Ouachita Baptist University started fast, then the Tigers got to relax.
OBU (7-0) scored touchdowns on eight consecutive possessions -- after settling for a 43-yard Cole Antley field goal on its first possession -- and never gave Oklahoma Baptist a chance to get untracked in a 58-21 victory at rainy Crain Family Stadium in Shawnee, Okla.
Ouachita, the fifth-ranked team in the AFCA Top 25, led 24-0 before the end of the first quarter and 38-7 at halftime. Coach Todd Knight was able to rest his starters after they scored on the second half's first possession.
"We were fortunate to be able to do that," said Knight, whose team will have less than four days to prepare for their next game, Thursday night against Southern Nazarene (1-6) in Arkadelphia.
Knight's Tigers will take the field Thursday in sole possession of first place in the GAC after Southern Arkansas (6-1) fell to Southeastern Oklahoma 21-0 on Saturday in Durant, Okla.
Harding University (5-2) and Southeast Oklahoma (5-2) are tied for third with four conference games yet to be played.
"It just makes us know we've got to get ready for the one we've got," said Knight, whose team won the GAC at 9-2 last season. "We've got a lot of football left to be played. I can assure you that Harding knows that, Southeast knows that and SAU knows that. All we can do is control what we do."
Ouachita did that on Saturday, gaining 562 yards -- 423 on the ground -- with 373 yards in the first half.
OBU came into the game as the nation's top-ranked scoring defense, but ended up yielding three touchdowns, with two coming in the fourth quarter against the Tigers reserves.
On offense, Brockton Brown (8-187 rushing) scored on runs of 2, 50 and 68 yards in the first quarter.
The Tigers didn't have to pass much, but they were efficient when they did, completing all 11 attempts for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brayden Brazeal started the game after sitting out the final three quarters of OBU's 7-3 victory over Harding last week with his right arm wrapped in ice and tape.
Knight said midweek he was unsure whether Brazeal would be able to go Saturday, so the Tigers got all of their running backs -- Brown, Kris Oliver (13-92 rushing) and Shun'cee Thomas (6-31 rushing) -- prepared to play quarterback from the Wildcat formation in case Brazeal was not able to go.
He was ultrasharp in slightly more than two quarters of action.
"Considering he didn't practice until Thursday, he did fine," Knight said of Brazeal.
Brazeal, from England, completed all 6 of his pass attempts for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brazeal rushed twice for 34 yards, including a 20-yard score.
Knight was able to lift Brazeal midway through the third quarter, replacing him with true freshman Caleb Salisbury (5-of-5 passing, 35 yards; 6-35 rushing).
SE OKLAHOMA STATE 21,
NO. 15 SOUTHERN ARKANSAS 0
Southern Arkansas University lost its first game, and when it became evident it would, Coach Bill Keopple did what he could to make sure the Muleriders didn't lose their star quarterback as well in Durant, Okla.
SAU (6-1), ranked No. 15 in the AFCA Top 25, was outplayed from the outset against a fired up Savage Storm defense that had senior quarterback Barrett Renner on the run from the moment he stepped on the artificial turf of Paul Laird Field.
But the Muleriders, trailing 7-0 midway through the third quarter, were in the midst of their best drive of the game, going from their 22 to the SOSU 24 when they faced fourth and 4.
"As bad as we played, we still had a chance there," Keopple said.
They went for it, and Renner, who tried to scramble, got tripped up 1 yard short of the first-down marker.
Renner (11-of-22 passing, 102 yards) suffered a hip pointer on the play, Keopple said, and did not return to the field.
Backup quarterback Hayden Mallory replaced Renner on SAU's next possession, the Savage Storm scored early in the fourth quarter and again near the end, and the Muleriders were ready to regroup.
"I didn't want to get him anymore hurt," said Keopple, while noting that the Muleriders played without three starters on offense -- at center and wide receiver. "It wasn't a good day for us. The younger guys got exposed a little bit up front."
SOSU, led by quarterback Rollin Kinsaul (14-of-25 passing, 215, 1 TD) didn't dominate the Muleriders' defense, but the Savage Storm did enough, outgaining SAU 323-243 and averaging 4.9 yards per play to 3.7 yards for SAU.
Braxton Kincade (5-76 receiving, 1 TD), along with running backs Kenneth Burks (18-57, 1 TD) and Ryan Taylor (10-46, 1 TD) each scored touchdowns.
"We're still in position to control our destiny," Keopple said. "I don't know if we're good enough."
