The Ouachita Baptist football team returns home this weekend with a chance of halting one streak and looking to start a new one as the Tigers play host to Arkansas-Monticello at A.U. Williams Field.
Ouachita began the season with a pair of home victories against Fort Lewis College and West Georgia. Things looked bring heading into a showdown with top-ranked Valdosta State in Valdosta, Ga. However, the Blazers’ big plays hurt the Tigers as Ouachita was dealt its first loss of the season.
A week later and again on the road, Ouachita fell behind 14-0 midway through the first quarter against then-No. 17 Delta State and never could recover from the deficit in a 35-17 loss.
Now, the Tigers return home with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-2 Gulf South Conference mark.
Last weekend against Delta State, Ouachita was held to its lowest offensive output of the year with 251 total yards of offense. The Tigers rushed the ball 31 times for 86 yards, while Lance Parker and Eli Cranor combined to going 17-of-38 for 165 yards.
After falling behind 14-0 to Delta State, Ouachita got on the scoreboard when Parker found Jeremy Young over the middle for a 5-yard touchdown. The Statesmen responded with a touchdown of their own, but the Tigers took the momentum into the break when Bryan Church sacked Delta State quarterback Garrett DeWitt and knocked the ball loose. The ball was scooped up by Tyler George and ran 16 yards into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 21-14.
Delta State scored early in the third quarter and surrendered a 23-yard field goal by Zach Wright before putting the game away with 47 seconds remaining in the third quarter for a 35-17 win.
Statistically, Ouachita is outscoring opponents, 31-22 and have outgained them on the ground, 174-91. In the air, the combo of Parker and Cranor is averaging 229 yards a game. Opponents have had the better of the Tigers in the air, averaging 329 a contest.
KJ Johnson leads all Tiger rushers with 331 yards on 49 touches. In the air, Parker is 75-of-133 with eight touchdowns. Julius Pruitt and Young have caught a bulk of the passes this season. Pruitt has 30 catches for 332 yards, while Young has added 232 yards on 22 catches. Jarred Nutt also has double-digit receptions as he has caught 12 passes for 150 yards.
Terrence Garrett anchors the Tigers defense with 31 tackles, including four for a loss of 25 yards and a pair of pass breakups. Blake Burkett is second in tackles with 21 and one interception.
Perhaps one of the biggest questions in Saturday’s game will be how to stop Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year Scott Buisson.
Buisson has had a stellar start to the 2008 season in helping guide the Boll Weevils (3-2, 1-1). In five games, he has carried the ball 98 times for 659 yards. In the air, he is just as dangerous, throwing for 1,395 yards on 105-161 passing. He is able to spread the ball around to five different receivers.
Clarence Denmark leads the way with 26 catches for 498 yards, while Tim Harris has 26 catches for 361 yards. Jaleel Harris and Jywin Ceaser have 16 and 13 catches, respectively, for 228 and 132 yards. Johnny Polite has 153 on 15 receptions.
Defensively, Emanuel White leads the team in tackles with 43, while Larry White has 41.
A week after outlasting Henderson State, Arkansas-Monticello was stunned at home as a 33-yard field goal attempt as time expired was no good, giving Arkansas Tech a 38-35 victory.
Buisson finished the night with 20 carries for 154 yards on the ground and 21-of-33 in the air for 258 yards, while throwing three touchdown passes and a pair of interceptions.
The Boll Weevils recorded their season-high in team rushing yards with 308, while also setting a season-high in first downs with 35, but the effort came up just short.
Ouachita leads the series with a 36-29-1 record and the last win came a season ago at A.U. Williams Field in a 31-10 victory. The last lost for the Tigers in the series was in 2006 as the Boll Weevils took that contest, 27-6.
The Tigers play host 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4 to Arkansas-Monticello as part of the Gulf South Conference Game of the Week at A.U. Williams Field. The game can be heard on the Ouachita Football Network through the following stations: Arkadelphia (KYXK-FM 106.9); Hot Springs (KBHS-AM 1420); Magnolia (KVMA-AM 630); El Dorado (KELD-FM 106.5); Nashville (KNAS-FM 105.5); Mena (KQOR-FM 105.3) or on the Web at: mms://rain.obu.edu/tigerathletics/
