On Saturday, September 21, the Ouachita Baptist Tigers took on the Southern Arkansas Muleriders in Magnolia, Arkansas, where the Tigers led the mule riders 25-20, extending their win streak to 3-0. In a penalty frenzy, the Muleriders handicapped themselves by having over 15 penalties. The Tigers broke even when Kendel Givens rushed for a 10-yard touchdown, missing the extra point. Tigers led the mule riders 6-0. Mule rider linebacker DK Henderson recovered a forced fumble for a 30-yard touchdown, leading the Tigers 7-6. Dax Jaggers, the Tiger’s kicker, answered the Muleriders’ first score with a field goal, returning the lead to the Tigers 9-7.
Stopping the mule riders’ offense, the Tigers have another unanswered score, with Bo Baker completing a reception in the corner of the end zone to put the Tigers at a 16-7 lead. On a 16-play drive to close the half, the mule riders finally had an answer for the Tigers on offense, scoring a touchdown to trail the Tigers by 2.
For the most part, the third-quarter was scoreless. However, at the beginning of the quarter, Tom Weston, the Tiger’s punter, managed to land his third of four punts inside the mule rider red zone, with the Tigers downing the ball on the one-yard line. In the penalty frenzy that Saturday night was, the mule riders put themselves even closer to their end zone after the punt was downed, making it that much easier for the Tigers to sack the mule riders’ quarterback for a safety. This put the Tigers at an 18-14 lead for the rest of the third-quarter.
In the fourth-quarter, Ouachita quarterback Eli Livingston ran all over the Mulerider defense eventually leading him to rush for a touchdown. Ouachita head coach, Todd Knight, explained how he approaches managing a quarterback like Livingston who is run-centric. “First of all you have to pick and choose,” Knight said. When the game is on the line you have to do what you have to do.”
Southern Arkansas strived valiantly, attempting to put more points on the board. Scoring a late touchdown in the fourth-quarter but failing the two-point conversion ultimately put the mule riders’ out of the game, leading to another victory for the Tigers with a final score of 25-20. The Tigers look forward to a chance to extend their win streak to 4-0 next Saturday at Cliff Harris Stadium against University of Arkansas-Monticello.
Knight credited the team’s win to their experience and leadership, as well as both sides of special teams making the extra effort on their end. “What great leadership [our team has], our guys understand anybody in the league can beat you,” Knight said. “You have to be ready every week.”