NO. 24 HARDING 50,
SW OKLAHOMA STATE 10
The Bisons couldn't find the end zone in last week's loss to Ouachita Baptist, but they couldn't stay out of it Saturday at ASAP Energy Field against Southwestern Oklahoma in Weatherford, Okla.
Harding (5-2) scored touchdowns on each of its first six possessions, including two passing touchdowns in a victory over the Bulldogs (2-5).
Harding, which has won nine consecutive regular-season road games, scored touchdowns on all five of its first-half possessions to lead Southwestern 36-0 at halftime, then scored on its opening possession of the third quarter.
Harding, the No.1 ranked rushing team in Division II, gained 273 of its 377 rushing yards in the first half.
The Bisons outgained the Bulldogs 469-135 and led 50-0 after three quarters.
Slot back Taylor Bissell scored Harding's first touchdown on a 36-yard run, and Cole Chancey (12-56 rushing) followed with runs of 1 and 7 yards in the first half.
The final two scores of the first half came through the air. Quarterback Preston Paden completed touchdown passes of 26 yards to Kohl Blickenstaff with 4:59 to play in the half, and a 24-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Thompson with 34 seconds to play.
Matt Fuller (4-99) was the leading rusher for the Bisons, who added two second-half touchdowns in the first 6:53 of the third quarter -- an 8-yard run by Jessie Honnas and an 8-yard interception return by Dra Smith.
HENDERSON STATE 31, EAST CENTRAL 10
Henderson State University (4-3) fell behind early, then scored the game's final 24 points to beat East Central in Ada, Okla.
It was the third consecutive victory for the Reddies, who outgained the Tigers 427-276 while rushing for 219 yards and passing for 208.
Quarterback Richard Stammetti (18-of-24 passing, 208 yards, 2 TDs) threw both of his touchdown passes to running back Querale Hall (14-79 rushing, 1 TD; 5-46 receiving, 2 TDs).
Hall, a junior-college transfer from Cerritos (Calif.), has rushed 49 times for 358 yards in the past 3 games, filling in for the injured Cobra Jones.
Hall, who rushed for 173 yards in last week's victory over Oklahoma Baptist, has scored 6 touchdowns in the past 2 games while splitting time with Arkansas State University transfer Logan Moragne (15-134, 1 TD) to give the Reddies a rejuvenated rushing attack.
Ben Johnson (8-103 receiving) was kept out of the end zone, but he nearly doubled the receiving yardage of all the five other Reddies who caught passes.
ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 35, SOUTHERN NAZARENE 12
Imani Riley and Alex Day combined for 219 of Arkansas-Monticello's 289 rushing yards, and quarterback Cole Sears accounted for 2 touchdowns as the Boll Weevils (3-4 GAC) won their second consecutive game after enduring a 3-game losing streak.
UAM never trailed in Bethany, Okla., building a 21-6 halftime lead with Sears rushing 1 yard for a touchdown and completing a 41-yard pass to C.J. Parham for a 14-6 first-quarter lead.
Deontae Haynes' 3-yard run with 3:13 to play in the second quarter gave the Boll Weevils a 15-point halftime lead.
Southern Nazarene (1-6) cut UAM's lead to 21-12 on Gage Porter's 41-yard run, but the Crimson Storm missed a two-point conversion try and never got any closer.
The Boll Weevils scored twice in the fourth quarter -- on Day's 3-yard run with 7:43 to play and on Parham's second touchdown catch, from Ivan King, with 1:57 to play in the game.
NW OKLAHOMA STATE 21, ARKANSAS TECH 0
Arkansas Tech picked up 23 first downs and 332 offensive yards, but the Wonder Boys couldn't overcome 5 turnovers, including 4 interceptions, in a loss to Northwestern Oklahoma in Alva, Okla.
The Rangers (3-4 GAC) scored all of their points in the first half on three touchdown passes by quarterback Cesar De Leon.
Tech (2-5) has committed 12 turnovers during a three-game losing streak and has been outscored 81-23 in the losses to Ouachita Baptist, Arkansas-Monticello and NWOSU.
Quarterbacks Carter Burcham (17-33 passing, 163) and Manny Harris (7-14, 64) each threw two interceptions.
Bryan Allen (17-46 rushing) has 3,317 career rushing yards, third on the Wonder Boys' all-time list behind Eddie Meador.
Allen came into the game as the GAC's leading rusher with 560 yards.
Sports on 10/14/2018