ARKADELPHIA, Ark.- Ouachita Baptist University’s Director of Athletics David Sharp and Head Football Coach Todd Knight announced May 13 the release of the upcoming 2010 OBU football schedule.
The Tigers will play a 10-game schedule, featuring two non-conference opponents to open the season with Texas College in the home opener on Sept. 2 at A.U. Williams Field and a trip to Nebraska to face Nebraska-Omaha on Sept. 9. Along with a rotation of six Gulf South Conference opponents featured in the 2009 schedule, Ouachita will also face a pair of NCAA Division II playoff teams in Arkansas Tech and North Alabama for the first time since the 2007 season.
“We are prepared to play against the best,” Knight said. “We’ve had back-to-back years that are meaningful to our players and the program. Our players are excited about the schedule and realize the level of competition that the GSC and our non-conference opponents present.”
Ouachita jumped to heights the program had never experienced before during the 2009 season, ranking as high as No. 14 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll after back-to-back top-25 victories over Valdosta State and Delta State to begin the season at 4-0. The Tigers finished the 2009 season at 6-4, recording back-to-back winning records for the first since joining the GSC in 2000.
Following the two-week non-conference slate, the Tigers will begin a four-week Gulf South Conference schedule beginning with back-to-back home dates against Arkansas-Monticello on Sept. 18 and Harding on Sept. 25 in Arkadelphia. To begin the month of October, the Tigers will travel to Valdosta, Ga., to face Valdosta State on Oct. 2, then travel to Russellville to take on Arkansas Tech on Oct. 9 before an open weekend the following week.
“We’ve got several long trips this year that can take a toll on a team and last year we were worn in the middle of the season,” Knight said. ”We think a mid-season break will be great for our young men to recover from the first half of a very tough schedule. Our in-state road trips are against some of the GSC’s best. We must be a good road team this year to have a chance at our goals.”
After the open weekend, Ouachita will remain in Arkadelphia for three consecutive weeks to take on North Alabama on Oct. 23, followed by the Battle of Ravine series against Henderson State at HSU’s Carpenter Haygood Stadium. The last home date of the season will featured a matchup with Delta State on Nov. 6, followed by a road trip to Magnolia for the regular season finale against Southern Arkansas on Nov. 13.
“Our team looks forward to competing for a conference title,” Knight said. “I think most teams would set their goals on the GSC title. If you are able to win the GSC, anything can happen in post-season play. It’s hard to get through the GSC; staying healthy is a big part of being successful in our conference.”
Ouachita returns 10 starters on defense and six starters on offense for the 2010 season. Among the returners on defense are a pair of All-GSC performers in senior defensive tackle Bryan Church and senior linebacker Clayton Goree who will help anchor a defensive unit that finished second in the GSC in scoring defense and first in rushing defense by yielding an average of just 85 yards per game. Ouachita returns a total of five All-GSC players, including All-GSC lineman in junior guard Kyle Smith and junior tackle Cory Godbolt, along with junior tight end Philip Supernaw. The trio will guide an offense that led the GSC in rushing offense and allowed just four sacks on returning senior quarterback Eli Cranor. The Tigers also added 21 signees with the 2010 recruiting class that will report to campus in August.
“Our team & staff have set a high standards for work ethic and the expectations of our program are high,” Knight said. “We like our team and look forward to starting in August.”
