ARKADELPHIA — Two weeks, two nationally ranked teams, two victories.
If the Ouachita Baptist Tigers didn't have the attention of the Gulf South Conference after knocking off Valdosta State a week ago, they will after beating No. 9 Delta State 38-14 Saturday at A.U. Williams Field.
Ouachita Baptist has won a school-record nine consecutive games dating to last season. The Tigers had not beaten Delta State since 1979.
Ouachita Baptist also has yet to commit a turnover this season.
Senior running back K.J. Johnson rushed 31 times for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Tigers.
Ouachita Baptist (4-0, 3-0 Gulf South) entered Saturday ranked 21st nationally, its first national ranking since the program joined NCAA Division II in 1997. That ranking is likely to be considerably higher now that the Tigers have beaten the 2007 Division II national champion in Valdosta State and now the defending Gulf South Conference champion.
"I've really been at peace about this whole thing,"said Ouachita Baptist Coach Todd Knight, who formerly coached at Delta State. "They've prepared every day in practice, and they've kept focused. They're not listening to what everyone else is telling them."
The Tigers had little trouble moving the ball against a team that entered Saturday having won 24 consecutive Gulf South games. It began with Johnson, who scored from a yard out on Ouachita Baptist's first possession.
The run game remained the Tigers' bread-and-butter in the second quarter, with backup Demarcus Collier scoring on an 18-yard run to give Ouachita Baptist a 17-0 lead.
Tigers senior receiverJeremy Young, who had a school-record 261 yards receiving last week in the 24-14 victory over then-No. 16 Valdosta State, had another big game. He led all receivers Saturday with 12 catches for 151 yards.
But Johnson carried a load from the beginning.
"We wanted to treat them the way we treat everybody else, with the game plan the same," Johnson said. "We knew that in order for us to be victorious, we had to run the ball early."
Leading 17-7 at halftime, Ouachita Baptist increased its lead after Clayton Goree intercepted a fluttering pass from Delta State's Garrett DeWitt inside the Delta State 20. Johnson scored on the Tigers' first play on a 12-yard run.
"They've got a hell of a football team," Statesmen Coach Ron Roberts said. "They're solid in every category. They're very good up front, and they whipped us on both sides of the line of scrimmage."
Ouachita Baptist put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter when Jamie Harris scored on a 9-yard double-reverse.
The Tigers sacked DeWitt seven times, with defensive tackle Taurus Williams 1 getting credited for 2 /2 while fellow tackle Bryan Church 1 made 1 /2 sacks.
Ouachita Baptist's defense, coached by former Tigerslinebacker J.R. Eldridge, entered Saturday with the top scoring defense in the GSC, giving up 11.3 points per game.
"Eight years ago, he's playing for me," Knight said. "His calls and the way he prepares our defense is really phenomenal. We've stopped two pretty good offenses in a row."
The Tigers also limited Delta State senior receiver Trevar Deed, who entered as the Statesmen's leader in rushing and receiving. Deed ran for 97 yards and a lategame touchdown Saturday and was held to five catches for 63 yards.
"He still had some big plays, but we did a good job," Knight said. "I thought our scheme was good."
NO. 3 NORTH ALABAMA 38, HARDING 0
SEARCY - Harrison Beck passed for 252 yards and three touchdowns as No. 3 North Alabama rolled past Harding on before 2,836 at First Security Stadium.
Beck completed 18 of 31 passes, including touchdowns to Preston Parker, T.J. Porter and Mico McSwain.
North Alabama (5-0, 3-0 Gulf South Conference) led 24-0 at halftime.
Harding's only scoring opportunity came in the first quarter after a North Alabama fumble was recovered by Marcus Jones.
The Bisons (2-3, 0-2) only could move the ball 5 yards to the North Alabama 22 before attempting a field goal on fourth down. Micah Canterbury's 39-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by North Alabama's Darron Dampier to keep the score 3-0.
Harding would not get the ball insidethe North Alabama 30 the remainder of the game.
North Alabama had 394 total yards to Harding's 198.
The Lions opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal by Kenny Spencer with 8:41 left in the first quarter. After the blocked field goal, Marcus Sims scored on a 1-yard run for a 10-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Beck threw touchdown passes to McSwain (33 yards) and Parker (25 yards) for a 24-0 lead. Courtney Harris made it 31-0 on an 8-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
And Porter's 34-yard touchdown reception finished the scoring with 13:41 left in the fourth quarter.
ARKANSAS TECH 59, ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 14
RUSSELLVILLE - Arkansas Tech had 446 passing yards and 519 yards of total offense in its victory over Arkansas-Monticello at Thone Stadium.
Arkansas Tech (3-1, 1-1 Gulf South Conference) was led by senior quarterback Nick Graziano, who completed 33 of 49 passes for 403 yards and 5 touchdowns. Graziano also carried the ball 7 times for 21 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Wonder Boys ahead 42-7.
Receiver Frantz Simeon caught 10 passes for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Boll Weevils (1-4, 0-2) were led by junior quarterback Scott Buisson, who completed 15 of 35 passes for 264 yards with 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas Tech led 21-0 after three first-quarter touchdown passes by Graziano and 28-7 at halftime after a fourth.
Arkansas Tech led 52-14 late in the game when Tario Dansby intercepted a pass by Casey Cathcart and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.
Sports, Pages 37 on 09/27/2009