ARKADELPHIA- A late drive by Ouachita Baptist fell short at the Arkansas-Monticello 31 yard line, as the Boll Weevils held on to defeat the Tigers, 37-31, in a Gulf South Conference matchup at A.U. Williams Field in Arkadelphia on Saturday.
Ouachita (2-1, 0-1 GSC) drove 13 plays for 37 yards in the final three minutes of the game, but the Arkansas-Monticello (2-1, 1-1 GSC) secondary held on, pushing the Tigers to a turnover on downs with 38 seconds left in the game to preserve the victory.
It was an electrifying offensive matchup for both schools, as Ouachita made it back-to-back games with 450+ total yards, recording 458 total yards, including a 22-for-41 effort for 281 yards and a touchdown for senior quarterback Eli Cranor. Sophomore running back Daniel McGee recorded his second-straight 100-yard rushing effort, totaling 100 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.
The Tigers were down by as many as 13 in the second half after a 43-yard field goal by Arkansas-Monticello’s Taylor Pontius, but McGee scored a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs at 14:09 in the fourth and 4:44 to give his team a chance late.
In the first half, it went back and forth early on, as Arkansas-Monticello grabbed an early lead to start the scoring off at 13:22, as quarterback Scott Buisson recorded a 17-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
Ouachita kicker Jason Fowler then answered back with a 24-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3. Boll Weevils running back Nikita Myles then scored on a 7-yard dash, but the extra point attempt was blocked by Ouachita senior safety Stanley Eduoard, leaving the score at 13-3.
Cranor then went to the air for the Tigers, finding a wide open receiver in sophomore Brett Reece for a 27-yard touchdown connection, setting the score at 13-10 with 13:55 left in the second quarter. Ouachita would force a turnover on downs and then put together a scoring drive, when Cranor finished a four-play, 56-yard drive with a two-yard scramble for the first and only lead for the Tigers at 17-13.
After a solid kickoff return for Arkansas-Monticello, Myles finished the drive off in a one-play, 41 yard touchdown run, as the Boll Weevils grabbed the lead at 20-17. With 7:40 remaining in the first half, Arkansas-Monticello’s Joseph Lockwood scampered down the middle of the field for a 69-yard touchdown strike, giving the Boll Weevils a 27-17 lead at half.
In the second half, the Boll Weevils answered first, as Pontius successfully kicked a 43-yard field goal for a 30-17 lead. McGee answered for Ouachita with the first of a 3-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit for the Tigers to 30-24.
Buisson answered back with a 27 yard touchdown pass to Steven Porter for a 37-24 lead. The final touchdown for Ouachita ended with a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a chance at 37-31.
After completing back-to-back 10+ yard passes to senior receiver Nico Hobbs for 13 yards and an 11-yard pass completion to junior receiver Clinton Dewitt, Cranor couldn’t convert to his receiving corp in Arkansas-Monticello territory to give Ouachita their first GSC loss of the season.
Ouachita junior linebacker Terrence Garrett led the Tigers with nine tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. Sophomore linebacker Augustine Ume-Ezeoke added eight tackles for Ouachita.
Buisson finished at 10-for-21 for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while Myles was the workhorse for the Boll Weevils at 14 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Ouachita Baptist will return to A.U. Williams Field on Saturday, Sept. 25 in Arkadelphia against GSC opponent Harding at 7 p.m.
