DURANT, Okla. – The No.14/15 Ouachita football team scored 18 unanswered points against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday night, picking up their third victory of the season 32-16.

With the victory, Ouachita improves to 3-0 for the first time since the 2014 season. The Tigers also hit the magic number tonight; Ouachita is now 12-4 all-time against Southeastern Oklahoma State (1-2, 1-2 GAC) when scoring 30 or more points.

The Tigers defense game up with stop-after-stop to keep Ouachita in the game. The defense was on the field for 80 plays tonight but produced four interceptions a possible program record in the Division II era.   

The Ouachita offense ended the game with 383 yards of total offense, with the bulk of the yards coming from the Tigers explosive running attack. Ouachita accumulated 275 yards along the ground and quarterback Brayden Brazeal (England, Ark.) led the team with 136 yards and a score. Junior running back Shun'cee Thomas (Bossier City, La.) finished second on the team with 114 yards.

For the second straight year, the Ouachita quarterback was the top offensive threat in the game. Last season Austin Warford had 316 yards of total offense against the Savage Storm; tonight it was Brazeal who produced a career high 244 yards of total offense.

Airric Parker (San Diego, Calif.) and Dameyun McDonald (Helena, Ark.) lead the defense in tackles with 12 and 10 respectively. Parker and Keandre Evans (Junction City, Ark.) led the no-fly zone defense that produced four interceptions and 12 pass breakups on the night.

Tonight the special teams also played a key part for the Tigers. Senior kicker Cole Antley (Atlanta, Ga.) connected on his only field goal of the night, a 37-yarder in the fourth quarter. Sophomore punter Jake Ford (Australia) boomed a total of five punts on the night for an average of 39.4 yards and three found their way inside the 20-yardline.

First Quarter: Ouachita 7, Southeastern Oklahoma State 7
For the first time all season, the opponents scored first in a game against the Tigers. Southeastern Oklahoma State opened the game on an 11 play, 77-yard drive that was capped off by a Kenneth Burks one-yard touchdown run.

After an eight-play drive ended for the Tigers on a punt, the Ouachita defense took the game into their hands. Parker intercepted the pass at the Southeastern three-yard line and ran into the end zone to tie the game at seven.

Second Quarter: Ouachita 14, Southeastern Oklahoma State 10
After several stalled drives by both teams that resulted in punts, the Tigers took possession of the ball at the Ouachita 42-yardline with 7:10 remaining in the half. A 38-yard reception by Drew Harris (Benton, Ark.) on the third play of the drive, set the Tigers up on the Southeastern 18-yardline. One snap later and Brazeal scampered into the end zone for his first career-rushing touchdown. The touchdown gave the Tigers a 14-7 advantage with 5:47 remaining in the first half of play.

Southeastern Oklahoma State then went on a methodical 11-play, 69 yard drive. The Tigers defense stood strong in the red zone and forced the Savage Storm to kick one of their three field goals of the night.

Brazeal on the first play of the drive fumbled the ball after a four-yard run. It did not hurt the Tigers however, as linebacker, Jon Johnson (Haskell, Ark.) intercepted the Savage Storm for the second time in the game. Ouachita ran out the clock to go into the half with the lead.

Third Quarter: Ouachita 14, Southeastern Oklahoma State 16
The Tigers offense had a very forgettable third quarter; it was the only quarter in which Ouachita failed to score.

Meanwhile, the defense played a bend but don't break style of defense during the quarter. Southeastern went on two drives that lasted 10 and 13 plays, but both times the defense stepped up to the challenge and forces the Savage Storm to a pair of field goals.

Fourth Quarter: Ouachita 32, Southeastern Oklahoma State 16
The final quarter of play was all Ouachita; the Tigers defense blanked the Savage Storm in the final frame.

With 12:16 remaining in the game, the Tigers offense took over with the ball on their own 46-yard line. Brazeal rushed for a total of 43-yards on the drive and Brockton Brown (Sheridan, Ark.) rumbled in from three-yards out to give the Tigers the lead.

On the next series, Brown scored his second touchdown of the night, capping off a 9-play, 60 yard drive that took four minutes off the clock. Austin Guymon intercepted Southeastern on the first play of their next series and gave the ball back to the Tigers offense in the red zone.

Antley booted a 37-yard field goal through the uprights to give the Tigers a commanding 32-16 advantage with only three minutes to play in the game. The Savage Storm tried to get something going but Evans intercepted the ball at the 50-yard line to end any threat of a Southeastern comeback.

For the third consecutive game, the Tigers ran the victory formation to run out the clock. Ouachita will be back at home next weekend against East Central University. The Tigers will be looking to go 4-0 for the first time since the 2014 campaign.