigers. As the Tigers took over possession again, Southeastern forced them into a punting situation, allowing themselves another opportunity to score before halftime. Southeastern was unable to produce any kind of scoring though and the halftime score stood at 14-3.

As the second half began, there was not a lot happening for either offense, including multiple possessions in which they showed some life but were just unable to finish. The lone turnover in the game came with about 9:45 left in the third quarter, as Williams slipped in and stole the pass away from the Savage Storm, returning it 14 yards to Southeastern's 42 yard line. Although they had great field position, the Tigers were unable to finish, as the sweeping winds took a 35 yard field goal attempt by Fowler and blew it wide of the uprights. Southeastern saw an opportunity to cut the lead to four, and took advantage, driving the field after the Fowler miss and scoring on a five yard touchdown pass from Turner to Tiquarrio Combs with a little over a minute left in the third quarter. After the made PAT, the score was 14-10, with the Tigers just barely hanging on to their lead.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Tigers knew that they needed to retake a two possession lead and force Southeastern into a tough spot. Ouachita was able to do just that, as Supernaw reigned in a 23 yard touchdown pass from Cooper, making the score 21-10 after Fowler's PAT conversion. That touchdown capped off another long drive for the Tigers, as they drove 91 yards on 15 plays for that score. Southeastern answered shortly after, closing out a 15 play, 80 yard drive with an 18 yard touchdown pass from Turner to Ryan Shelley. Those same two players would then convert a two-point conversion, making the score 21-18. The ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, rolling out of bounds and allowing the Tigers to take possession with a little more than two minutes remaining in the game. The Tiger drive was stopped at the one yard line though, as Southeastern forced a turnover on downs with less than a minute remaining, resulting in a single hail mary play from the Savage Storm. Turner connected with SEOSU's Quentin Morris on the play, resulting in a 49 yard gain but it was not enough, as the Tigers clinched the conference championship as Morris ended up out of bounds on the play.

The conference championship marks the first since 1982 for the Tigers. There were a lot of historic events Saturday, because along with clinching the conference championship, Ouachita's Fowler took the Ouachita Baptist University record for extra points in a career after his third extra point of the day. The Tigers are now looking to advance their placement in the regional ranking after being ranked eighth at the beginning of the week. Only the top six teams from each NCAA Super Region advances to the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs.

Although they have locked up the conference championship, the Tigers still have one of the most important games of the year remaining on Saturday, when they host cross-town rival Henderson State. The Tigers and the Reddies will be playing the 85th version of the Battle of the Ravine series. After the Reddies took a 35-26 victory last season, the series currently stands tied at 39-39-6. The Tigers look to retake the series lead on Saturday at A.U. Williams Field. Kickoff for that contest will be at 1 p.m.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director