SOUTHERN NAZARENE
AT OUACHITA BAPTIST
WHEN 6 p.m. Central
WHERE Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia
RADIO Ouachita Football Network: 101.1-FM, KDXE in Little Rock (flagship), KUOA-AM, 1290 and KUOA-FM, 97.7 in Siloam Springs, KCXY-FM, 95.3, Camden, KZNG-FM, 105.5 and KZNG-AM, 1340, Hot Springs, KNAS-FM, 105.5, Nashville, KQOR-FM, 105.3, Mena
INTERNET obutigers.com
RECORDS Ouachita Baptist (7-0 GAC); Southern Nazarene (1-6 GAC)
COACHES Todd Knight (107-94 at OBU in 20th season, 135-126-2 in 26 seasons overall; Andy Lambert (7-22 in 3rd season at SNU; 109-118 in 22 seasons overall)
SERIES Ouachita leads 5-0
LAST MEETING Ouachita won 21-14 in Bethany, Okla., last season
COMMENTS Ouachita moved up a notch to No. 4 in this week's AFCA Top 25 coaches poll, a ranking that will take on less meaning when the first Region 3 super poll comes out Monday. The top 7 teams from each of the four Division II regions make the 28-team playoff bracket after the regular season ends Nov. 11. ... OBU Coach Todd Knight said one of the consequences of a Thursday night game is players lose one rest day and one day of practice. Southern Nazarene has even less time to prepare. It will arrive in Arkadelphia after making a 6-hour bus ride from Bethany, Okla. .... One thing Knight said he's not too worried about is his team overlooking the Crimson Storm, the last-place team in the GAC. "That's pretty easy," he said, pointing to last season's seven-point victory in Bethany. "They almost beat us." ... Southern Nazarene, coming off a 35-12 home loss to Arkansas-Monticello, has lost 5 in a row since defeating East Central 45-20 in the second week, and the Crimson Storm are averaging 8.0 points per game in their 6 losses. ... SNU ranks near or at the bottom of Division II in several key statistical categories in which OBU ranks near the top. SNU is No. 166 in scoring offense (13.3 ppg), OBU is No. 2 in scoring defense (10.9); SNU is No. 165 in passing offense (68.1 ypg), OBU is No. 1 in pass efficiency defense and No. 2 in interceptions (14); SNU is No. 166 in total offense (199.7 ypg), OBU is No. 36 in total defense (319.1 ypg). ... The Crimson Storm are respectable on defense, ranking No. 6 in the GAC and No. 78 nationally in total yards yielded per game (364.1), but are 11th in the GAC and 147th nationally in rushing defense (226.0 ypg), which plays to the strength of Ouachita, which is No. 2 in the GAC and No. 7 nationally in rushing offense (283.1 ypg). ... Knight pointed out that SNU is strong on special teams: No. 1 in the GAC in kick-return defense (13.6 ypr), No. 4 in the GAC in kick returns (21.5 ypr), No. 4 in net punting (37.8 ypp) and echoed the sentiments of UAM Coach Hud Jackson, who said before last week's game that the Crimson Storm play so hard it looks like they have 18 players in the secondary. "They use that 3-man front," Knight said. "They're all over the place."
Sports on 10/18/2018