GAME NOTES WEEK 9

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – For the fifth time this season No. 4 Ouachita will load up the bus and travel away from the friendly confines of Cliff Harris Stadium, this week the team bus will make the two-hour jaunt down to Cotton Boll Stadium to face Arkansas-Monticello.

This will be the 77^th meeting All-time between the two programs with Ouachita (8-0) holding a 42-33-1 advantage in the series. Since the formation of the Great American Conference in 2011 the Ouachita holds a 6-1 record over the Boll Weevils. The lone win for Arkansas-Monticello (4-4) in the series happened two seasons ago when the Boll Weevils last hosted Ouachita. Last season, Ouachita defeated Monticello 55-21 behind 21 fourth quarter points. Senior quarterback Austin Warford threw for 156 yards and two scores to wide receiver Allie Freeman (Little Rock, Ark.) and running back Kris Oliver (Arkadelphia, Ark.) added 130 yards rushing in the victory.

Ouachita is coming off a 41-0 win at home against Southern Nazarene. Oliver carried the ball a season high 28 times for 151-yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 151-yard rushing performance made Oliver the GAC's All-Time leading rusher and he now holds the record for most 100-yard games with 16. The performance against Southern Nazarene also earned Oliver GAC Offensive Player of the Week. Once again the Ouachita defense stayed stout throughout the game as they held the Crimson Storm to just 140-yards of total offense. The Tiger defense currently leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 9.5 points per game this season.

The Tigers point differential at home is staggering and a testament to the depth of this year's squad.  At home this season Ouachita has outscored opponents 148-15, overall the Tigers have outscored opponents 274-76 this year. Another stat that stands out this year is Ouachita has outscored opponents 66-7 in the first quarter this season.
The shutout victory over Southern Nazarene was the second shutout of the season for the Tigers. The last time the Tigers had a pair of shutouts in a season was 1993, if the Tigers are able to blank another opponent this season it will be the first time they have achieved the feat since the 1974 season.

Ouachita's ground and pound attack will be relied on heavily once again this weekend down in Monticello. The Tigers rushing offense currently ranks 10^th in the nation with 281 yards per game. The success of the offense has come from a stout offensive line that has been able to generate gaps for the running backs to run through. Oliver leads a running back group that has four players with at least 350 rushing yards on the season. Oliver is sitting at 699 rushing yards on the season and eight scores, Brockton Brown (Sheridan, Ark.) is tied for second with Shun'cee Thomas (Bossier City, Ark.) with 433 rushing yards. Brown leads the team with 10 rushing touchdowns on the season. Quarterback Brayden Brazeal (England, Ark.) has shown that he has some wheels on him as he has scampered for 359-yards this season.

The Tigers also have one of the best special team's units in the country. Starting punter Jake Ford (Australia) currently leads the nation in punting average with 41.5 yards per kick. Senior kicker Cole Antley (Atlanta, Ga.) has settled in this season and has connected on 10-of-11 kicks.

Arkansas-Monticello is currently riding a three game winning streak following a 45-37 victory over Oklahoma Baptist last weekend. The Boll Weevils got off to a fast start against the Bison holding a 14-0 advantage after the first quarter. The Bison kept the game close though and in the third quarter, the Boll Weevils were holding on to a 21-17 lead. With 2:40 remaining in the game Jimel London intercepted a Bison pass and ran the ball back 56-yards for the score to seal the game for the Boll Weevils.

Ouachita's top ranked pass defense will have their hands full on Saturday. Monticello starting quarterback Cole Sears passed for 412-yards and four scores last weekend against Oklahoma Baptist. Tight End DeAndre Washington hauled in three receptions for 106-yards and two scores.

Sears is currently closing in on a 2,000-yard passing campaign for the Boll Weevils. The signal caller averages 244-yards per game and has thrown 13 touchdowns so far this season. Washington is currently leading the receiving core with 22 receptions, 462 receiving yards and has a team high 6 touchdown catches.

On the defensive side of the ball Christian Jefferson and Deon Knox have been a force to be reckoned with. Jefferson has recorded 53 tackles on the season while Knox has contributed 40 tackles. Brandon Young currently leads the team with 3.5 sacks on the season.

Kickoff for tomorrow's game between Ouachita and Arkansas-Monticello has been set for 1 p.m. Links to audio, video and live stats can all be found at obutigers.com, for all the latest news regarding the Ouachita football team be sure to follow the official social media accounts of Ouachita Athletics and Ouachita Football.