Ouachita Baptist Coach Todd Knight said each season opener brings great anticipation, but noted Saturday's home date with Southern (Okla.) Nazarene is a little different.
The game will not only mark the Ouachita debut of senior quarterback Kiehl Frazier -- USA Today's National Offensive Player of the Year as a senior at Shiloh Christian in 2010 -- but the first played in the school's newly renovated stadium that honors Cliff Harris, a former OBU standout defensive back.
"It's big," Knight said. "You still play ball, but to have the new facility and have Cliff Harris here, and all those kind of things, it really does make it exciting."
Harris, a 1970 Ouachita graduate and six-time Pro Bowl safety with the Dallas Cowboys, will be part of a brief dedication ceremony prior to the 6 p.m. kickoff.
Renovations at Cliff Harris Stadium (formerly A.U. Williams Field) include new home seating and a new press box.
"You're going from maybe one of the worst situations in Division II football, as far as facilities, to one of the best," Knight said. "It's a 100 percent improvement."
Frazier figures to be one of the major storylines once the game starts.
After helping lead Shiloh to three consecutive Class 4A state championships (2008-2010), Frazier signed with Auburn, where he started as a sophomore in 2012 before losing his job and transferring to Ouachita in January.
Frazier's brother, Jed Beach, is a sophomore offensive lineman for Ouachita, and their coach at Shiloh, Josh Floyd, graduated from OBU in 2003.
Knight said the Tigers are in the Shotgun "95 percent of the time," meaning that's one adjustment Frazier won't have to make from his days at Shiloh and Auburn.
"The good thing about him is he can do everything we've been doing, plus some," Knight said. "We really haven't had to do a whole lot. We've probably added more than we've taken away."
Frazier will wear No. 2 for Ouachita. He wore No. 15 at Shiloh and Nos. 10 and 25 at Auburn.
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Wait is over
After playing behind record-setting quarterback Tyler Sykora the past two seasons, senior Si Blackshire's first career start for Southern Arkansas was a memorable one.
A Carthage, Texas, native, Blackshire was named Great American Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week after helping SAU to a 30-29 season-opening victory over Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday night in Magnolia.
Blackshire's 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to senior wide receiver Aaron Johnson as time expired tied the score, and senior place-kicker Dylan Nowak added the game-winning extra point.
Blackshire completed 13 of 27 passes for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"He did a lot of impressive stuff," Muleriders Coach Bill Keopple said. "Couple of mistakes, but other than that, it was a good night for him."
Blackshire, 6-0, 215 pounds, directed an offense that finished with 563 total yards, including 357 rushing.
Sykora exhausted his eligibility after throwing for a school-record 9,010 yards in 2010-2013.
"Si was behind Tyler for a couple of years," Keopple said. "Now, it's his turn."
SAU is at East Central Oklahoma on Saturday night.
HARDING
Beast of a receiver
Harding has sent two players to the NFL in the last decade -- linebacker Torrance "Tank" Daniels of Clarendon and defensive end Ty Powell, now with the Buffalo Bills.
Could senior wide receiver Donatella Luckett be the third to play in an NFL regular-season game?
"He is a beast," said Pulaski Robinson linebackers coach Brian Maupin, a teammate of Luckett's at Harding. "Always has been."
Since being signed out of Sandhill (Miss.) Pisgah High School, Luckett, 6-0, 210, has developed into one of the biggest home run threats in NCAA Division II.
Luckett entered 2014 with 15 career touchdowns (rushing, receiving and kickoff returns), with the average length of those scores a gaudy 52.5 yards.
In Saturday's 42-6 season-opening victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State, Luckett caught 3 passes for 73 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown.
Luckett owns the second-fastest 100 time in Harding history (10.44) and bench presses almost 400 pounds, Bisons Coach Ronnie Huckeba said.
Asked if Luckett is an NFL prospect, Huckeba said, "Yes, sir."
"He's just an extremely talented athlete," Huckeba said. "He's a hard matchup for anybody, especially when you run the triple option like we do. He's going to have 1-on-1 coverage, usually. He affects the game, whether he catches the pass or not. They've got to respect him."
Harding is at Northwestern Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.
Sports on 09/12/2014