ARKADELPHIA – No. 20 Ouachita Baptist opened the 2026 football season Thursday with a 27-17 loss to East Central at Cliff Harris Stadium.
The purple Tigers held a 10-3 lead after one quarter behind a 9-yard touchdown run by
Jaylen Boardley and a 40-yard field goal from
Braden Johnson.
ECU then scored 24 straight to hold a 27-10 lead with 10:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ouachita pulled to within two scores on a 21-yard touchdown pass from
Tre Nichols to
AJ Jayroe with 7:49 remaining and looked to trim the gap even further on its next offensive possession, but the visitors came up with a goal line stand with 3:30 remaining. The orange Tigers then ran out the clock to finalize the score.
Nichols led Ouachita on the ground with 97 yards on 17 carries, while Boardley added 48 yards and a touchdown. Nichols also completed 8 of 21 passes for 74 yards.
Kris Robinson led the Tigers defense with 13 tackles, while
Justin Crutchmer recorded 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack.
Ouachita returns to action next Saturday, September 12 at Southeastern Oklahoma State.
