ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Tigers football team improved to 3-1 with a 42-34 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State Saturday night in Alva, Okla. Ouachita running back
Kris Oliver gained 237 rushing yards on 33 carries and scored two touchdowns. The Tigers defense finished with six sacks, including three by senior nose guard
Andrew Gendi.
Quarterback
Austin Warford went 10-14 for 176 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown. Warford put the Tigers got the scoreboard first with a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Logan Morris to take a 7-0 lead on the team's opening drive. After a Northwestern Oklahoma State touchdown drive to answer, the Tigers scored 14 straight to take a 21-7 lead. A 68-yard touchdown pass from Warford to
Ke'Vontae Pope was followed up by a Warford touchdown run from six yards out.
Northwestern scored the only touchdown of the second quarter. Northwestern's Reid Miller completed a 60-yard pass play to cut the Ouachita lead to 21-14. The two teams went into halftime with Ouachita up by seven.
The Tigers opened the third quarter with a nine-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by
Kris Oliver. A 47-yard run by Warford put the Tigers in Northwestern territory. Oliver would run for 16 yards to the Ranger's one-yard line and punch it in two carries later.
Leading 28-14, Warford completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to
Allie Freeman on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Rangers would respond with a touchdown on its next possession, but
Shaquille Hunter blocked the PAT attempt to make it a 35-20 game.
Another Northwestern touchdown cut the Ouachita lead to eight, 35-27. Oliver answered the Northwestern rally with a 67-yard touchdown run on a third and two play to extend the Ouachita lead to 42-27.
After a late fourth-quarter score, Northwestern has possession with 2:50 left to play, trailing 42-34. Ouachita cornerback
Jordan Jones would pick off Reid Miller with 45 seconds left to play to seal the victory for Ouachita.
The Tigers finished with 498 yards of total offense, including 352 rushing yards. The defense held Northwestern to 57 rushing yards in the game and forced two turnovers.
