LITTLE ROCK — Turnovers problem for OBU
Thirteen days ago, Ouachita Baptist was included in the national and the regional rankings that help determine the Division II playoff field and was in a tie atop the Great American Conference standings.
But two losses in eight days have knocked the Tigers, ranked as high as No. 10 in Division II this year, out of all of those.
Heading into Saturday’s game against Southern Arkansas (6-2, 4-2 GAC) in Arkadelphia, Ouachita Baptist (6-2, 5-2) can’t repeat as conference champion and it chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time have faded.
But Coach Todd Knight said that won’t put a damper on the final two games.
“Nah, these guys are young,” Knight said. “We never did overemphasize that stuff anyway. We’re emphasizing a really good record and a good season.
We’ve got to get a little better the last two weeks.”
The downward slide started with a 34-14 loss to Harding on Oct. 20, which knocked OBU from a tie atop the GAC standings with rival Henderson State.
Then OBU lost to East Central (Okla.) 37-27 last week, allowing 433 yards to a team that had been averaging a GAC-low 243.8 yards per game.
But what really cost the Tigers in that game is the same thing that cost them against Harding: turnovers.
Harding turned three OBU turnovers into 14 points Oct. 20 and East Central turned 2 fumbles and 2 interceptions into 20 points this past week. OBU’s minus-9 turnover margin is 10th in the GAC.
Last year, when the Tigers won their first conference title in more than three decades, their plus-13 margin was tops in the conference. They lost two fumbles and threw eight interceptions all year.
They’ve lost 12 fumbles and thrown 7 interceptions this season.
Knight stopped short of saying the turnover issues are a product ofa quarterback situation that has been unsettled all season - three players have started because of injuries - but it hasn’t helped.
Benson Jordan threw two interceptions against East Central and Ty Towers lost a fumble.
“You can add the numbers up there. I don’t think I need to make any comment on it,” Knight said.
“But turnovers are team issues. It has to be a team focus to hang on to the ball.
If we do that ... we’ll have a pretty good year considering all the issues.” HARDING Breakaway back
Harding’s offense can spend an entire day pounding a fullback into the center of a defensive line.
What makes it work though, Coach Ronnie Huckeba said, is when a fullback breaks through a drawn-in defense for a big gain, or a slot back turns a corner for a similar gain.
Those had been lacking for Harding during three weeks in October. In games against Southern Arkansas, Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist, only three of Harding’s 158 rushes went for 20 yards or more.
Before last week’s 76-23 victory over Arkansas Tech, Harding had 14 runs of 20 yards or more after it had 40 in 11 games last season.
But the NCAA Division II No. 16 Bisons (7-1, 5-1) got back on track against the GAC’s second-worst rushing defense with 505 yards on the ground last week. Harding had four runs of 24 yards or more against Arkansas Tech, including 90- and 75-yard touchdown runs by fullback Romo Westbrook, who had 181 yards on only six carries.
The sophomore from Marion had three rushes of 20 yards or more before Saturday.
“If you break the line of scrimmage, there’s nobody there,” Huckeba said. “It’s either feast or famine.”
Huckeba credits altered blocking schemes for last Saturday’s success, and he said he hopes it continues as Harding is still vying for a share of the GAC title and a spot in the Division II playoffs.
“If you go through the SAU and the Henderson games, you can see [big plays were] missing,” Huckeba said. “That’s one of the reasons we struggled. And you look at the rest of the games and we had them.” HENDERSON STATE Plenty at stake
Henderson State is off this week, taking a break after winning for nine consecutive weeks.
When the NCAA Division II No. 8 Reddies (9-0, 7-0 Great American Conference) play rival Ouachita Baptist on Nov.
10, they’ll be looking to seal their first trip to the Division II playoffs. (They might even make it if they lose after moving up to No. 1 in the Super Region 3 rankings released Monday.)
But that’s not all they’ll be playing for.
A victory would mean their first undefeated and untied regular season in the program’s 105-year history (the Reddies went 7-0-1 in 1927) and its first outright conference title since a Sporty Carpenterled team won the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference in 1976. It would also most likely ensure one of the top two regional seeds, meaning a first-round bye and a second-round home playoff game.
Oh, and Nov. 10 is the Battle of the Ravine.
It’s enough to keep Coach Scott Maxfield’s team focused through a bye week.
“We just have to take care of what we can take care of, and go play well on the 10th and we won’t have to worry about it,” Maxfield said. “You need that bye.
If you look back, there are very few teams that get past the semifinals without a bye. That’s tough.” ARKANSAS TECH Downer of a year
Arkansas Tech didn’t have many returning defensive starters heading into this season. Defensive end Roland Dampeer was a bright spot, though.
The senior from Mendenhall, Miss., was a first-team All-Great American Conference selection after totaling six sacks and 9 1/2 tackles for loss last year. This year, he was mentioned on a few NCAA Division II preseason All-America teams.
But not much has gone right since.
Dampeer has two sacks and four tackles for loss while battling ankle and shoulder injuries and an illness earlier in the season heading into his final home game for the Wonder Boys (5-4, 3-3) on Saturday against East Central (Okla.) (4-5, 2-4).
“You just feel sorry for the guy,” Coach Steve Mullins said. “His senior year, going out that way. I know it’s been disappointing for him and disappointing for us.”
He started, but played just a few plays in last week’s 76-23 loss to Harding, assisting on one tackle before giving way to his younger teammates.
Mullins said Wednesday that Dampeer hasn’t practiced much this week. But he’s still hoping to see him at full strength one more time.
“There’s nothing wrong with his effort and attitude,” Mullins said. “He’s just been hurt.”
Sports, Pages 23 on 11/02/2012