ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Ouachita Tigers open up the 2016 season tonight at Cliff Harris Stadium. The special Thursday night kickoff is the first of five home games at The Cliff this year. Tonight's game is set to start at 7:00 p.m.. 

THE SERIES
The series between Ouachita and East Central began on October 18, 1947. Ouachita defeated East Central by a final of 6-0 in El Dorado, Arkansas. It marked the first and only time the two teams have faced each other at a neutral site. Ouachita holds a 14-5 advantage in the series. The Tigers are 6-1 versus East Central at home.

In their last Arkadelphia meeting (2014), Ouachita defeated the Tigers by a final of 41-20. In that game, Ouachita rushed for 350 yards. Steven Kehner finished with 160 yards on 38 carries and four touchdowns. Safety Zack Mitchell intercepted three passes from ECU quarterback Spencer Bond.

Ouachita escaped Ada with a 31-24 win over East Central in last year's season opener. Devin Price picked off Rocky Moore's end zone pass with 41 seconds remaining. It was Ouachita's ninth straight season-opening victory. Kris Oliver rushed for three touchdowns and Austin Warford threw for 221 yards and a touchdown.

Ouachita is 5-0 in season openers since joining the GAC in 2011. Under head coach Todd Knight, the Tigers are 12-5 in season openers. Ouachita is 66-35-6 in season openers overall. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Sophomore running back Kris Oliver rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns in last year's season opener. It was the first of six 100-plus rushing yard games for Oliver. The 2015 Don Hansen National Freshman of the Year finished with 19 rushing touchdowns, scoring multiple rushing TDs in six games last year.

Rs-Junior quarterback Austin Warford threw for a season-high 221 yards in last year's meeting versus East central. Austin went 15-27-1, throwing for one touchdown, a six-yard pass to Ke'Vontae Pope. His 48-yard pass play to Evian Hill was Warford's third-longest last season.

Senior wideout Ke'Vontae Pope caught a team-high six catches for 81 yards against ECU in Ada. The 81 receiving yards were a season-high for Pope. It was one of three games for Pope to haul in at least six catches last year.

Returning linebackers Luke Holt and Kendrick Henderson combined for 10 tackles and two tackles for loss in last year's opener versus the ECU Tigers. Defensive end Demetric Jennings recorded four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in that same game.  

SPOTLIGHT ON: JED BEACH

Jed Beach is a senior offensive lineman from Greenland, Arkansas and played high school football at Shiloh Christian . The offensive guard earned Second Team All-GAC honors last season after helping anchor an interior line that allowed the rushing offense to average 254 rushing yards per game. Beach is the younger brother of former Ouachita quarterback Kiehl Frazier. The two were teammates on the 2014 GAC Championship team that went 10-0 in conference play and advanced to the second round of the NCAA DII playoffs.

On playing his position: "It's all about the attitude. I've got four guys with me and we're all in this together. You go into a game knowing that if you do you're job right, no one's going to notice, except the guys that know what to look for. It's almost like a little niche inside the game of football. Most people don't know that you've absolutely dominated someone, but they know when you mess up."  

Preparing for the game: "You have to prepare all week to get ready for your opponent, but come game time here's a switch that you have click on. Most of the coaches and players will tell you, I'm the meanest guy on the team. They know I'll have their back. It's just an attitude you need to play tough. It's a nitty-gritty, blue-collar mentality you need to play the position." (By the way, when you talk to Jed off the field, he's one of the most easy going guys you'll meet.)

On trophies: "The biggest trophy you can give me after a game is a clean jersey on our quarterback and running back."

On earning All-GAC honors last season: "It meant a lot to me because it showed that the hard work I've been doing was not just noticed by my teammates but by others around (the GAC). It also validated me as my own player and that I can play football, I'm not just Kiehl's little brother."