State college report

— Rallying around Tigers

He sat with his feet dangling off the short brick fence that surrounds Ouachita Baptist's A.U.

Williams Field.

He cheered loudly, goodnaturedly razzed the officials, and his face lit up whenever a big hit occurred on his side of the field.

About the only way to tell the difference between Buddy Bob Benson and the equally-enthused students during Saturday's 24-14 victory over then-nationally ranked Valdosta State was age.

Benson, who coached Ouachita Baptist from 1965 to 1995 and was the coach the last time the Tigers had won eight consecutive games, was one of 3,841 who packed the home stands during one of the biggest victories of the program's Division II era. The numbers were noticeable, especially considering the Arkansas Razorbacks were playing Georgia at exactly the same time.

That didn't seem to matter.

"Our students were incredible," Tigers Coach Todd Knight said. "They were coming in and getting after it during our pre-game."

And that was before Ouachita Baptist made its first appearance in the Division II top 25, with theTigers starting the week at 21. So the crowd could be larger - and louder - when No. 9 Delta State comes to Arkadelphia Saturday.

Knight loves fan support, but he's not one for building hype. So he's ignored the rankings this week and has stuck to his cut-and-dried message of focusing on the game ahead and eliminating mistakes. The Tigers need to contain better on the pass rush, Knight said, and absolutely must avoid getting whistled for 11 penalties as they did a week ago.

Knight said he's confident his players are buying into his outlook, but their performance against the defending Gulf South Conference champions will be a better indicator.

"We disciplined several guys who were late for a class," Knight said. "Life is normal. We still get up, we still have to go to class, we still have study halls and we still have curfews."

ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO The party's over

The Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils began the season ending practices with a cheer of "GSC champs!"

As of last Saturday, that's over.

"What we need now is a winning season," Boll Weevils Coach Gwaine Mathews said.

UAM (1-3) will take whatever it can get after contending for a post-season berth and finishing 7-4 in 2008. There were some goodsigns in last week's 35-33 loss at Henderson State, as the offense played well, only to be undone by two missed field goals, a missed extra point and an interception returned for a touchdown.

"My kids laid it on the line," Mathews said. "I know in football, you're supposed to make your own breaks. But brother, we're getting none."

Mathews might have a point. Arkansas-Monticello was supposed to play Saturday's game at home before faults in the light poles at Cotton Boll Stadium forced the game to be moved to Henderson State.

Meanwhile, the Boll Weevils have played without a number of offensive transfers who were lost to ineligibility, each of whom were counted on to play substantially.

Mathews said he'll take the blame for the transfer issues, but won't abandon a recruiting approach that has relied heavily on transfers as well as junior college players from Mississippi and California.

"I'm not going to change because one year it didn't work out," Mathews said. "I still believe the way we do it is the right way." ARKANSAS TECH

Extra week, worries

Arkansas Tech football Coach Steve Mullins has been around the Gulf South Conference long enough to know that the margin between a victory and defeat is practically zero.

"In our region, when you get to two losses, then you get in trouble," said Mullins, whose team sustained its first loss of the season two weeks ago at West Alabama.

The Wonder Boys can't afford another setback against Arkansas-Monticello this Saturday, not with three nationally-ranked teams sitting ahead of them in the GSC standings.

Mullins said it wasn't difficult to figure out what went wrong two weeks ago. Mental errors dogged Arkansas Tech's defense, especially when West Alabama ran option plays.

Making matters worse is that Arkansas-Monticello, which features a mobile quarterback in junior Scott Buisson, employs similar plays.

Mullins said he understands that errors are the price a team pays when it breaks in a newdefensive coordinator and a new scheme, as the Wonder Boys are with Jeff Byrd.

But Mullins said he would rather the errors have more to do with being physically overpowered and less with execution.

ARKANSAS BAPTIST

Pressure on defense

Arkansas Baptist Coach Richard Wilson said there is a "strong possibility" starting quarterback Terrell Robinson will be back for Saturday's game against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M at Quigley Stadium.

Robinson has battled injuries since the Buffaloes' season-opener, and the offense has lumbered along as a result. The same thing happened a week ago, when Arkansas Baptist lost 41-6 at Georgia Military Academy.

"We're still hurting at the quarterback position," Wilson said. "We're just not moving the football."

Wilson said the onus will continue to be on his defensive personnel until Robinson gets the offense back in a groove. The talent is there for the defense to take charge, Wilson said, singling out free safety Dominique Chinn.

"I've been very impressed with his intensity level," Wilson said. "There is no quit in him at all."

Sports, Pages 30 on 09/25/2009

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