ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Ouachita Tigers' football team (6-2) defeated the Oklahoma Baptist Bison (0-8) by a final score of 52-14 to clinch the program's 10th straight winning season.
The Tigers dominated the game from the beginning, scoring the first 17 points in the and taking a 31-7 lead into halftime.
The Ouachita defense forced four turnovers in the game while the Ouachita offense did well to keep possession of the football and avoiding turning the ball over for the fourth straight game.
Ouachita's offense was led by a number of players in various positions as the team put up 632 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Austin Warford had an extremely efficient game where he completed 81 percent of his passes for 199 yards while rushing 75 yards and a touchdown. Running back Kris Oliver rushed 12 times for 121 yards a touchdown while fellow running back Shun'cee Thomas ran 11 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Drew Harris caught five passes for 79 yards while rushing for two touchdowns out of the wildcat formation. Sophomore Allie Freeman led all receivers with 5 catches for 110 yards a touchdown.
Senior defensive back Airric Parker led all defenders with eight total tackles while fellow defensive back Kenandre Evans had six tackles and an interception which he returned for a touchdown. Austin Guymon and Elijah Jones also intercepted passes.
The two teams traded possessions to begin the game, but Ouachita put the ball in the end zone on the second offensive possession to open scoring. Ouachita went on a two-play drive which ended in a 22-yard touchdown rush from Drew Harris.
After stopping Oklahoma Baptist on their next possession, Ouachita drove 70 yards in four plays which has highlighted by a 39-yard pass from Warford to Harris which put Ouachita on the three-yard line where Harris was able to punch the ball in the end zone on a short rush.
After failing to score on their next few drives, Cole Antley converted a 33-yard field goal to give Ouachita a 17-0 lead with 13:30 remaining in the first half.
On Oklahoma Baptist's next drive, the Bison were able to score their first touchdown of the game. Preston Haire capped off an eight-play drive by passing for 27 yards to Cagney Roberson for a touchdown. The play cut Ouachita's lead to 10 - which was as close as the game would be.
Warford and Oliver ran for touchdowns on Ouachita's next two possessions and Ouachita stopped Oklahoma Baptist on the final possession of the first half to give the Tigers a 31-7 halftime lead.
The second half began with more of the same for the Tigers as Shun'cee Thomas ran for two touchdowns on the Tigers' first two drives which were split by an interception by Ouachita defensive lineman Austin Guymon. The touchdowns gave Ouachita a 45-7 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Oklahoma Baptist scored their second touchdown of the game on their next drive. Ouachita's Kenandre Evans closed the scoring with just over nine minutes left in the game with an interception which he returned for a touchdown.
The Tigers will be back at home next week as they face Arkansas-Monticello. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
