Box Score
ARKADELPHIA, Ark.- The Ouachita Tigers (3-0, 1-0 GAC) walked away with a victory in their conference opener with Arkansas Tech (1-3, 0-2 GAC), although it might not have been the way that they wanted to. The Tigers entered halftime with a score of 21-3 in their favor, but after a rough third quarter, had to rebound in the fourth to put the game away at a score of 31-24.

Head Coach Todd Knight was happy to walk away with a win, saying, “I'm really excited that we played pretty well defensively and offensively. We turned the ball over four times and had a few broken plays against us but were still able to win the game with nine starters out all at the same time in the third and fourth quarter.”

The Tigers started things off fairly quickly, as they have all season long. Chris Rycraw capped off the first offensive drive of the game with a one yard run, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead. His score capped off an 11 play drive in which the Tigers drove 63 yards.

The two teams were bound in a back and forth struggle for the rest of the first quarter before Benson Jordan recorded the second score of the game in the early minutes of the second quarter. Benson crossed the goal line on a two yard run, capping off a nine play, 47 yard drive for the Tiger offense.

Arkansas Tech would answer on their next drive, although the Tigers would hold them to just a field goal. A sack by Sam Dunnam for the Tigers forced the Wonder Boys into a 33 yard field goal attempt, which kicker Trevor Pinkston had no trouble with. The field goal cut the Tiger lead to 14-3 with about eight minutes left in the first half.

Rycraw helped stretch the Tiger lead to 18 late in the second quarter, with another one yard touchdown run. Rycraw's run capped off a 15 play, 99 yard drive for the Tigers, which came after a defensive stand on the one yard line forced an Arkansas Tech turnover on downs. The Tigers would go into halftime with a 21-3 lead.

As the third quarter kicked off, it was obvious that the Wonder Boys weren't going to lie down. On their first drive of the second half, Arkansas Tech drove 67 yards in 10 plays and Tyler Moon barreled his way into the end zone, forcing the score to 21-10.

The Tigers' next possession ended in an interception, leading to another opportunity for the Wonder Boys. They didn't take long to capitalize either, as they had a four play, 54 yard drive that ended in a 40 yard touchdown pass from Tanner Marsh to Darrell Freeman. That score cut the Tiger lead to just four, as they held on with a 21-17 advantage that would stand until the closing of the third quarter.

The Tiger offense got themselves on the board though to start the fourth, when Jordan connected with Brett Reece for a 22 yard touchdown catch and a little bit of breathing room. The score marked the end of a 10 play, 80 yard drive for Ouachita and stretched the lead to 28-17 early in the quarter.

Tech continued to battle back though, as Tanner Marsh took off for a 44 yard touchdown score after being forced out of the pocket, again cutting the Tiger lead. Marsh's run was the cap of a five play, 75 yard effort from the Wonder Boys, and again left the Tigers only leading by four late in the game.

The final score of the game came with a little over two minutes remaining. The Tigers, following the loss of Jordan during the drive due to injury, were able to put themselves in field goal range. Kicker Jason Fowler had a 31 yard attempt, the longest of the season for him. He converted with ease, forcing the score to 31-24, where it would hold for the remainder of the game.

Ouachita put up a total of 436 yards in the game, 217 coming on the ground and 219 through the air. Rycraw led the Tiger rushing attack with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Jordan, despite going down late in the game with an injury, finished the game with 219 yards and a touchdown while completing 22 of 30 pass attempts.

Arkansas Tech quarterback Tanner Marsh finished the game leading his team in rushing and passing yards, recording 69 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 206 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 33 through the air.

The Tigers overcame four turnovers in the contest, including three fumbles that they lost and an interception. A bright spot for Ouachita came on third down. They converted eight of their 13 third down conversion attempts during the contest and only punted once during the entirety of the game.

Ouachita will work this week to prepare for their first conference road game of 2012, when they travel to Durant, Oklahoma to take on the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State. That game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director