ARKADELPHIA – The fifth-ranked Ouachita Baptist University football team outscored Southern Arkansas 17-0 in the fourth quarter to run away with a 52-24 victory over the Muleriders on Saturday night at Cliff Harris Stadium.
SAU (2-1) scored first on the game's opening drive, but that was the Muleriders' only lead of contest as the two squads exchanged blows in the first half. Ouachita (3-0) became the first team to have a two-score lead on a 73-yard pass from
Riley Harms to
Carter McElhany to put the Tigers up 28-14 with 6:30 remaining before halftime.
SAU responded with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to bring it back to a one-score game before the Tigers finalized the first-half scoring on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Harms to
Kendel Givens with 49 seconds remaining to put Ouachita up 35-21 at halftime.
Ouachita's defense made the adjustments necessary to keep the Muleriders out of the endzone in the second half, only giving up a field goal in the third quarter. Other than the field goal drive, the Ouachita defense forced a three-and-out, came up with an interception from
Kenta Jones, and forced a SAU turnover on downs.
In the final 15 minutes,
Gabe Goodman connected on a 34-yard field and Givens found the endzone twice, including the final score of the game on a 12-yard run to put him over 100 yards for the game. He ended up with 101 rushing yards on 26 carries with three scores. His receiving touchdown gave him four total touchdowns for the game.
Connor Flannigan also had a 100-yard game, hauling in five passes for 109 yards and one touchdown, which was a 66-yard strike from Harms early in the second quarter.
Harms finished the night 12-for-23 through the air for 243 yards and matched his career high with four passing touchdowns.
A trio of defenders came up with double-digits in tackles in the win, led by
Josiah Johnson with 14.
Jax Miller and
Bruin Barnes had 13 and 11, respectively.
Overall as a team, the Tigers held a slight advantage in total offense at 437 yards to SAU's 424.
The Tigers have their first in-state road trip of the season next Saturday, September 23 against Arkansas-Monticello. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Convoy Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.
